Photo: My beautiful wife Cheryl and oldest (and beautiful) daughter Julianna.Thought for the Day
Nehemiah 4:13-14 (13) Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after (by) their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. (14) And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
We must never forget that a key component of our service for the Lord is the care and protection of our families. As Nehemiah was reorganizing their defenses against the attack of their enemies, he reminded the people to take care of their families and even rearranged their places of duty so they could be nearer their homes.
I believe this is a great lesson for all of us. Our families need to be given a high place of consideration as we organize and commit our lives to our various responsibilities. Sometimes I have found that it is the overcommitments which my kids make that can put a strain on the family as well. A family is a team and we must all work together for the same goal and in the same direction.
This by no means implies that our families should become an excuse from shunning our legitimate Christian responsibilities, but they should definitely be considered. It has been well said that "Our work for the Lord should begin first in the home, but it should not end there." God never gives us competing responsibilities, we must have wisdom to understand what belongs, what does not, and how to balance these things in our lives.
Take a look at your schedule today; what is there that does not need to be? What is out of order of priority, and what is lacking that should be in place? Ask God for wisdom in adjusting your life to better reflect His priority of family.
