Nehemiah's Nemesis - What is Success?

[Jake will be leading us Sunday, September 13... He has chosen Chapter 14 - "What is Success in Practical Terms?"]

In this chapter, we find a definition of "calling" from The Call  by Os Guinness (http://www.ttf.org/index/about/guinness/):  A calling is "The Truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to His summons and service." Got it? In other words, God's calling is the individual reason for every choice you make in serving Him.

So much of our time is wrapped up in our jobs, trying to earn money to live the lifestyle we want. If we aren't spending this time and energy doing what God has called us to do, we will not be satisfied. We read in Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." It doesn't matter what job you do, with a Godly attitude you will be a success in God's eyes if you rely on Him.

Why are you in the job/career that you currently occupy? Is it where God wants you to be or are your own personal desires keeping you there or pushing you in the wrong way? With so much time in our lives being spent in our work, answering these questions can have significant impact on our future direction in life!

Think about it and leave a comment...
.

Nehemiah's Nemesis - Continuing "The Story"

Valarie led a small class this morning with support from Jake, of course, and Gideon, Ron and Jeri contributed their ideas as usual. It was Valarie's first time teaching and she handled it like a real pro... Way to go, Val!

We added to the comments various ones had posted on the previous blog entry (http://nehemiahsnemesis.blogspot.com/2009/09/nehemiahs-nemesis-whats-your-story.html) and considered some fresh questions as well. Much time was spent exploring whether we believed that a final rendering of our life's story would focus on our Christ-likeness.

Let's continue that discussion as we add our comments here... Will whoever tells about your life after you're gone emphasize your Christ-likeness? What do you hope will be remembered about the way you lived your life? And, what can you do NOW to impact how your story will be told?
.

Nehemiah's Nemesis - What's Your Story?

[Valarie chose the lesson for Sept. 6 - Ch. 30, "What's Your Story?" Have at it...]

Everyone loves a story... whether it be a romance, sci-fi, or mystery. Some like them as a hobby, a way to escape or as a coping mechanism. But have you ever thought of YOUR story?

Psalms 139:13-16 says "....all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Christ has written your story already. He knows the ending already. How great would that be if we could flip to the back of our book and see how it ends!?

Would you be afraid to read it? Ashamed? Proud? What would you change, if anything? How would you like the story to end?
.