Nehemiah 4 & 6--distractability vs. the disciplined life
Chapter 4: Keep on working despite opposition.
Chapter 6: Stay on task; don't get distracted.
As a Christian school teacher, these lessons stood out.
Until the final triumph of Christ, there will always be opposition to His work. When we minister according to the Word of God, there will be people who don't like what we do or say. Working through these things is not always easy, but when your authority is the Word of God, then you can know by the Spirit of God that they are not upset with you. Their disagreement is with Someone much more significant.
Especially working with students with diagnosed disabilities like ADD/ADHD, you can imagine how many times a day I redirect students to the task at hand. Distractibility. I can take this lesson and preach it all day to my students, but unless I first preach it to myself and practice it myself the impact will not be as great. I have tasks to do in my classroom, in my home, in my own walk with the Lord. And if I allow myself to get distracted, I'm not the only one who suffers. If I do not work in a disciplined manner, my husband and kids suffer b/c I'm neglecting time they need me to be spending with them, my students suffer b/c my lessons are not as clear as they could be, and/or my relationship with the Lord suffers b/c I'm not spending time with Him.
As a freshman university student, I read the book The Disciplined Life. That is what I need, not for the sake of discipline, but for the cause of Christ. By God's grace, I am getting & will get better at these things. And my hope is that I can teach these things not just in word, but by example.
Help me, God. You know I need it.
Chapter 6: Stay on task; don't get distracted.
As a Christian school teacher, these lessons stood out.
Until the final triumph of Christ, there will always be opposition to His work. When we minister according to the Word of God, there will be people who don't like what we do or say. Working through these things is not always easy, but when your authority is the Word of God, then you can know by the Spirit of God that they are not upset with you. Their disagreement is with Someone much more significant.
Especially working with students with diagnosed disabilities like ADD/ADHD, you can imagine how many times a day I redirect students to the task at hand. Distractibility. I can take this lesson and preach it all day to my students, but unless I first preach it to myself and practice it myself the impact will not be as great. I have tasks to do in my classroom, in my home, in my own walk with the Lord. And if I allow myself to get distracted, I'm not the only one who suffers. If I do not work in a disciplined manner, my husband and kids suffer b/c I'm neglecting time they need me to be spending with them, my students suffer b/c my lessons are not as clear as they could be, and/or my relationship with the Lord suffers b/c I'm not spending time with Him.
As a freshman university student, I read the book The Disciplined Life. That is what I need, not for the sake of discipline, but for the cause of Christ. By God's grace, I am getting & will get better at these things. And my hope is that I can teach these things not just in word, but by example.
Help me, God. You know I need it.
