Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. ~ Nehemiah 13:14
“Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.” Nehemiah 13:14
I am right in the middle of preparing for the memorials for three long time Christian people: my father-in-law and his wife who died a month apart, as well as a long-time member of one of the churches I have served. As I think about the spiritual legacy they have left, it strikes me how many things they did for God that no one ever noticed. Deeds of kindness, acts of service, quiet prayers, setting up chairs, working in the nursery – that kind of thing. So many things done for Christ that have gone unseen and unrecorded by others. It’s the nature of being a servant of Christ.
I love Nehemiah and see throughout the book that he calls for God to remember the things he did, knowing that the story would never be known – or told among his countrymen.
This is as it should be. We offer what we have and are back to God for His service and His glory. If we are thanked by other people – well, that is nice, but it’s not why we do it. We look for reward from the Lord!
Paul reminds us that God sees and notes all the investments we make spiritually – and ‘the Day’ will bring them to light either in wood, hay and straw; or gold, silver and precious stones (I Corinthians 3:12-14).
Do you feel weary in well doing? Do you feel you have been overlooked? Remember who you are serving and rejoice that you are making investments that will last. C.S. Lewis said: “…if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong but too weak” (Screwtape proposes a toast).
Interest in the proposed trip to Israel in June of 2023 has been very strong. I am hoping that we will be able to form a group of pilgrims from our own church. If you would like to know more about it, why not drop me a line (leon@mycac.ca) and we can chat a bit about it…
Pastor Leon Throness
