Last week in Chapter 6 of Nehemiah we are encouraged to stand strong in God when we face criticism and challenged to view ourselves as someone that God can use. As I read through chapter seven a few things caught my attention.

We see that Nehemiah has a burden to count and organize the people and lands (7:5).
        Are we ready to listen and act as Nehemiah did when we receive a burden from God? What can get in the way of the hearing? What prevents us from acting?

Genealogies...hugh! Believe me I am not a huge fan of genealogies either, I just read through nine chapter of them in Chronicles today for an assignment. Importance can be seen though in honoring members of our church who have ‘gone before us’ and linking this new generation with the heritage of Israel.

Lastly it was great to see the family of God ‘contribute to the work’ (v. 69, 70). They contributed to the work and the treasury. This is a reminder that as the family of God we are called to serve. This echos the first motto of the church, “Not to be ministered to, but to minister.” The challenge is that we don’t go to church to get be served but to look for the opportunities to serve.