February 5, 2007

I sincerely hope that you will be blessed and encouraged by today's devotional.

Trivia Tidbit

The average human has over 1,500 dreams each year.

Life Lesson

Albert Einstein is well-known for his remarkably wise quote, "God does not play dice with the cosmos." What is less known is another piece of his great wisdom. Einstein, who redrafted our view of nature, said, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a Spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe — a Spirit vastly superior to that of man ... in the face of which we ... must feel humble."

Looking back over history, it becomes obvious that there is a great guiding force at work in our world. That is especially apparent with the commissioning and work of Nehemiah. God moved the heart of King Artaxerxes who let his trusted confidant leave the palace to rebuild the walls of a conquered city. Nehemiah accomplished an awesome task in less than two months, in spite of hard opposition from within and without.

Word Walk

Vision. Even though Nehemiah knew God's will, he carefully strategized the way to get it done. His way of working with people teaches us that God will give wisdom so we can accomplish the task He has given us.

Read Nehemiah 2 to learn more about vision and determination and then read the Power Points below.

Power Points

Below are valuable lessons you can apply to your life.

1. Wisdom demands that we see before we speak. Nehemiah spent three days viewing before revealing his purposes (Nehemiah 2:11).
2. We must keep some dreams to ourselves until it's God's time to reveal them. Nehemiah was careful not to speak (Nehemiah 2:12).
3. Naysayers must be avoided and ignored. Nehemiah didn't tell officials because they would have discouraged him (Nehemiah 2:16).
4. Testimonies inspire action. When Nehemiah finally revealed his plans, he shared God's obvious leading (Nehemiah 2:18).
5. We can always expect opposition when we start to do God's will. The Devil's group started fighting the plan (Nehemiah 2:19).

Prayer

Dear Lord, keep me focused on the vision you placed within me, and let me not grow weary. I pray that you will give me courage and perseverance to deal with opposition and the challenges that lie ahead. Lord, as I seek you with unwavering faith, may you grant me wisdom and guidance to take practical steps to accomplish this vision. Amen.

Closing

I hope you have been blessed by today's manna. I really encourage you to visit our Scripture of the Day page each day for spiritual sustenance.