Exercise Personal Commitment

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Do you find yourself wanting to do what's right,
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making commitments, and then in honesty, not
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being able to keep them? I mean big commitments,
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commitments to marriage, family, God, friends.
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If you long to learn how to make personal commitments
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and keep them, today's the day for you. Stay
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with us. Welcome to Living on the Edge with Chip
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Ingram. Nehemiah chapter 3 is one of the most
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unusual chapters in all of Scripture. It's essentially
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a long list of names, gates, and building assignments.
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But buried in that list is one of the most practical
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pictures of what it actually takes to make and
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sustain a personal commitment. Today, Chip pulls
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back the curtain to reveal biblical principles
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that are just as true for your marriage, your
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walk with God, and the unique purpose He's placed
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in your heart as they were for the people rebuilding
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Jerusalem's wall. Here's Chip Ingram with a message
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titled, Exercise Personal Commitment. We're going
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to talk about a personal commitment as the fifth
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step to turning God -shaped dreams into reality.
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And I want to talk about the awesome power of
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commitment. Just the idea. Think about, just
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right now, who's the most committed person in
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any area that you know? I mean, it could be the
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most committed Christian, most committed parent,
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most committed athlete, most committed business
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person, most committed student. Absolutely over
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the top, most committed person you know in any
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area. Have you got it? Got it in your mind? Here's
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what I want you to know. On your notes, commitment
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inspires us to greatness. Second, commitment
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protects us from short -sightedness and moments
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of weakness. And third, commitment provides stability
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and focus and results in blessing. Commitment
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inspires us to greatness. The reason I brought
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this ball up is in seventh grade, I was, I think,
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four foot eight or nine. In eighth grade, I made
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it to 4 '11", or about five foot. And then in
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ninth grade, I just shot up to five feet four.
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And that's when my basketball coach said, Chip,
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you weigh just about 105 pounds, and I think
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you'd be a great wrestler. And I wanted to be
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a basketball player. And so I remember going
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to a dinner. It was between my eighth grade and
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ninth grade year. And back then, where I was
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from, ninth grade was a part of junior high.
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And it was a large junior high, pretty large
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school system. And I grew up as a little boy
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going to the Friday night high school games.
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And the entire town would come out, and it would
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be packed. And I mean, the greatest thing in
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my mind ever would be to be a part of the blue
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and gold Gahanna Lincoln Lions. And someday when
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I grew up, you know, be up and playing, you know,
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on the high school basketball team. And then
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my dream after that was get a scholarship, and
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play somewhere in college. I didn't care where,
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just anywhere. And so you're five foot probably
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about two between my eighth and ninth grade year,
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and they basically told me that I should try
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another sport. And I went to this sports banquet,
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and this coach from a little university that
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had a good basketball program called Capital
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University was the speaker. And if you've ever
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heard a really good coach, they're awesome motivational
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speakers. And he was talking about going to a
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team in their conference, Kenyon College, during
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the preseason, and his school was playing their
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school in football. And the basketball season
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would open in about a month. And when he was
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there, he saw a young man named John Rinka. This
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would be about the mid -60s. And John Rinker
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was 5 '9 and led the nation in scoring in small
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college. And there wasn't a three -point line.
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He averaged 41 points a game. And he was only
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5 '9. And he told this story, and he tells the
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story, and he said that when he came in the gym,
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you know, if that's the basket there, John Rinker
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would be on this side, and he'd shoot, and then
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he would run, and he'd grab it, he'd go to the
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other end line, stop, shoot, run, go to the other
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end line, and then he'd put a chair right here,
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and then he would fake, stop. Play it, go. And
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he said he was drenched in sweat. He wasn't like
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shooting around. They were drills that he was
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doing. He said they came in from the halftime
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of the football game and he was still doing it.
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He said the game was over. The whole football
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game. And John Rink is still in the gym. And
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he made the point greatness is not always or
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is it rarely a matter of ability. It's a matter
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of commitment. And one little boy, who's a big
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boy now who's out of breath doing that, I remember
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a picture came into my mind, and I decided that
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I was going to be a basketball player. And without
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exaggeration, I practiced six to ten hours a
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day. I would dribble in my room. I'd lay on the
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floor. I'd spin the ball on my finger. I saw
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an article about Pete Maravich that came out
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in Sports Illustrated right about that time,
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and he had all these drills he did behind his
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back, and I just did them. I'd try to find guys
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three, four, five years older and get in the
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game, and I just played and played and played
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and played until I got to be one of those high
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school guys, blue and gold for the Gahanna Lincoln
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Lions, and then a very small school offered me
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a scholarship to play basketball at it. Commitment.
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Now, because of that, I didn't go to a junior,
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senior prom. Because of that, I never put alcohol
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or drugs in my body, not at all because I was
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religious. I was not a Christian. I'd never opened
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the Bible. But commitment gives you focus. It
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gives you stability. It inspires to greatness.
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And the other thing it does is when I got tired,
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when I got weak, when I wanted to quit, when
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bigger guys were beating me up, it sustained
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me because I thought to myself, I had that picture
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of what I wanted to be and I was committed to
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it. I wasn't just emotionally committed to it.
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I wasn't intellectually committed to it. I was
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volitionally and willfully saying, whatever it
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takes, whatever price, that's what I'm going
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to do. Now, that's a silly little illustration
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to tell you the truth because it's just a sport.
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But that sport paid my way through college. It
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later opened the door for me to play basketball
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throughout all South America a couple summers.
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We played every Olympic team, and I shared Christ
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at halftime, and that's where God called me into
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ministry. On a much more serious note, the awesome
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power of commitment protects you from short -sighted
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moments of weakness. I got to be a committed
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believer. And the people who helped me, I began
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to read the Bible in the morning. I wanted to
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follow Christ. And pretty soon we realized that
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God wanted Teresa and myself in full -time ministry.
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And so we got married in December. And then probably
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fairly unwisely, six months later, put everything
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we owned in a truck. And we drove to Dallas to
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go to seminary. And then I worked full -time,
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went to school full -time, had two kids. About
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18 months later, we realized we didn't know how
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to communicate. We didn't know how to resolve
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anger. And my wife was making me nuts. And I
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was making her more nuts. And apart from an irrevocable,
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willful, we made a vow to each other and before
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God, I would have just said, this is too hard.
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It was really hard. I couldn't fathom that you
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could love someone so much and feel so angry
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and so hurt and so rejected. But you know what?
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Once you make a commitment, see what a commitment
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does, it keeps you from short -sighted dropouts
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or giving ends in moments of weakness. And so
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we went to marriage counseling with one of my
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professors. And we learned how to communicate.
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And we learned how to resolve anger. But here's
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what I will tell you. The thought that we would
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ever quit was never an option. Commitment inspires
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to greatness. Commitment protects you from short
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-sighted moments of weakness. And commitment
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provides focus and stability and great blessing
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from God. Let me ask you, how personally are
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you committed to the people and the things that
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matter most? That's what we're going to talk
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about. We've learned that a holy ambition, these
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God -shaped dreams, they start with a dislocated
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heart, a broken spirit. a radical step of faith,
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you develop a strategic plan, and then you make
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a personal commitment about first and foremost
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to God, and then the role on the wall of the
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kingdom of God where he wants you to serve, where
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he's going to birth that holy ambition. Notice
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in your notes, I gave you a definition of commitment.
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It's a pledge or a promise to do something. It's
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dedication to a long -term course of action,
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relationship, project, or course. And I just
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want to remind you that when I'm talking about
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personal commitment, I don't mean that you intellectually
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or emotionally feel like I really ought to do
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that or I'll try to do it when it's convenient
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or I really want to do that as long as. I'm talking
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about the kind of commitment that says I will
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choose to do this regardless of circumstances,
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regardless of how I feel, regardless of what
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comes up against me. This is what I'll do. It's
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that kind of commitment. that transforms you
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and the people around you. The dynamics or the
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dilemma of commitment is this, is that I admire
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it when I see it, right? You know the Olympics?
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Don't you just love the little Olympics when
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they do the little vignettes and there's a little
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five foot two gymnast or they tell the story
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of someone that's gotten up since 4 .30 in the
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morning and they are standing on the stage and
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you just see the product of commitment. I admire
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commitment. I want commitment in my life. But
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the fact of the matter is it's very hard to keep.
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For all of us. We're living in a day where people
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have a hard time. Forget keeping them. We're
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living in a day where people have a hard time
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making them. We're afraid to make commitments.
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We're so afraid that we'll fail or we see so
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many people who fail. And so if we admire it,
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we long for it, and we know the value, how do
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you make and sustain personal commitments? That's
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what we want to talk about. And the answer is
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going to be in Nehemiah chapter 3. We're gonna
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see that he modeled it convincingly. He stepped
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out. He left his comfort zone. He left the palace.
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He went to Jerusalem. We're gonna say he asked
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for it specifically. He said, I need you to help
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me build this wall. It's God's will. It's worth
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it. And then finally, we're gonna see he created
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an environment that sustained it. So open your
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notes, if you will. And this is one of those
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times where I actually put the entire text in
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your notes. And then on the bottom of your notes,
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I put a picture. This is out of the Zondervan
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Pictorial Bible Dictionary. It's a number of
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things, and it's just a picture of the actual
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shape of the wall. And since it came from a little
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bit different area, you'll notice in the text
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here, there's about 12 different gates. And then
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in this picture, there's about 14. So over the
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years, they added a few more gates or the authors
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from different periods. Now, when you just look
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at this, okay, this is just a chapter out of
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the Bible in front of you. I don't know about
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you, but it doesn't just ooze excitement to me.
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Eliashib, the high priest, and his fellow priests
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went to work. They rebuilt the sheep gate, and
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they dedicated it, and they set its doors in
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place, and building as far as the Tower of Hundred,
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and then they dedicated it as far as the Tower
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of Hanel, and the men of Jericho, they built
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adjoining, and Zachar, the son of Imri, they
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built next to them, and then the fish gate, verse
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five, and verse six, then the Joshana gate, and
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then skip down, then you have the valley gate,
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and then look down, verse 14, the dung gate,
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and the fountain gate, and what you see is this
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is a very unusual chapter of the Bible. that
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has a bunch of names, that's geared around a
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bunch of gates, that talk about where people
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come from, that talks about lots of different
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groups of people, and basically summarizes who
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joined this Rebuilding the Wall project, and
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then we learn later that in 52 days, they get
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it done. And I hope that some of you are thinking,
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now you just said we're going to learn how to
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make and sustain personal commitments. How are
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you going to get that out of this? Right? I mean,
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do you just have to make up sermons when you
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come to chapters like this? No, not at all. Let
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me walk through with you a couple observations.
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The Scripture says that all Scripture is profitable
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for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
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instruction in righteousness. And I just want
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to, you know, I've put some circles and some
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boxes. I put boxes around the geographical areas.
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I put circles around the different people that
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were involved. Let me just walk through some
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observations. And all I did is do some Bible
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study. And when I do Bible study, it's real simple.
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I just make observations. What do I see? And
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then you do interpretation. What does it mean?
00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.519
And then application, what's it mean to me? So
00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:21.240
let's just walk through quickly some observations.
00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:23.860
You know, when I look at this and just hold the
00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:26.549
notes open, Couldn't we all agree the gates are
00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:28.870
the central focus of this chapter? I mean, the
00:13:28.870 --> 00:13:31.429
paragraphs break and just there's a line under
00:13:31.429 --> 00:13:33.710
them. They're real bold. Whatever this chapter
00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:36.429
is about, the central focus is the gates. Second,
00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:38.269
there's a variety of people involved in this
00:13:38.269 --> 00:13:41.490
work. I mean, there's personal names. Sometimes
00:13:41.490 --> 00:13:44.070
it's their father, their grandfather, or where
00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:46.549
they come from. But I just listed some. There's
00:13:46.549 --> 00:13:48.830
merchants, there's priests, perfumers, goldsmiths,
00:13:48.870 --> 00:13:50.610
rulers, servants, temple servants, daughters,
00:13:50.809 --> 00:13:53.750
nobles, and officials. So, I mean, just we're
00:13:53.750 --> 00:13:55.269
making observations. A lot of different people
00:13:55.269 --> 00:13:58.269
here. Notice the project drew people and men
00:13:58.269 --> 00:14:00.629
from a variety of surrounding areas and towns.
00:14:00.889 --> 00:14:02.649
And by the way, when you do a little historical
00:14:02.649 --> 00:14:04.269
background, you realize they were in the midst
00:14:04.269 --> 00:14:06.830
of the summer harvest. Now think about this,
00:14:06.870 --> 00:14:10.320
the implication. This guy comes from Susa and
00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.200
he says, let's rebuild this wall. This is the
00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:14.500
will of God. And people are going, but wait a
00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:17.220
second, I live in Jericho. That's 17 miles from
00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:19.659
Jerusalem. Or I live in Mitzvah, that's 10 miles.
00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:23.139
Or I live in Tekoa, that's 10 miles. Or Gibeon
00:14:23.139 --> 00:14:26.700
is six miles. Or Beth Sur is 26 miles. And so
00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:28.799
they're leaving the summer harvest, their livelihood,
00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:33.000
to join this man who has a word from God, who
00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.360
God has put his hand upon him. And this is the
00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.899
clear, defined will of God. But notice the commitment
00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:40.639
it is. It's a commitment of time. It's a commitment
00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:42.720
of travel. It's a commitment of their money and
00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:46.440
economics. Fourth observation is the work began
00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:49.220
on the gates. It was the most vulnerable place
00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:52.070
defensively. It was usually the place where you
00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:55.210
would get water in a city. 2 Samuel 23, 15 and
00:14:55.210 --> 00:14:57.309
16 talks about, and they went to the city gates
00:14:57.309 --> 00:15:00.450
to draw water. It was the public meeting place.
00:15:00.629 --> 00:15:02.690
It would be sort of like our marketplace. It's
00:15:02.690 --> 00:15:04.850
where business was done. It's where the elders
00:15:04.850 --> 00:15:07.710
would meet, you know, the big decisions. It's
00:15:07.710 --> 00:15:10.870
where the law was read. And so it's the center
00:15:10.870 --> 00:15:14.590
of entry and exit. When we think about making
00:15:14.590 --> 00:15:17.090
and keeping commitments, they started on the
00:15:17.090 --> 00:15:19.909
place that was the most strategic, the most vulnerable,
00:15:20.049 --> 00:15:22.850
and the most important. And by the way, some
00:15:22.850 --> 00:15:25.330
of the application for your commitments is what
00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:27.309
we tend to do is do the stuff that's easy first.
00:15:27.649 --> 00:15:31.549
They tackled the most difficult job first that
00:15:31.549 --> 00:15:36.149
was the most important. Next observation is notice
00:15:36.149 --> 00:15:38.309
that the approach was very systematic and organized.
00:15:38.710 --> 00:15:41.450
They began on the sheep gate. And go ahead and
00:15:41.450 --> 00:15:44.129
let your mind scan all the way to the end. And
00:15:44.129 --> 00:15:46.529
they went counterclockwise. They end on the sheep
00:15:46.529 --> 00:15:49.049
gate. Each group had a specific responsibility.
00:15:49.769 --> 00:15:52.169
As you scan and read this a bit on your own,
00:15:52.230 --> 00:15:54.049
you know, this group built according to this
00:15:54.049 --> 00:15:56.029
wall. This group built in front of their house.
00:15:56.149 --> 00:15:58.590
This group did this over here. So each group
00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:01.029
had a very specific role and responsibility.
00:16:01.669 --> 00:16:03.889
And then I love this one. They always worked
00:16:03.889 --> 00:16:06.409
with someone either next to them or after them.
00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.200
If you have time later or you can even do it
00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:11.480
right now, just scan quickly and every time the
00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.299
word next to him is there, put some sort of squiggly
00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:16.360
line under it or after him, next to him, after
00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:18.799
him, next to him, after him. It occurs over 25
00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:22.059
times in this one chapter. No one works alone.
00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:24.799
Part of what we've learned about motivation and
00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.200
sustaining commitments is that when you get isolated
00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.539
and feel like you've got to lose weight on your
00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:31.899
own, break an addiction on your own, keep a commitment
00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:34.820
to God on your own, take a new step of faith
00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:37.259
on your own, usually it'll last two days to two
00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:41.580
weeks. But if there's people, if there's accountability,
00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:44.240
if there's encouragement, if you know you're
00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:49.269
not alone, then you hang in there. Next observation
00:16:49.269 --> 00:16:52.509
is each group worked near their homes, or at
00:16:52.509 --> 00:16:55.409
least was whenever possible. In verse 10, verse
00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:59.750
22, verse 26, 28, 29, and 30. And so they didn't
00:16:59.750 --> 00:17:02.389
have to travel. And the other is there was sort
00:17:02.389 --> 00:17:04.890
of a godly vested interest. Can you imagine saying,
00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:06.910
okay, we're going to rebuild this part of the
00:17:06.910 --> 00:17:09.029
wall right here. And the walls were, I mean,
00:17:09.049 --> 00:17:10.769
don't think of a little wall. These were huge
00:17:10.769 --> 00:17:12.910
walls. You could drive a chariot on top of these
00:17:12.910 --> 00:17:16.619
walls. And then inside the walls, the housing
00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:19.160
would be built. So my living room might be here,
00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:22.079
and then the external wall be here. I'm thinking
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.059
I'm going to do a pretty good job on this part
00:17:24.059 --> 00:17:26.279
of the wall. If, you know, the catapults and
00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:28.279
the stones start coming and the arrows and the
00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:30.279
spears, I think I'm going to make it pretty thick
00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:32.400
and pretty good. I'm not going to do one of those,
00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:33.640
well, this is good enough for government work.
00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:39.119
Right? And so he motivates them not only by the
00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.079
great intrinsic, we're doing this for God, but
00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:44.140
he puts them in a place that highly motivates
00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:47.900
them to work in a way that has their best interest
00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:51.700
in mind. Notice the context. It's preceded by
00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:54.440
the apex of motivation, and then it's followed
00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:58.160
by a big section of opposition. You need to remember
00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:01.269
that. At the end of chapter two, it's let us
00:18:01.269 --> 00:18:03.930
arise and build. Nehemiah's here. We're going
00:18:03.930 --> 00:18:06.650
to do it. Come on, gang. Let's make a difference.
00:18:06.789 --> 00:18:08.470
You've been in those moments, right? You know,
00:18:08.490 --> 00:18:10.930
people stand on top of chairs and this is what
00:18:10.930 --> 00:18:12.930
we're going to do. Let's go for it. Well, now
00:18:12.930 --> 00:18:15.750
this is how you sustain it. You can get fired
00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:18.690
up, but he has them with people. They have clear
00:18:18.690 --> 00:18:21.549
roles. They make a very specific commitment.
00:18:21.910 --> 00:18:23.849
They're doing it someone before them, someone
00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.319
next to them. We're gonna learn in just a second
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:28.920
that some people are gonna repair and other people
00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:31.299
are going to build because our giftedness are
00:18:31.299 --> 00:18:33.460
different. Some people are really great at fixing
00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:36.220
stuff and other people think I can't fix anything,
00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:37.700
but they're great with a clean sheet of paper
00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:41.180
and they can build stuff. But then in the context,
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.599
chapters four, five, and six will be about opposition.
00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:49.569
I mean. Anytime you take a step, whether you
00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:51.509
decide to start really reading your Bible or
00:18:51.509 --> 00:18:54.009
really praying or working on your marriage or
00:18:54.009 --> 00:18:56.130
saying as a family, we're gonna do something
00:18:56.130 --> 00:18:58.569
radical. We're gonna try and eat together like
00:18:58.569 --> 00:19:02.309
at a table with nothing blaring, like two or
00:19:02.309 --> 00:19:05.269
three times a week. I'm gonna actually tuck my
00:19:05.269 --> 00:19:08.230
kids in and read them a story. I'm gonna get
00:19:08.230 --> 00:19:09.710
with a group of single people and we're gonna
00:19:09.710 --> 00:19:12.309
make a covenant about making a difference in
00:19:12.309 --> 00:19:14.450
our workplaces and we're gonna be sexually pure.
00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:17.700
Every time you take any kind of step of faith
00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:19.900
like that, it'll usually get worse before it
00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:22.799
gets better. So chapter four, you get external
00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.920
opposition. In chapter five, there's internal
00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:27.640
opposition. And then chapter six, he gets personal
00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:32.559
attack. People who make these kind of commitments,
00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.299
they change, they change people around them,
00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:37.839
and they change the world. But it usually starts
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.500
with some very significant time of motivation,
00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:42.799
and it gets clear, this is what we've got to
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:45.380
do. And then they start this process, and usually
00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:47.640
it's followed by things that are very difficult.
00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.900
Notice who started the work. It's the high priest.
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.420
Different people have responsibility. The high
00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:57.500
priest was the highest representative of God.
00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.140
And notice the very first line, he models that.
00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:03.460
The ragtag group finished it in 52 days. And
00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:06.160
I have a friend who's an engineer who said, this
00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.420
is an absolute engineering miracle. It's an impossibility.
00:20:09.859 --> 00:20:11.900
And then notice they worked in affinity groups.
00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.920
If you could study a little bit longer, the priests
00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:16.880
worked together, the merchants, the goldsmiths
00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:18.759
worked together. They worked in families, servants,
00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:21.799
and then they worked in geographical areas. So
00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:24.160
they knew each other. I mean, when you work,
00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:26.480
you're more motivated to work with people that
00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:29.779
you kind of have some kinship with. I mean, it's
00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:32.119
true today. Like some of you are like real techie
00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:34.500
and you can talk in languages that I don't understand.
00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:37.279
And some of you are more artistic and some of
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:39.279
you are, you know, more athletic. And some of
00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.180
you come from different parts of the country
00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.480
and some come from different countries. And there's
00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:46.400
just an affinity of culture and background that
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.960
as we work together with people that we can understand,
00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:52.660
it helps us sustain motivation. Helps us keep
00:20:52.660 --> 00:20:55.259
our commitments. We understand one another. And
00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:57.940
then the final thing here is that notice there
00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:01.059
were two special commendations. In verse five,
00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:04.680
if you skip down there, you can see that he talks
00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:07.680
about the nobles. They didn't put their shoulder
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:11.980
to the work. So now imagine, first imagine all
00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:14.789
these individual names. God doesn't accomplish
00:21:14.789 --> 00:21:17.410
his will by some big blanket thing. Think of
00:21:17.410 --> 00:21:20.109
all the individual names and imagine maybe the
00:21:20.109 --> 00:21:21.970
very next generation, these people are like your
00:21:21.970 --> 00:21:26.069
father or your grandfathers. God accomplishes
00:21:26.069 --> 00:21:28.890
things not by groups and movements and programs.
00:21:29.190 --> 00:21:32.690
He does it one person, one life at a time. And
00:21:32.690 --> 00:21:35.130
so that's how important individuals are. All
00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:38.349
these specific names. And he knows. He knows
00:21:38.349 --> 00:21:40.789
who's slacking off. And then if you skip down
00:21:40.789 --> 00:21:43.940
to verse 20, notice the Stella Baruch. It says
00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:47.880
he worked zealously. God sees people's motives.
00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:49.880
He sees people's hearts. He knows where you're
00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:52.400
at. He knows where I'm at. And in all this long
00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.660
list, he says, you know, this fella really didn't
00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:58.240
carry his weight. And this person over here.
00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:01.420
And so all those are our observations, right?
00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:04.180
Is that fair? I mean, it's in there, right? We'll
00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:07.140
turn to the back page and let's turn those observations
00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:10.599
into some very specific principles about how
00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:15.500
you can help make and sustain your personal commitments.
00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:18.839
And as we do, could I ask you to lean back? I
00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:21.539
mean, when I study the Bible, that's just what
00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:24.119
I do, okay? When I studied this for the first
00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:26.900
time, I read it over a bunch of times, and then
00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:28.720
I started looking, and I put a line under all
00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:30.819
the gates, and then I started thinking, there's
00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:32.740
a lot of people, so I circled the different people.
00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:37.480
But then I began to ask, why? Why is chapter
00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:41.490
three here? Why did this particular group at
00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:43.690
this particular time with this particular leader
00:22:43.690 --> 00:22:47.029
actually accomplish the task when others had
00:22:47.029 --> 00:22:50.869
failed? What is it that I can learn about these
00:22:50.869 --> 00:22:53.430
groups and the affinities and building and repairing
00:22:53.430 --> 00:22:56.309
and after him and next to him that would help
00:22:56.309 --> 00:22:59.769
me personally make commitments and sustain them?
00:23:00.009 --> 00:23:02.750
I mean, because at the end of the day, God didn't
00:23:02.750 --> 00:23:04.609
put this in his word just so that we could understand
00:23:04.609 --> 00:23:07.819
Nehemiah 3. He knew that we'd be sitting in this
00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:10.799
room in this day with the issues that you face
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.140
and I face. Now, before I go on, here's what
00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:18.140
I'd like you to think about. Where are you at
00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:20.440
in your personal commitment to Jesus Christ?
00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:24.799
I mean, is it an emotional one, intellectual
00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:28.420
one? Is it, yeah, I'd like to be more committed,
00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:31.700
but I'm kind of afraid to because three steps
00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:34.359
forward, nine steps backwards. Where are you
00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:36.400
at? I mean, privately, no hands or anything,
00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:39.740
but for those of you that are married, down deep
00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:41.579
in your heart, where are you at in your commitment
00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:46.200
to your mate? Or like I shared, I mean, there
00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:49.539
were times that I just felt like, God, this isn't
00:23:49.539 --> 00:23:52.859
working. I'm really frustrated. I mean, I went
00:23:52.859 --> 00:23:54.500
through that. I'm not very fulfilled right now.
00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:57.180
I'm not very happy. In fact, I'm not happy at
00:23:57.180 --> 00:24:00.000
all. And then the enemy comes in and tries to
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.519
tempt you, right? So where are you there? Or
00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:05.380
how about, how committed are you, some of you
00:24:05.380 --> 00:24:09.039
that are parents, to really saying, I will own
00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:12.920
the moral responsibility of raising my kids that
00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:15.799
regardless of their SAT scores, how well they
00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:19.180
do in athletics, they're going to be godly kids.
00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:25.390
See, that changes stuff. And I don't know where
00:24:25.390 --> 00:24:28.390
it is. I've got my journey when I'm thinking
00:24:28.390 --> 00:24:31.009
about, God, what do you want me to really refresh
00:24:31.009 --> 00:24:33.089
and renew my commitments? But I want you to think
00:24:33.089 --> 00:24:36.390
about that right now. I mean, for some of you,
00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:37.829
maybe as a single person, you're saying, you
00:24:37.829 --> 00:24:39.609
know, I'm sort of committed to sexual purity.
00:24:41.509 --> 00:24:43.349
You know where that lands you, don't you? I'm
00:24:43.349 --> 00:24:45.250
sort of committed to only dating someone who
00:24:45.250 --> 00:24:47.349
really walks with God. Unless he's very good
00:24:47.349 --> 00:24:52.210
looking. Or unless she's really hot. And I think,
00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:54.019
There's real spiritual potential and I could
00:24:54.019 --> 00:24:57.980
help her, right? Been there and done that. So
00:24:57.980 --> 00:24:59.759
with that, what I want to do now is I want to
00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.579
walk through these three principles and I want
00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:05.859
you to pray. I want you to pray and say, God,
00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:09.460
would you help clarify in my mind and my heart
00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:13.559
where you want me to make or where you want me
00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.900
to further sustain personal commitments in my
00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:20.220
life? How to make and sustain personal commitments,
00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:22.059
number one, is the principle of cooperation.
00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:25.619
We never get beyond how we're getting along.
00:25:27.579 --> 00:25:29.859
Everything that ever gets accomplished in life
00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:32.819
is done in the context of relationships. And
00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:35.099
so here's the key. Recognize people are different.
00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:38.460
Nehemiah did that. Recognize people are different.
00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:41.779
Second, recognize the immense value of every
00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:44.940
person. Realize that whether it's at work or
00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:47.539
whether it's your family, I mean, you're human.
00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:49.960
Some of your kids frustrate you in some seasons
00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:52.700
and some make you very happy. Some are very easy
00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:55.000
and some are very hard. Some people in your small
00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:58.839
group you connect with. Some make you nuts. But
00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:01.019
just recognize that it's not bad or good, it's
00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:03.380
they're different. And third, recognize that
00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:07.079
our common goal or common vision is greater than
00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:10.880
our individual differences. It's the principle
00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:14.440
of cooperation. You will never get beyond how
00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:18.400
you're getting along. And if you find yourself
00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:20.759
in your heart critical of people, even if it's
00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:23.039
only in your mind, if you find yourself always
00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:25.160
pointing out what's wrong with your mate or what's
00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:27.039
wrong with some of your kids or what's wrong
00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:28.839
with some people in this church or what's wrong
00:26:28.839 --> 00:26:30.660
with this or what's wrong with that, or if you
00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:32.539
find yourself in little coffee shops talking
00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:34.740
about other people that sort of have this little
00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:37.819
negative slant, I will tell you what, you won't
00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:42.480
make progress. Personal commitments are fostered
00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:45.559
when we feel like we belong. I believe when those
00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:48.279
people started on that wall together, they felt
00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:51.660
like I belong. I'm a part of the team. Nehemiah,
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:53.940
God's got his hand on Nehemiah. God brought him
00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:55.779
here. We know it's God's will to rebuild these
00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:57.920
walls. We know what God promised to do in the
00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:01.680
city. We know we're God's people. And I belong.
00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:04.700
I'm going to be a part and I'm going to do my
00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:08.299
little section on the wall. And when you feel
00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:11.440
like you belong, It fosters commitment. When
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:13.240
you feel like you're visiting, when you feel
00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:16.599
like it's them working on the wall, when you
00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:19.279
feel like it's that church, when you find yourself
00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.420
in conversations talking about what they're doing,
00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:23.740
and it's not negative. I mean, it's a journey.
00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:26.500
It's a process. But there's not that sense that
00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:30.759
you belong. It's sort of an evaluative, well,
00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:32.559
this is what they're doing. Here's what they're
00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:35.779
trying to do. That's a lot different than this
00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:38.559
is what we're doing. This is where we're going.
00:27:38.910 --> 00:27:42.910
This is where we have challenges. So let me ask
00:27:42.910 --> 00:27:47.369
you, do you feel like you belong? And maybe the
00:27:47.369 --> 00:27:50.809
second question is, what do you need to do to
00:27:50.809 --> 00:27:54.170
take that next step? Because otherwise, we've
00:27:54.170 --> 00:27:56.470
created this culture, especially in America,
00:27:56.609 --> 00:27:59.410
but many places around the world, where we actually
00:27:59.410 --> 00:28:03.960
think, quote, church is a building. And that
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:06.319
church is an event that happens sometime, usually
00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:09.920
on Sunday morning, and you go and sit and listen
00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:12.180
to someone talk and sing some songs, hopefully
00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:13.960
feel a little bit better about yourself because
00:28:13.960 --> 00:28:16.980
you've done it, and then live the other six days
00:28:16.980 --> 00:28:20.160
almost totally apart from that experience, but
00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:23.819
feel like I went to church. Therefore, what do
00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:28.880
you think, God? It's that subtle consumer mindset
00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:34.150
versus church is us. people together, connected
00:28:34.150 --> 00:28:36.970
together to accomplish his purposes. And his
00:28:36.970 --> 00:28:39.309
purpose here in this church is to help us love
00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:41.549
one another and love people outside this room
00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:44.170
and help Christians live like Christians. That's
00:28:44.170 --> 00:28:48.589
God's call. And that's a 24 -7, 365 event. The
00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:50.710
second principle is the principle of coordination.
00:28:51.009 --> 00:28:54.069
The multiple efforts of a group are far greater
00:28:54.069 --> 00:28:58.519
than the sum of its parts. It's synergy. In other
00:28:58.519 --> 00:29:00.519
words, this group couldn't get anything going.
00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:03.619
They had a catalytic leader in Nehemiah. He cast
00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:06.319
a clear vision. People understood, I want you
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:08.140
to do this part, this part, this part, this part.
00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:09.980
You come from different places. You can work
00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:12.000
with people that you know, but from this section
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:15.160
to this section, you do this, they do that, and
00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:17.980
the sum of the parts in 52 days did a miracle.
00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:21.519
That's how God has always worked. It's true in
00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:24.390
Acts chapter two. It's true in the early church.
00:29:24.569 --> 00:29:26.589
It was true in the Reformation. It was true with
00:29:26.589 --> 00:29:28.329
Wesley and Whitefield. It was true in the early
00:29:28.329 --> 00:29:30.369
days of America. And it's true in different parts
00:29:30.369 --> 00:29:32.250
of the world now. It's the principle of cooperation.
00:29:35.509 --> 00:29:37.789
Well, how do you do that? Well, first we recognize
00:29:37.789 --> 00:29:42.250
we need each other. There are no lone rangers.
00:29:42.549 --> 00:29:44.630
You can't make it on your own. I can't make it
00:29:44.630 --> 00:29:49.650
on my own. I mean, even the 12 -step people know
00:29:49.650 --> 00:29:52.890
that. You can't make it on your own. Recognize
00:29:52.890 --> 00:29:55.089
there's a job that only you can do. Personal
00:29:55.089 --> 00:29:59.109
commitments grow when we know that we are needed.
00:30:00.049 --> 00:30:02.970
Do you understand there's this amazing connection
00:30:02.970 --> 00:30:05.930
between commitment and love? Jesus said, he that
00:30:05.930 --> 00:30:08.890
has my commands and keeps them He it is that
00:30:08.890 --> 00:30:10.569
loves me, and he that loves me will be loved
00:30:10.569 --> 00:30:13.009
of my Father. And then here's the promise, and
00:30:13.009 --> 00:30:16.430
we will disclose ourselves to you. You get close
00:30:16.430 --> 00:30:19.250
and meet and touch and feel and experience and
00:30:19.250 --> 00:30:22.190
get transformed by God, not by just soaking in
00:30:22.190 --> 00:30:25.490
information. It's by receiving truth, and then
00:30:25.490 --> 00:30:27.930
I respond to the truth, and I connect with other
00:30:27.930 --> 00:30:30.589
people, and I discover my gifts, and then together
00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:32.849
we do this thing, and he creates something out
00:30:32.849 --> 00:30:37.440
of it. Here's what I want you to hear. you're
00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:42.500
needed. You're needed. What happens in the church
00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:45.559
and the life is just the byproduct. What happens
00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:49.500
is the most fulfilled people, the people that
00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:52.319
had their names written in this chapter, were
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:55.799
people who saw God could use an ordinary person
00:30:55.799 --> 00:31:00.079
like me. And what they did is they moved off
00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:02.599
of looking at the rubble and assuming that this
00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.779
is the way it's going to be, and they aligned
00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:08.920
around a vision. And the sum total of the parts
00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:10.940
did something beyond what they could ever dream.
00:31:11.640 --> 00:31:13.579
Third principle is the principle of motivation.
00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:17.039
The value of the project to the worker will determine
00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:21.720
the value of the worker to the project. You might
00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:23.640
have to think that one over very carefully, but
00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:26.259
I mean, think about the value of the project
00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:30.839
to the worker. How important is it? Will determine
00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:34.700
how important that person is. Some people walked.
00:31:35.210 --> 00:31:37.670
When's the last time you walked 17 miles? Anyone?
00:31:38.369 --> 00:31:40.950
I've gone up that quick silver trail. I've done
00:31:40.950 --> 00:31:43.069
four or five miles and uphill and downhill. It's
00:31:43.069 --> 00:31:45.809
like, man, you gotta be kidding me. These people,
00:31:45.910 --> 00:31:49.289
in this text, they walked 26 miles. They didn't
00:31:49.289 --> 00:31:51.609
take the bus. They didn't take their bicycle.
00:31:51.970 --> 00:31:53.730
They didn't say, hey, let's take a little scooter.
00:31:54.009 --> 00:31:56.069
I mean, if they were rich, maybe they had a donkey.
00:31:56.750 --> 00:32:00.630
But they walked 26 miles to get to work. to get
00:32:00.630 --> 00:32:03.589
to help, and they left the harvest behind. You
00:32:03.589 --> 00:32:06.470
understand that you are sitting in a room that's
00:32:06.470 --> 00:32:09.349
been paved by the sacrifice and the commitment
00:32:09.349 --> 00:32:11.789
of people that have given their time, their energy,
00:32:11.869 --> 00:32:14.210
their money, and many places all around the world
00:32:14.210 --> 00:32:17.809
their life so the gospel could reach you and
00:32:17.809 --> 00:32:21.150
reach me. And our responsibility is to take that
00:32:21.150 --> 00:32:23.630
baton and move forward and do it for the next
00:32:23.630 --> 00:32:26.309
generation. The motivation must begin with leaders
00:32:26.309 --> 00:32:28.609
and influencers. I mean, it's just life the way
00:32:28.609 --> 00:32:31.160
it is. And if you're the head of your home, dad,
00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:33.599
you're an influencer. If you're the glue of the
00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:35.839
home, mom, you're an influencer. If you're a
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.920
student and, you know, people kind of look to
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:39.819
you because of academics or athletics, you're
00:32:39.819 --> 00:32:42.599
an influencer. If you're a single person and
00:32:42.599 --> 00:32:44.920
you realize that when you move some, everyone
00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:46.119
says, what are we going to do tonight? And you
00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:47.599
say, let's do this. And people do that. You're
00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:49.779
an influencer. It always begins with leaders.
00:32:49.940 --> 00:32:52.119
There's a stewardship there. You're not better
00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:54.500
than anybody else. If you're a business owner,
00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:57.339
if you're an entrepreneur, if you're a CEO, if
00:32:57.339 --> 00:32:59.839
you're a manager, you need to understand that
00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:04.039
where you move, networks move with you. So you
00:33:04.039 --> 00:33:06.079
need to really examine the stewardship and say,
00:33:06.299 --> 00:33:09.900
what vision am I going to align my life, my time,
00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:12.980
and my energy around? Because that's how that
00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:15.160
thing happened on the wall then, and that's how
00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:18.000
it's going to happen on the wall here. Motivation
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.380
is sustained by godly vested interest. We want
00:33:21.380 --> 00:33:23.819
to help people serve and volunteer. We want to
00:33:23.819 --> 00:33:26.059
help them serve and volunteer in a way where
00:33:26.059 --> 00:33:28.359
they get refreshed. We want to help them serve
00:33:28.359 --> 00:33:30.599
and volunteer so they become better parents.
00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:32.619
We want to help them serve and volunteer where
00:33:32.619 --> 00:33:34.380
they get loved and encouraged. We want to help
00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:36.059
them serve and volunteer where they discover
00:33:36.059 --> 00:33:38.940
their gifts, where they learn about how to align
00:33:38.940 --> 00:33:41.380
their finances so that five years from now, instead
00:33:41.380 --> 00:33:43.779
of being debt up to here and feeling under pressure,
00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:45.559
they'll say, you know what? I paid all that stuff
00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:48.240
off. I just applied biblical principles. There's
00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:50.480
people that really helped me. We want people
00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:52.220
to volunteer and serve in such a way where they
00:33:52.220 --> 00:33:53.819
say, you know what, I didn't tell anyone about
00:33:53.819 --> 00:33:55.859
that kind of little private porn addiction or
00:33:55.859 --> 00:33:59.380
that drug addiction or that little alcohol addiction
00:33:59.380 --> 00:34:02.059
or that people addiction or that workaholic addiction.
00:34:02.420 --> 00:34:05.240
But when I got involved and it got safe and I
00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:07.079
got that out there and the word of God and the
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:10.260
grace of God and the people of God, I'm free.
00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:15.340
That's how it works. Notice what happens. The
00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:17.420
completed wall would mean protection from their
00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:19.730
enemies. The completed wall would mean provision
00:34:19.730 --> 00:34:22.210
for a better life and the completed wall would
00:34:22.210 --> 00:34:24.369
mean productivity and impact in their world.
00:34:25.030 --> 00:34:28.489
Personal commitments are sustained when the vision
00:34:28.489 --> 00:34:34.230
becomes our vision. So where are you at in your
00:34:34.230 --> 00:34:38.469
personal commitment with God? Are you a little
00:34:38.469 --> 00:34:42.170
fair weather like when there's a kid in ICU or
00:34:42.170 --> 00:34:44.650
you need a job? I am very committed to God. Help
00:34:44.650 --> 00:34:49.400
me, help me, help me. Or have you signed up and
00:34:49.400 --> 00:34:52.500
said, you know what? I get one little trip through
00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:55.119
this thing called time and then I'm gonna live
00:34:55.119 --> 00:34:58.199
forever. And I'm really glad my sins are forgiven
00:34:58.199 --> 00:35:01.460
and I'm really glad I'm heaven bound. But I don't
00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:05.039
wanna waste this. I wanna do exactly what you
00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:07.699
want me to do and I wanna pay whatever price
00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:12.099
because the rewards are astounding now and eternal
00:35:12.099 --> 00:35:15.500
later. At the end of the day, whether it's in
00:35:15.500 --> 00:35:18.260
your marriage or your parenting, whether it's
00:35:18.260 --> 00:35:20.920
in your singleness, whether it's at work, it
00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:24.719
really boils down to having the heart of a servant
00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:31.760
that said, Lord, use me. This is Living on the
00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:34.880
Edge with Chip Ingram and a message titled Exercise
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:37.760
Personal Commitment. We're in a series called
00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:40.019
You Were Made for More. which you can always
00:35:40.019 --> 00:35:44.199
revisit online at livingontheedge .org, or download
00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:47.119
the Chip Ingram app and access all of this content
00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:50.159
right from your smart device. Plus, you can find
00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:52.239
full -length sermons through the Chip Ingram
00:35:52.239 --> 00:35:54.840
Sermon Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
00:35:55.869 --> 00:35:58.210
Chip closed today with a powerful truth. The
00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:00.570
value of the project to the worker determines
00:36:00.570 --> 00:36:03.809
the value of the worker to the project. Those
00:36:03.809 --> 00:36:07.849
men in Nehemiah 3 walked 26 miles, left the harvest
00:36:07.849 --> 00:36:11.070
behind, and built with everything they had because
00:36:11.070 --> 00:36:13.690
they knew what was at stake and who they were
00:36:13.690 --> 00:36:16.170
building with. When you know what you were made
00:36:16.170 --> 00:36:18.489
for and you're doing it alongside people who
00:36:18.489 --> 00:36:21.110
share that vision, commitment stops feeling like
00:36:21.110 --> 00:36:23.489
a discipline and starts feeling like a privilege.
00:36:24.349 --> 00:36:26.530
And if you haven't yet taken a step to find out
00:36:26.530 --> 00:36:29.130
what God specifically made you for, we have a
00:36:29.130 --> 00:36:31.610
great place for you to start. It's a free online
00:36:31.610 --> 00:36:35.090
assessment called The Real You, a short biblically
00:36:35.090 --> 00:36:37.610
grounded tool that helps you understand how God
00:36:37.610 --> 00:36:40.869
has wired you from the inside out. Take the assessment
00:36:40.869 --> 00:36:46.019
absolutely free at therealyou .org. If Living
00:36:46.019 --> 00:36:48.099
on the Edge has been part of your walk with God,
00:36:48.320 --> 00:36:50.280
we'd love for you to be part of what makes it
00:36:50.280 --> 00:36:53.340
possible for others. Your gift keeps this gospel
00:36:53.340 --> 00:36:55.840
work going and reaches people who need to hear
00:36:55.840 --> 00:36:58.880
that they were made for more. Join us as a monthly
00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:01.900
partner or give a one -time gift today by going
00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:05.800
online to livingontheedge .org or by calling
00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:12.269
us at 888 -333 -6003. Now, here's Chip. There
00:37:12.269 --> 00:37:15.309
are a few things that can overwhelm us with guilt,
00:37:15.489 --> 00:37:18.630
like knowing that we've made a commitment to
00:37:18.630 --> 00:37:25.030
God, to a mate, to a friend, and then just dropping
00:37:25.030 --> 00:37:27.750
the ball and knowing we've blown it. And so I
00:37:27.750 --> 00:37:30.150
want to pray for you right now. You may not be
00:37:30.150 --> 00:37:32.230
able to close your eyes, you may be on the highway,
00:37:32.389 --> 00:37:35.329
or you might be listening to this as you're doing
00:37:35.329 --> 00:37:37.449
something in the office, but could you pause
00:37:37.449 --> 00:37:40.670
mentally with me and let me pray for you? Holy
00:37:40.670 --> 00:37:44.159
Father, We want to thank you that you are a good
00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:46.659
God and that you're a merciful God, that you
00:37:46.659 --> 00:37:49.719
are slow to anger and you're abounding in loving
00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:53.039
kindness. And you are mindful that we are people
00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:56.119
of dust and people of flesh and that we make
00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:59.059
the best of intentions and we tell you we want
00:37:59.059 --> 00:38:01.659
to do what's right and then we find ourselves
00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:05.599
blowing it. We do exactly the thing we said we
00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:08.119
didn't want to do or we don't follow through
00:38:08.119 --> 00:38:10.320
on the very thing that we promised we would do.
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:13.320
And we want to own that. We want to come to you
00:38:13.320 --> 00:38:16.039
and say that we're sorry. We ask you for your
00:38:16.039 --> 00:38:19.260
forgiveness. We would plead the blood of the
00:38:19.260 --> 00:38:22.260
Lord Jesus in our behalf as the forgiveness and
00:38:22.260 --> 00:38:25.260
the cleansing of our sin. And we want to be restored.
00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:28.840
And Lord, we also want to draw near to you now.
00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:32.219
We want the grace and the strength to renew our
00:38:32.219 --> 00:38:35.099
commitment, to find people that we can team up
00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:38.239
with and get support and help. so that we can
00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:40.559
be the men, be the women that you want us to
00:38:40.559 --> 00:38:43.460
be. Lord, I pray for those that have given up
00:38:43.460 --> 00:38:45.960
on their marriage and that is not your will,
00:38:46.019 --> 00:38:48.199
that you would give them the grace at this moment
00:38:48.199 --> 00:38:50.619
to be committed and do what's ever necessary
00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:53.320
to make it work. I pray for those that have made
00:38:53.320 --> 00:38:55.840
a commitment to you and have wandered and know
00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:58.440
that today's the day they need to return and
00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:00.699
know that you will forgive and restore. Lord,
00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:02.460
will you give them the grace to do that right
00:39:02.460 --> 00:39:05.780
now? I pray for those kids that have wandered
00:39:05.780 --> 00:39:08.139
away from their parents and their family and
00:39:08.139 --> 00:39:11.239
the faith, and they need to do a 180, do a U
00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:13.780
-turn, even as they're hearing my voice. Will
00:39:13.780 --> 00:39:16.079
you give them the grace right now at this moment
00:39:16.079 --> 00:39:19.059
to decide, I'm going back. I'm going to make
00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:21.000
it right with my folks. I'm going to do what
00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:25.099
I know is right. Almighty God, we pray for your
00:39:25.099 --> 00:39:27.179
grace to keep the commitments that we know are
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your will. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, I'm Dave
00:39:30.869 --> 00:39:33.030
Drewy, and that brings us to the end of today's
00:39:33.030 --> 00:39:35.570
program. We'll join you here next time for more
00:39:35.570 --> 00:39:38.670
clear, insightful Bible teaching on Living on
00:39:38.670 --> 00:39:44.909
the Edge with Chip Ingram. Today's program is
00:39:44.909 --> 00:39:47.349
produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.