Our lives fill up quickly, don’t they? It always seems there is more to be done than can fit into our packed schedules. And somehow our days vanish as though they were hardly more than a moment. Because of the busyness of our lives here on earth and the pattern of this age to always be doing more, it seems wise that we consider the main purpose for which we are living. There is a reason that we have been made and there is a task that we have been given. The reason we were created is to glorify God, and the task we have been given is to exhaust ourselves in actions that reflect our purpose. When our lives are filled only with what we want and what we plan, how does that leave room to accomplish the purposes our Lord has in store for us? Are we ready to sacrifice what we want to be of benefit to another? We often claim to be God’s servants, but do we really prove by our actions to be his slaves?

Think about the example of a man in the Bible named Nehemiah. Nehemiah seemed to be leading a fairly normal, prosperous life in the land of Persia. As we learn from the end of Nehemiah chapter 1, he was the cupbearer to the king when he received news in verse 3 that his people living back in the promised land had not yet been able to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Instead of turning an unconcerned shoulder to these people who were living so far away, Nehemiah saw an opportunity not only to be deeply concerned, but also to do something about the situation in Jerusalem.

In 2:5 we read that Nehemiah asked the king of Persia if he could for a time relinquish his duties as cupbearer to return to the city of Jerusalem and rebuild the walls there. He got permission from the king and did indeed return to his people and to Jerusalem.

It is amazing to see how Nehemiah forgot about himself to accomplish a task that was not even necessarily his responsibility. And we see that Nehemiah truly set his mind to the task. In 2:12-13 we read that Nehemiah got up early in the night to survey the ruins and the destruction, to make plans for rebuilding the walls. We see that Nehemiah certainly was expending himself to do what was beyond the ordinary level of service. If Nehemiah had never taken the necessary risks to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, who knows if they ever would have been rebuilt? There is a quote that says, “A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Nehemiah could have chosen to “play it safe” and only do those few things back in Persia that he felt confident he could do well--but to do only that would have been to neglect being used by the Lord in a way such as this.

Do we let our fear of failure or our lack of perfection stop us from even attempting to the things that the Lord sets before us? Nehemiah never claimed to be perfect or even to be the best man for the task of rebuilding the walls--he was simply ready to stop being wrapped up in his own life and desires in order to do what needed to be done for the sake of his brothers and for the Lord’s sake. We have already established that Nehemiah could have been of little or no use to God if he was not willing to be selfless. But neither could he have been used to rebuild the walls of the holy city if all he ever did was dwell on his own imperfections and faults while being overwhelmed by the challenge and the importance of the task.

Another quote, this time from Epicurus, states: “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.” In our spiritual lives, we can see that when we overcome the difficulty or the challenge, whatever it may be, the glory goes completely to none other than God. Remember that it is not about us when we seek to accomplish something worthwhile--it is about the Lord working though us.

Nehemiah understood clearly that it was not about him, but rather about the Lord on whom he depended and the Lord who gave the increase. In 2:12 he said, “…I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do…” Again in 4:14 he encouraged the workers in the face of opposition, “…do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome…” And in 4:15 he acknowledged that it was God who had frustrated the plan of the enemy. When we have our focus above, we understand clearly that it is not in ourselves that good things are accomplished, but simply through allowing God to use our lives. And when our trust and confidence rests with the Creator of the universe, then there is no challenge that is insurmountable.

What does it take on our part for God to be able to use our lives to His glory? Certainly the task of bringing glory to the name of the Lord is the most important and daunting challenge we will ever face, but perhaps it does not have to be as complicated and difficult an answer as one might imagine. The world envisions facing great challenges with bold statements of courage and impressive displays of strength--however, God’s standards of excellence are different from those of the world and so too the process through which we get there.

I would suggest that ordinary daily life walking with God is what will prepare us to face the challenges and opportunities of the coming days. It is when we are unconcerned about ourselves and when we are more concerned and even consumed by the Lord’s will that we become who He would have us be.

Who but God would have ever thought to use a simple cupbearer to rebuild all the walls around the city of Jerusalem? There are no great leadership skills, no great talents that are honed by being a cupbearer. All God needed was for Nehemiah to be committed to walking with Him each day and He would take care of the rest. Who but God would have thought to prepare men like David and Moses to lead the entire nation of His people by tending sheep? It was not the Lord’s will that men like these seek out their own glory or do something to impress or to prove their great worth. The Lord simply asked that they walk daily with Him, even in such small things as tending sheep. Truly the weaker and more imperfect we are the more glory God receives when He uses us to accomplish His purposes.

Who but God would have thought it best for the savior of the world, His own son, to be born in a manger and raised in the home of a poor carpenter? Clearly the people of the world did not see him as anyone significant, but God saw things quite differently. Philippians 2 teaches us that it was because Christ humbled Himself that the Lord was able to use Him to be the savior of the world. Let us never fail to see that our humble seeking of His will is nothing less than what He desires and demands. Not a busy schedule, not some great accomplishment, but God simply requires a schedule and a life that is intent on walking with Him and accomplishing His will.

-Kyle Fisher