I was reading for my devotions this morning from Nehemiah 3 and verse 5 caught my attention.
“And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.”
In this chapter the author was careful to list all the different tribes that were motivated by Nehemiah’s call to rebuild and what portion of the wall they were rebuilding. The chapter listed tribe by tribe and it is easy to skip past this chapter but I could not.
Here is what stopped me. All the people in this tribe (Tekoites) were working on building the their portion of the wall “but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord”.
Wow! They would not stoop to serve their Lord!
Think about it this way. They were living in a broken-down and depressed place and a man motivated by the Holy Spirit left his secure, comfortable and prestigious job to come and help them rebuild. But these guys thought it demeaning to stoop and work.
All the tribes were working and all the people except these nobles.
It is easy to be credited for accomplishing something when you are apart of a group-even when you did little. Often times this is the case in the church, college and on the job, a few will bare the full burden of the group.
Are you allowing others to carry your load and you are okay with taking the credit?
What is it that God has called you to do that you think is not becoming of your personality or credentials?
When we get to heaven and everyone is being praised for his or her deeds, will there be a “but” before your name?
Will you hear God say, everyone in that church, small group, or ministry worked, they were outstanding but these people did not serve me fully?