Photo by Mark Duffel on Unsplash

As we wrap up our series on being a Thriving church from Nehemiah 8-13, Nehemiah lays out how to stay on track in life and faith. 

The issue facing Nehemiah and the people of God at the end of Nehemiah is how to avoid drifting in life and faith.

If you remember chapter 8, after completing the wall, the people read the book of the law. In chapter 9, they responded in prayer and confession. In chapter 10, they make vows in response to God and all that God has done. Those vows are about money, Sabbath, and marriage.

All things that are connected to worship and what gets our hearts. 

Then in chapter 12, they create systems for how they will live out these vows. You can’t just make a vow; you need a plan for how you will keep it. 

Between chapter 12 and chapter 13, we don’t know exactly how much time has passed, but some estimates suggest 10-20 years. Nehemiah had returned to the king to serve him, and now he is back in Jerusalem, where the people have forgotten their vows.

Nehemiah 13 shows us that God’s people rarely fall away in one dramatic moment. They drift. And the three places they drifted are the same places most of us drift today: rest, money, and relationships.

The question we looked at on Sunday is: Where are you drifting right now? Is it at work, home, or school? Is it something related to faith?

To help us see where we might be drifting and what things we need to put in place to stay on track, we’ll look at the three areas of money, Sabbath, and marriage and ask some questions of each: 

Questions to ask about finances and giving.

1. Does your giving reflect a commitment you made to God, or what’s left over at the end of the month?
2. Where is money giving you a sense of control or security that belongs to God?
3. What would it look like to give first, not last?
4. What system (automatic giving, a budget line, a conversation with your spouse) would help you keep the commitment you want to keep?
5. Who in my life would benefit if I were more generous this year?

Questions to ask about Sabbath

1. If you lived differently for one day each week, what would that day involve?
2. What brings you joy and refreshes you in your relationship with God, yourself, and others?
3. What would recharge your heart, soul, mind, and body? 
4. What “gate” do you need to close to protect that day: your phone, your inbox, your errands?
5. What would you have to trust God with in order to stop for 24 hours?

Questions to ask about marriage and relationships

1. A question to ask if you’re dating someone: Is this person drawing you closer to Jesus or pulling you away? No relationship is neutral. 
2. Would you trust this person with the hardest days of your life, not just the best ones?
3. If you’re married: Where have you drifted as a couple, spiritually, financially, or in how you spend time?
4. What “language” are your kids learning at home: the language of faith or only the language of the culture (Nehemiah 13:23-24)?
5. Who are the three or four relationships shaping you most right now, and which direction are they pulling you? Again, no relationship is neutral. 
6. What is one rhythm (praying together, a weekly check-in, Sabbath as a family, weekly family dinner, weekly date night) you could start this month?