Page 84 - Principles of Leadership - Nehemiah

of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites— to give it to his descendants. You
have kept Your promise, for You are righteous.

We see how God formed a nation that would later be known as Israel in these verses. This chapter is a prayer
that rehearses the history of Israel, revealing God’s goodness to His people and their repeated failure to
appreciate His gifts and obey His will. The word give is used in one way or another at least 16 times. Many
Christian historians define the word history as “His Story.” They also remind us that those who do not remember
the past are condemned to relive it. This is why our Lord commanded the Israelites to remember in Deuteronomy
8:2. Remember that the LORD your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness so that He
might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.
He did this with Abraham, found his heart faithful in His sight, and made a covenant. Our Lord does the same
with us today and comes along to see if our hearts are faithful in His sight. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Guard your
heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Another interesting observation that can be gleaned from this passage is that God is always the one who takes
the initiative to invite us to join Him in His activities. Notice in verse 7 how You are the LORD God who chose. In
verse 8, You found and made a covenant with him. This is the way it is throughout all of the scriptures. Our Lord
is at work in the world, and He invites us to join Him in a love relationship. As we join God in this love relationship,
we can always have confidence that He will keep His promise, for He is righteous. Just how does God take the
initiative to call us into a love relationship so that we can experience Him and His ways?

The following is taken from Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry Blackaby.

Seven Realities of Experiencing God
The seven realities included below will help you summarize the way you can respond to God’s initiative in your
life.
1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and
the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief
that requires faith and action.
6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes
His work through you.

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