Sunday, January 07, 2007
Running with the Horses!
This week while preparing for Bible Study I ran across a scripture that God really used to speak to me and inspire me as we look to the New Year and the future vision of the ministry. It’s a passage from the book of Jeremiah, when Jeremiah was tired, beaten down by his opponents, and mired in self-pity. He was on the verge of throwing in the towel and abandoning his calling from God, because things just seemed to difficult – and he was complaining to God at the beginning of Chapter 12. At that moment God gave him a stern reprimand that served as an important wake-up call, and still speaks to us today:
(Read Jeremiah 12:5)
If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
Yes, ministry is difficult, but we can’t ever afford to just give up and let men wear us out. We can’t give up because things got tough. God is calling us to a higher level of excellence in our service to Him, not to settle for mediocrity or anything less than our best. He is calling us to live courageously and victoriously for Him – to run with the horses. Giving up would be easier, but it would not be fulfilling. God has called us to a higher purpose beyond what we can accomplish on our own, and has promised us the strength to be able to do it, as long as we keep our focus and faith rooted in him. God was asking Jeremiah: if you’re already getting worn out, and the real race hasn’t even started, how in the world are you going to run with the swift horses? Do you want to be mired in mediocrity, or run with the horses? If you’re already weary now, then how are you going to stand and fight when tougher challenges come along? We are in “safe country” right now, but what will happen when we come to the thickets up ahead? When setbacks or challenges come, we as humans have two choices – we can either give up, or we can dig in, stand our ground, stay in the race, and push onward and upwards!
This passage reminds me is that God is calling us to rise above stagnation and mediocrity, and to keep growing spiritually and looking to God to accomplish things we could never do on our own. We should not be limited by our own fatigue and discouragement, but depend on God to work through us by His strength. Of course, as we grow, the spiritual attacks grow stronger, and the spiritual warfare becomes more fierce. As Bishop T.D. Jakes says, “New levels bring new devils.” We must be equipped and ready. Are we praying enough and staying equipped for the new opportunities God is bringing our way, and to face the new attacks that will come with those glorious opportunities? We’ve got to examine ourselves and our spiritual lives – because how can we run with the horses if people are already wearing us out at the place we are currently at? We’ve got to show diligence, faithfulness, and excellence in the little things that God has already blessed us with, before God opens the doors to bless us with new, larger ministry opportunities. For example, if we can’t keep up inreach/outreach with a roster of 30 people, then why would God ever entrust 100 people into our care? If I can’t stay spiritually focused enough to preach in a way that helps 15 people grow, then why would God trust me to preach to 50?
To run with the horses, God is calling each of us to step up and become a spiritual leader to the people in our sphere of influence – to take on new levels of responsibility and service, using our gifts to build God’s kingdom. Today I want to talk about some of the characteristics that are necessary in order for us to “run with the horses” and please God by serving Him with excellence. We are going to look at some characteristics of Nehemiah, one of the great leaders of the Old Testament, who led the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, for our inspiration this morning. Nehemiah could definitely run with the horses! These characteristics are what God can use to do the extraordinary through us. If we lose these characteristics, we will just be ordinary, without God’s power and anointing. But if we can learn about spiritual leadership through the example of Nehemiah, it will help us run with the horses!
(Read Nehemiah 1:1-11)
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let your ears be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
In this passage from Nehemiah, I see 3 major characteristics that shed light on what it takes to run with the horses and serve God with excellence. First of all…
1) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES PASSION FOR GOD’S VISION (Nehemiah 1:4)
Look carefully at Nehemiah’s passion for God’s will in verse 4. He weeps, mourns, fasts, and prays about the troubles of the Israelites and the broken-down wall. Do we feel so strongly about what needs to be done in our community, and the people who are hurting? This is the kind of passion that God uses to fuel the extraordinary things He wants to accomplish through us. It’s hard to sustain a level of excellence without this type of passion. And we must live daily with this passion – not just leave it in the pews at church! (duck church example – the ducks who got excited week after week hearing the preacher preach, “We can fly, we can fly!” but then would just waddle home each week... lol)
Nehemiah’s deep grief and passion over this situation motivated him into action. Our passion will lead us to action in pursuing God’s vision, even when things get tough. What motivates you? What inspires you to do what you do? Do you have a deep sense of anticipation, excitement, and enthusiasm about the things God wants to accomplish in the future through your life and this ministry? I hope and pray that the answer is “yes.” Let’s look at a few more insights about passion and motivation from I Peter…
(Read I Peter 5:1-5)
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Your motivation in serving and leading has a great impact on your effectiveness, and your ability to persevere through tough times, and to outlast the “horses.” This passage from I Peter emphasizes willingness and eagerness (passion), but also humility (“not lording it over those entrusted to you”), which is the next key concept…
2) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES HUMILITY BEFORE GOD (Nehemiah 1:5-11)
Examine Nehemiah’s humility exhibited in verses 5-11. He openly confesses the sins and shortcomings of his people, including his own faults. He comes before God as an honest, humble servant, with reverence. This is the attitude of humility that it takes to run with the horses and persevere towards God’s highest purposes. If you are puffed up with pride, in ministry for your own ego, or focused on yourself, then you will continually get tired and discouraged with people, and never even make it to the level of running with horses. You will never have the joy of God’s strength working through you. Humility is the key to God being able to work powerfully through you – we must get ourselves out of the way so God can work. We must admit our shortcomings and our need for Him – if we think we can do it ourselves, He will let us in order to show us we are wrong. Let’s take a look at a couple of Proverbs on the subject of humility…
(Read Proverbs 19:21)
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
(Read Proverbs 11:2)
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
We can only operate at our spiritual best when we have a humble heart. It is essential that we maintain a spirit of humility if we are going to run with the horses.
3) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES COMPASSION FOR THE WEAK AND LOST (Nehemiah 1:6-7)
The minute you lose your compassion for the weak, the hurting, and the lost, you will get worn out instead of being able to run with the horses. Notice how much Nehemiah cared about his people. Are you praying fervently, day and night, for the people God has placed in your life, like Nehemiah was? What a great example! God will use that sense of concern and compassion for others to motivate you when your human strength runs out, and you realize that you are involved in work that is truly a matter of life and death – something of eternal importance. That compassion will be what God uses to drive you to persevere when you feel like quitting, because you care too much about the people involved to just give up and quit.
Conclusion:
God is calling us to serve Him with excellence and reach new spiritual heights and levels of growth in our ministry. But the question is, are we ready to run with the horses? How bad do we want to see God’s vision fulfilled? Are we willing to give God our all in order to see His highest plans and purposes come to pass? Today is the day to examine your heart, get things right between you and God, and begin to rise above the challenges that previously would have stopped you, and run with the horses! You will never regret deciding to make serving God with excellence the top priority in your life.
(Read Jeremiah 12:5)
If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
Yes, ministry is difficult, but we can’t ever afford to just give up and let men wear us out. We can’t give up because things got tough. God is calling us to a higher level of excellence in our service to Him, not to settle for mediocrity or anything less than our best. He is calling us to live courageously and victoriously for Him – to run with the horses. Giving up would be easier, but it would not be fulfilling. God has called us to a higher purpose beyond what we can accomplish on our own, and has promised us the strength to be able to do it, as long as we keep our focus and faith rooted in him. God was asking Jeremiah: if you’re already getting worn out, and the real race hasn’t even started, how in the world are you going to run with the swift horses? Do you want to be mired in mediocrity, or run with the horses? If you’re already weary now, then how are you going to stand and fight when tougher challenges come along? We are in “safe country” right now, but what will happen when we come to the thickets up ahead? When setbacks or challenges come, we as humans have two choices – we can either give up, or we can dig in, stand our ground, stay in the race, and push onward and upwards!
This passage reminds me is that God is calling us to rise above stagnation and mediocrity, and to keep growing spiritually and looking to God to accomplish things we could never do on our own. We should not be limited by our own fatigue and discouragement, but depend on God to work through us by His strength. Of course, as we grow, the spiritual attacks grow stronger, and the spiritual warfare becomes more fierce. As Bishop T.D. Jakes says, “New levels bring new devils.” We must be equipped and ready. Are we praying enough and staying equipped for the new opportunities God is bringing our way, and to face the new attacks that will come with those glorious opportunities? We’ve got to examine ourselves and our spiritual lives – because how can we run with the horses if people are already wearing us out at the place we are currently at? We’ve got to show diligence, faithfulness, and excellence in the little things that God has already blessed us with, before God opens the doors to bless us with new, larger ministry opportunities. For example, if we can’t keep up inreach/outreach with a roster of 30 people, then why would God ever entrust 100 people into our care? If I can’t stay spiritually focused enough to preach in a way that helps 15 people grow, then why would God trust me to preach to 50?
To run with the horses, God is calling each of us to step up and become a spiritual leader to the people in our sphere of influence – to take on new levels of responsibility and service, using our gifts to build God’s kingdom. Today I want to talk about some of the characteristics that are necessary in order for us to “run with the horses” and please God by serving Him with excellence. We are going to look at some characteristics of Nehemiah, one of the great leaders of the Old Testament, who led the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, for our inspiration this morning. Nehemiah could definitely run with the horses! These characteristics are what God can use to do the extraordinary through us. If we lose these characteristics, we will just be ordinary, without God’s power and anointing. But if we can learn about spiritual leadership through the example of Nehemiah, it will help us run with the horses!
(Read Nehemiah 1:1-11)
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let your ears be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
In this passage from Nehemiah, I see 3 major characteristics that shed light on what it takes to run with the horses and serve God with excellence. First of all…
1) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES PASSION FOR GOD’S VISION (Nehemiah 1:4)
Look carefully at Nehemiah’s passion for God’s will in verse 4. He weeps, mourns, fasts, and prays about the troubles of the Israelites and the broken-down wall. Do we feel so strongly about what needs to be done in our community, and the people who are hurting? This is the kind of passion that God uses to fuel the extraordinary things He wants to accomplish through us. It’s hard to sustain a level of excellence without this type of passion. And we must live daily with this passion – not just leave it in the pews at church! (duck church example – the ducks who got excited week after week hearing the preacher preach, “We can fly, we can fly!” but then would just waddle home each week... lol)
Nehemiah’s deep grief and passion over this situation motivated him into action. Our passion will lead us to action in pursuing God’s vision, even when things get tough. What motivates you? What inspires you to do what you do? Do you have a deep sense of anticipation, excitement, and enthusiasm about the things God wants to accomplish in the future through your life and this ministry? I hope and pray that the answer is “yes.” Let’s look at a few more insights about passion and motivation from I Peter…
(Read I Peter 5:1-5)
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Your motivation in serving and leading has a great impact on your effectiveness, and your ability to persevere through tough times, and to outlast the “horses.” This passage from I Peter emphasizes willingness and eagerness (passion), but also humility (“not lording it over those entrusted to you”), which is the next key concept…
2) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES HUMILITY BEFORE GOD (Nehemiah 1:5-11)
Examine Nehemiah’s humility exhibited in verses 5-11. He openly confesses the sins and shortcomings of his people, including his own faults. He comes before God as an honest, humble servant, with reverence. This is the attitude of humility that it takes to run with the horses and persevere towards God’s highest purposes. If you are puffed up with pride, in ministry for your own ego, or focused on yourself, then you will continually get tired and discouraged with people, and never even make it to the level of running with horses. You will never have the joy of God’s strength working through you. Humility is the key to God being able to work powerfully through you – we must get ourselves out of the way so God can work. We must admit our shortcomings and our need for Him – if we think we can do it ourselves, He will let us in order to show us we are wrong. Let’s take a look at a couple of Proverbs on the subject of humility…
(Read Proverbs 19:21)
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
(Read Proverbs 11:2)
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
We can only operate at our spiritual best when we have a humble heart. It is essential that we maintain a spirit of humility if we are going to run with the horses.
3) RUNNING WITH HORSES TAKES COMPASSION FOR THE WEAK AND LOST (Nehemiah 1:6-7)
The minute you lose your compassion for the weak, the hurting, and the lost, you will get worn out instead of being able to run with the horses. Notice how much Nehemiah cared about his people. Are you praying fervently, day and night, for the people God has placed in your life, like Nehemiah was? What a great example! God will use that sense of concern and compassion for others to motivate you when your human strength runs out, and you realize that you are involved in work that is truly a matter of life and death – something of eternal importance. That compassion will be what God uses to drive you to persevere when you feel like quitting, because you care too much about the people involved to just give up and quit.
Conclusion:
God is calling us to serve Him with excellence and reach new spiritual heights and levels of growth in our ministry. But the question is, are we ready to run with the horses? How bad do we want to see God’s vision fulfilled? Are we willing to give God our all in order to see His highest plans and purposes come to pass? Today is the day to examine your heart, get things right between you and God, and begin to rise above the challenges that previously would have stopped you, and run with the horses! You will never regret deciding to make serving God with excellence the top priority in your life.
