OUR DAILY BREAD : CUPBEARER TO THE KING
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 10:47 pmSeptember 2
CUPBEARER TO
THE KING
READ:
Nehemiah 2:1-8
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Why is your face
sad?...What do
you request?
__Nehemiah 2:2,4
______________________________________________________________________________________
One of my favorite Bible passages that applies to work is Nehemiah 1-2. King Artaxerxes' employee Nehemiah had been such an exemplary worker that the king wanted to honor him by helping him when he was sad that Jerusalem was still in ruins. He asked Nehemiah, "Why is your face sad?... What do you request?" (2:2,4). He wasn't just any worker for the king, he was the cup-bearer, the man who tasted the king's drink to protect him from being poisoned. In order to have earned such a position, he apparently worked hard and honored God in everything he did. And the king granted his requests.
God cares about the way we work. Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." We can follow Nehemiah's example in these ways: Be such a competent and trusted worker that God is honored (Neh. 1:11-2:6). Care passionately about others and what's important to them. Take action, occasionally even risky action, to honor what's important to God and to fellow believers (2:3-6).
When we honor God in work, our employers may notice. but even if they don't, our heart's desire and purpose should be to honor the One we really serve__the Lord our god (Col. 3:17,23). __Randy Kilgore
``````````````````O Lord, may the way I serve tell Your story!`````````````````````
``````````````````I want to bring You all the glory in my work,`````````````````````
```````````````````at home, and everywhere I go. Fill me and use````````````````
``````````````````````me to bless others and honor You today.`````````````````````
__________________________________________________________________________________________
God honors faith because faith honors God
*********************Today's Bible Reading __ Nehemiah 2:1-8********************
1 And it came to pass...in
the twentieth year of King
Artaxerxes, when wine was
before him, that I took the
wine and gave it to the king.
Now I had never been sad
in his presence before.
2 Therefore the king said to
me, "Why is your face sad,
since you are not sick? This
is nothing but sorrow of
heart.
So I became dreadfully
afraid, 3 and said to the king,
Why should my face not be
sad, when the city, the place
of my fathers' tombs, lies
waste, and its gates are
burned with fire?"
4 Then the king said to me,
"What do you request?"
So I prayed to the God of
heaven. 5 And I said to the
king, "If it pleases the king,
and if your servant has found
favor in your sight, I ask that
you send me to Judah, to the
city of my fathers' tombs,
that I may rebuild it."
6 Then the king said to
me..., "How long will
your journey be? And when
will you return?" So it
pleased the king to send me;
and i set him a time.
7 Furthermore I said to the
king, "If it pleases the king,
let letters be given to me for
the governors of the region
beyond the river, that they
must permit me to pass
through till I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph the
keeper of the king's forest,
that he must give me
timber...." And the king
granted them to me
according to the good hand
of my God upon me.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Along with the books of Esra and Esther, the book of Nehemiah
records events that occurred during the Babylonian captivity of the
southern kingdom of Judah. It also details the people's two-stage
return to their homeland following that 70-year exile.
CUPBEARER TO
THE KING
READ:
Nehemiah 2:1-8
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Why is your face
sad?...What do
you request?
__Nehemiah 2:2,4
______________________________________________________________________________________
One of my favorite Bible passages that applies to work is Nehemiah 1-2. King Artaxerxes' employee Nehemiah had been such an exemplary worker that the king wanted to honor him by helping him when he was sad that Jerusalem was still in ruins. He asked Nehemiah, "Why is your face sad?... What do you request?" (2:2,4). He wasn't just any worker for the king, he was the cup-bearer, the man who tasted the king's drink to protect him from being poisoned. In order to have earned such a position, he apparently worked hard and honored God in everything he did. And the king granted his requests.
God cares about the way we work. Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." We can follow Nehemiah's example in these ways: Be such a competent and trusted worker that God is honored (Neh. 1:11-2:6). Care passionately about others and what's important to them. Take action, occasionally even risky action, to honor what's important to God and to fellow believers (2:3-6).
When we honor God in work, our employers may notice. but even if they don't, our heart's desire and purpose should be to honor the One we really serve__the Lord our god (Col. 3:17,23). __Randy Kilgore
``````````````````O Lord, may the way I serve tell Your story!`````````````````````
``````````````````I want to bring You all the glory in my work,`````````````````````
```````````````````at home, and everywhere I go. Fill me and use````````````````
``````````````````````me to bless others and honor You today.`````````````````````
__________________________________________________________________________________________
God honors faith because faith honors God
*********************Today's Bible Reading __ Nehemiah 2:1-8********************
1 And it came to pass...in
the twentieth year of King
Artaxerxes, when wine was
before him, that I took the
wine and gave it to the king.
Now I had never been sad
in his presence before.
2 Therefore the king said to
me, "Why is your face sad,
since you are not sick? This
is nothing but sorrow of
heart.
So I became dreadfully
afraid, 3 and said to the king,
Why should my face not be
sad, when the city, the place
of my fathers' tombs, lies
waste, and its gates are
burned with fire?"
4 Then the king said to me,
"What do you request?"
So I prayed to the God of
heaven. 5 And I said to the
king, "If it pleases the king,
and if your servant has found
favor in your sight, I ask that
you send me to Judah, to the
city of my fathers' tombs,
that I may rebuild it."
6 Then the king said to
me..., "How long will
your journey be? And when
will you return?" So it
pleased the king to send me;
and i set him a time.
7 Furthermore I said to the
king, "If it pleases the king,
let letters be given to me for
the governors of the region
beyond the river, that they
must permit me to pass
through till I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph the
keeper of the king's forest,
that he must give me
timber...." And the king
granted them to me
according to the good hand
of my God upon me.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Along with the books of Esra and Esther, the book of Nehemiah
records events that occurred during the Babylonian captivity of the
southern kingdom of Judah. It also details the people's two-stage
return to their homeland following that 70-year exile.