Can I Be Held Responsible for My Irresponsibility?

Based on Nehemiah 1-2

As you read through the beginning of Nehemiah’s story (check the Table of Contents in your Bible or go to www.biblegateway.com to find it), you find a man who holds a responsible, trusted position, serving the king.

Kings and queens today often hold symbolic, ceremonial positions and responsibilities. Kings in Nehemiah’s day held absolute control over their people and were often served by slaves from the nations they had conquered. This was Nehemiah’s case.

Nehemiah was a Jewish man serving in the court of a foreign nation that had taken God’s people captive. When God moved in the heart of Cyrus (see 2 Chronicles 36:20-23 and Ezra 1:1-10) to allow the Jews to return to their homeland after their captivity, Nehemiah was one of the Jews who remained in captivity. Yet, when Nehemiah hears about the state of Jerusalem and its people, his heart is overwhelmed with the news of their need.

Nehemiah begins to pray and look for opportunities to become part of the solution for his brothers and sisters in need. He takes his personal concern and grief to the Lord, humbly seeking God’s intervention.

Although he has no pertinent skill or expertise to offer, Nehemiah makes himself available to God, willing to be used however God sees fit. While he waits for God to make the next step clear, Nehemiah devotes himself to prayer and to serving the master who has the authority to release him or keep him serving in his current position.

Where is God calling you to make yourself available to respond to the needs of others?

Throughout the Bible, we see stories of men and women remaining faithful in their current life circumstances, seeking God in those circumstances, and being willing and ready to respond when God calls.

We also read stories of people who used their current circumstances as excuses to avoid God’s call.

Which group do you fit into?

Responsible|Definition

1. answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (often fol. by to or for): He is responsible to the president for his decisions. 2. involving accountability or responsibility: a responsible position 3. chargeable with being the author, cause, or occasion of something (usually fol. by for): Termites were responsible for the damage. 4. having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action: The defendant is not responsible for his actions.

"responsible." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 14 Feb. 2009.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/responsible>.

Scripture is clear that both men and women were created to respond to God’s call and response + able for God’s world. The fact that God gave us this responsibility means that we are accountable to God for how we use our response + ability to respond to the needs around us.

How does this definition of responsibility as “response + ability” change your perspective on what it means to live responsibly?

Are you pursuing God’s direction in living response + ably?

Redeeming Response + Ability

Sin has twisted our understanding of responsibility.

We may refuse to accept responsibility for our lives, and play the victim.

We may twist our understanding of responsibility and try to control things we were never meant to control, like God or other people.

We may run from responsibility, shoving it off toward others and burdening them with false responsibility and guilt.

We may hand over our responsibility to others, choosing to blame them for our inability to live the lives God calls us to live.

We may consciously or unconsciously take on more responsibilities than God asks us to take on, over-scheduling our lives, making us ineffective, and keeping us from being response + able to God’s voice when He speaks.

Which of these distorted concepts of responsibility tempts you or describes you?

Response + Able to God

God, as the one to whom we are first and ultimately response + able, has the right to determine the area and extent of our response + ability. When we pursue God and respond to our circumstances by depending on Him, our responses reveal His life-giving power.

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord… For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.—Romans 14:7-12

What do you need to give up in order to live response + ably from God’s perspective?

Ultimately, in the midst of the people and needs that call for our attention, God is the one who deserves first attention, sets our priorities, and gets the final word. Are you asking Him to show you where He wants you live response + ably?

This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”—Isaiah 48:17

For whom and for what has God already given you response + ability? Nehemiah continued to be response + able where he was until God’s power and timing opened the door for him to do more. Centuries later, Paul’s words echo Nehemiah’s mindset and role model for us—

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.—Colossians 3:15-17, 23, 24

What longing to make a difference is God placing in your heart as you pursue Him?

What obstacles are you trusting God to overcome so that you can live your life response + ably?

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1593.shtml

Missing the Crib

Based on Matthew 2:1-18

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born….Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared….When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.—Matthew 2:3, 4, 7, 16

Have you ever missed the crib? I’m not using missed as in feeling sentimental, experiencing a sense of longing or loss, about the crib. And not missed as in never meeting the infant God/man who was placed in the manger at birth, either, although that may be something for you to consider.

I’m talking about missed as in ignoring the crib, specifically the Holy One who was laid in the manger, overlooking the implications of the crib in living out a life of faith in Jesus. I think it’s easy to knock Herod when we begin thinking about missing the crib, but I wonder if we understand how easily we miss the crib as Christ-followers.

Consider that Jesus’ birth meant that God was intersecting human history in a new and unique way. No longer could it be claimed that God was far removed from His people. In Jesus, God came to be known as Immanuel, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus shared in our humanity, that we are of the same family, and that Jesus was made like us in every way, to the point of suffering when He was tempted, so that He understands our suffering and is able to help us when we are tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18) In other words, Jesus "gets it" when we struggle to live the life Scripture talks about, and He is able to help us live by the Spirit's power.

So, here are some of the questions that I’ve been wrestling with—

What are the circumstances in my life in which I am being tempted to live as if Jesus had never come to that manger crib? Where I don’t really give a rip about the babe in the manger, where I prefer to give in to the temptation to live my life as it the world revolves around me? Succumbing to “feel good” philosophies? To emotions like hopelessness, despair or anger?

Where am I tempted to live like Herod, misusing people to feed my own ego, instead of serving them? Taking out my emotions on them? Using them instead of caring for them?

Where am I misleading others, pretending to seek out spiritual truth, but only so that I can twist it for my own purposes? So that I can boastfully throw around Scriptural truth like the Pharisees without every humbling myself to the God who gave that truth?

Where am I mistreating others, attacking them with abusive or slanderous language—if not outright killing them by the sword—in order to protect myself or build my own case, instead of seeing others through His eyes and speaking words that build them up?

For me, these have been hard questions this Christmas season, not just theoretical, abstract questions.

Do I really believe that Jesus came to the manger to usher in God’s kingdom, God’s rulership over all creation?

If so, then I have a responsibility to live my life in a way that reflects His presence within me. Maybe it means actually seeking to live so that it is evident that the Holy Spirit is at work within me, shaping me, transforming me into the image of Christ. Simple things like being characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and oh, let’s not forget, self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

Do I really believe the angel’s announcement of “on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests”?

If so, then I have a responsibility to work for reconciliation in the broken relationships in my life. (Matthew 5:9)

Do I really believe that Jesus gives me the power to live differently and that my life will reveal what I really hold dear, what I believe?

If so, then I have to wrestle with my spiritual condition this Christmas as it is revealed not just in the words I say, but in the things I do. (Matthew 12:33-35)

Like us, Herod was surrounded by every opportunity to find out about Jesus. He ruled in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish faith, surrounded by religious leaders and faithful people. But Herod wasn’t interested in the spiritual things.

Like us, Herod thought he had more important things to think about—he was caught up in the pull of power and position and making a name for himself. As far as he was concerned, other people existed only to serve him.

God’s plan broke through into Herod’s life through the Magi’s arrival. All of a sudden, Herod was aware that his ordered world was not secure.

In what way is God using unexpected circumstances in your life to get your attention? What is your response revealing about your faith?

How do you respond to Jesus’ arrival? Does His presence in the crib reshape your life, your relationships, your future? What difference does He want to make in your life and in the lives of those around you?

Or have you been missing the crib?

To view the worship celebration Bible study related to this article, go to http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1571.shtml

Life's Too Short...Not to Fish! - REEL Fisheristic

"Come, follow me..."

Are you a dabbler? You know, flitting from one thing to another, trying something until you’re bored or it gets too hard or the next most interesting thing comes along?

I’ve been a dabbler in my life—couldn’t decide on a major in college, had a variety of unfinished projects laying around from hobbies that I didn’t stick with, and let’s not even discuss the number of half-read or just-started-but-never-finished books on my shelf. Focusing on one thing only worked for a little while, then I was on to something new.

I was the same way spiritually. After Jesus invited me to follow Him, I started out okay, but then I got distracted. I bounced back and forth for several decades, actually. What sounded fairly simple, “Follow me,” wasn’t that simple in my life. It seemed like I could follow everything else but Jesus, going first one way, then another, chasing every spiritual teacher or path that I stumbled upon. After wandering for a while, I would realize I was at a dead end (or on a path that I really didn’t want to be on) and find my way back to Jesus.

If you do a word search on www.biblegateway.com, you’ll find the word follow used in various ways in the New Testament. Matthew 4:19 is the first time we hear Jesus’ invitation to specific people to follow Him—

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

It’s followed immediately in verse 20 by the disciples’ response—

At once they left their nets and followed him.

What is your response to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him?


What does following Jesus look like today? Here are a few suggestions:

Following Jesus is a personal matter—


Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."-- John 21:22

It really isn’t about anyone else in your family or circle of friends, it is up to you to accept the invitation to follow. Jesus was aware that some people would chose to follow and some would refuse the invitation. Other people’s decisions are not an excuse to keep us from following Jesus.

What have you used as an excuse not to follow Jesus?


Get to know Jesus while you are following Him

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”—John 14:5-7

Walking together is a great way to get to know another person. As you travel together, there is time to talk, to speak of everyday things and things that really matter, to laugh and even to cry, to make new discoveries and to create memories.

What are you learning about Jesus as you follow Him?

How is your understanding of Jesus deeper today than it was a day, a week, a month, or a year ago?


To follow Jesus, you have to move

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."—Matthew 8:18-20

Following is a verb. As a verb, it implies motion, action, and movement. Following Jesus isn’t a static concept. Following Jesus involves participation and personal effort. You can’t follow someone who is standing still and you can’t follow someone if you remain standing still. Jesus is always on the move, and following Him means that you can’t stay in the same place where He first called you. He is moving on and you’ll have to keep moving to keep up with Him.

Where are you in your journey of faith compared to where you started?

Where is Jesus taking you now?


To follow Jesus, you have to keep pace with Him and let Him lead the way

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished…—Mark 10:32

I walk with some friends each week. The funny thing about that is that my friends have longer legs than me, so I’m always moving to keep up with them. I think of Jesus like that, actually. In Mark 10, Jesus is traveling on a mission, traveling to Jerusalem, where He will go to the cross. His followers are hurrying behind Him on the road, because He is walking with purpose. On the way, He ends up stopping in Jericho before heading out again.

Where is Jesus leading you, perhaps to a place you don’t understand? Are you letting Him lead the way or are you trying to get Him to follow you instead?


To follow Jesus, you have to stay close enough to see or hear Him

I sometimes think it must have been easier to follow God in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God made Himself visible to the Israelites by a cloud by day and fire by night. Pretty simple stuff, move when the cloud moves, stop with it stops. You can always see God visibly, regardless of the time of day or night.

In the New Testament, Jesus was physically present, able to be spoken to, seen, and heard. You knew if He was in town or on the road. Well, except for the times He would leave town without the crowds, and they went looking for Him. Still and all, He was physically visible.

As Jesus was getting ready to go to the cross and then to return to heaven, He prepared His followers for what the next stage of following Him was going to look like: the presence of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding them.

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”—John 16:7-15

Here are some practical tips for staying close to Jesus and letting His Spirit guide you:

1. Listen for His voice —

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.—John 10:4

2. Get to know what truth sounds like—

Read truth in the Bible. Listen to truth from Bible teachers—Bible studies, sermons, podcasts, CDs. Let God’s truth reshape your mind and heart, and renew your thinking.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.—Colossians 3:1

3. Keep an open relationship with the Spirit—

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God—Ephesians 4:30

You keep an open relationship with someone by being honest about who you are, asking forgiveness when you hurt them, and staying in relationship with them. Confess your failures to God, receive His forgiveness, and don’t let your failures be an excuse to quit following Him!

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.—1 John 1:5-10

How is your relationship with the Holy Spirit?



Following Jesus sometimes means you head into storms

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"—Matthew 8:23-27

The thing about following Jesus into storms is that you’re following JESUS into those storms. He is with you. He is in control, even if you don’t realize it. He will bring you through it, and you will know Him more truly, and be amazed at the One you follow!

What are you learning about Jesus because of the storms He is taking you through?


Following Jesus will shape your purpose, passion, persistence, and partnership with Him. It will infuse your life with His purpose, passion, and persistence, and it will result in an increasingly deep partnership with Him.

What about you? Are you a spiritual dabbler? On again, off again, when it comes to following Jesus? Choosing to follow Him, alone if necessary? Out of shape? Hard of hearing? Or are you learning to hear His voice; learning to follow Him in your life, learning to follow Him to those who need His touch?

Who are you encouraging to follow Jesus? What lessons can you share with them about how to keep following when you’re tempted to dabble?

Can You BELIEVE He Asked That?

Can You BELIEVE He Asked That?

Matthew 9:27-29
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";

Matthew 9 gives us a glimpse into the life-changing nature of a simple conversation. What started out as a conversation between Jesus and two men with an undeniable need resulted in restored sight and a new future for the men talking with Jesus. Because Matthew captured this conversation in his biography of Jesus, its impact echoes through the millennia and impacts us today. A conversation that brought physical sight for the initial hearers can bring us spiritual insight today.

It’s a short conversation. The men ask Jesus a question; Jesus asks them a question. They respond to His question; He responds to their question. Sometimes we think that it takes a lot of words—fancy, multi-syllabic words woven into eloquent speeches—to make a difference in someone’s life. Jesus had those kinds of words for people when the situation called for it. For these two men, though, the conversation was short, specific and straight-forward.

Although these men couldn’t see Jesus, they had heard about Him. They had heard of His compassion, His miracles, His healing. At last Jesus was nearby, actually within their range. Now was the time to act.

Their limitation does not keep them from following Jesus. Did they follow the sound of the crowd? Did they follow the sound of Jesus’ voice?

Their unmet need caused them to follow Jesus, to chase after Him, to call out for His attention. What compels you to call out to Jesus? What unmet need drives you to follow Him?

Notice that the men did not come to Jesus with their own plan, they came with their problem. Jesus didn’t have to talk them out of their own ideas about how to fix their blindness. They had figured out that the biggest problem they faced in life couldn’t be fixed with their own ingenuity or hard work. Plain and simple, they faced the fact that without Jesus intervening, they were stuck in their blindness.

They were way past asking “Why?” and way past playing the victim. They had moved past complaining and blaming, past anger at God for allowing this in their lives, past resignation to their lot in life. They didn’t have any solutions of their own; they just wanted God to intervene, and they were willing to humble themselves and ask for His help. They wanted to be better, to be whole, and to live life with all of its responsibilities and privileges.

They didn’t tell Jesus what to do, they simply asked for mercy. Mercy, receiving compassion and blessing that they desperately longed for but knew they couldn’t demand or control or manipulate God into giving them. Asking for mercy comes from remembering that God is God and that we are His people, His creation, that He doesn’t owe us anything, but maybe—just maybe—His character is such that He might have compassion on us at the point of our need.

What is the point of need in your life?

What characterizes your conversations with God about this part of your life? Anger? Bitterness? Resentment? Scheming? Resignation? Advice-giving? Or a realization that God, the God of all compassion, actually cares for you and listens to your cry for mercy?

Funny, isn’t it, that Jesus didn’t turn around immediately and answer them? Was He testing their hearts as He continued on, wondering if they would give up, if they really meant it that they wanted His help? The two men persevered, in spite of Jesus’ seeming lack of response. They knew that Jesus was the only one who could help them, so they kept following Him, all the way into a house. They didn’t give up.

What difficulties do you have to overcome in order to pursue Jesus? Doubts? Barriers? Questions? Resentment? Friends? Family? Poor lifestyle choices? Disappointment?

Just a few chapters earlier in Matthew 7, Jesus encouraged His listeners to persist in asking God to respond to their needs: 7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

James’ advice is: 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
How do these verses renew your desire and determination to pursue God and God’s intervention in your situation?

God longs to reveal Himself to us and to answer our prayers. Yet here we see Jesus probing, testing to see if these men were ready for His answer.

Jesus tests their belief by responding to their question with a question, questioning the depth of their belief in His ability to help them. As God, didn’t Jesus know what was in their hearts? Why did He ask “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

Jesus’ question requires them to stop and examine what they believe, recognize who they are asking, and reflect on the moment and their expectations. I wonder if they paused, if they thought deeply, if there was a hush in the room.

Their answer to Jesus question is recorded; it needn’t have been. What would have been missing if Matthew had skipped their response, and gone straight to “Then he touched their eyes…” It’s not just about Jesus, it’s about relationship, about communication and connection. Their simple response is “Yes, Lord.”

What about you? Are you persistently seeking Jesus about the need in your life? Are you continuing to look to Him? Are you ready for Him to make a difference in your life? Are you ready for His answer, whatever form it takes?

In some cases Jesus healed with a word, in another case He healed blindness using a mud paste. Just before this incident, a woman was healed simply by touching the hem of Jesus’ clothing. In this case, His touch on their eyes brought sight to the blind. Can you imagine what it must have been like to open your eyes and have Jesus’ face be the first thing you ever see?

In what part of your life do you need Jesus’ touch? What difference would it make if you could see Jesus’ face clearly in the midst of your situation? How much do you long for His answer? Are you willing to put your faith in Him, not in yourself or others, for the answer to your problem?

Jesus’ response—to them and to us—is, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”