no share

Sometimes I have to choose between pleasing God and pleasing people. Much more rarely, we might have to choose between pleasing God and pleasing our president, or boss. For all those times, Nehemiah gives a good answer.

This is what happened, in Nehemiah 2:19-20: “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’

“I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’”

That’s what I have to remember. There are a lot of voices in this world that will try to stop me from doing God’s will. They might mock and ridicule, like Sanballat and Tobiah. They might try to coerce, maybe by hinting they might tell “the king,” whoever it is we might fear. They might even threaten. It doesn’t matter.

If I’m doing God’s will, it’s going to work, and it’s all going to work out. And all the naysayers are simply talking themselves out of any share in God’s good work. Keep it up long enough and they’ll forfeit their share in heaven. I guess that’s the choice: try to take my shares on earth, or work toward heavenly shares.

Instead of being intimidated or coerced by all those negative voices, I just need to keep my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, and trust that he won’t lead me wrong.