Nehemiah, together with the Israelites, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with great zeal in just fifty-two days. Then, Nehemiah assigned people to guard Jerusalem day and night, for it is more difficult to maintain and uphold than to rebuild. God moved Nehemiah to remember the predecessors who returned after the captivity. God wanted to admonish His people that each rebuilding of Jerusalem was attributed to the fervent hearts of that generation of Israelites. However, after decades, their hearts grew desolate, and Jerusalem began to decline again, with repeated destruction and reconstruction. This chapter's insightful sermon tells us a practical truth: living a God-centred life leads to abundance, while being self-centred ultimately leads to destruction.

Questions for Reflection:

• Why did Nehemiah appoint Hananiah to manage the city of Jerusalem? What kind of nation did Nehemiah hope to restore?

• God moved Nehemiah to remember the Israelite predecessors who rebuilt Jerusalem. Why did the descendants of these people fail to protect Jerusalem?

• Since joining the church, have you always maintained a fervent heart for service? If you have become lukewarm, what measures do you plan to take to rekindle yourself?

The Source of Our Suffering is Our Inability to Live a God-Centred Life

Before returning to Jerusalem, Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king, living a very comfortable life. However, when he suddenly heard of the desolation of Jerusalem, he began to grieve, weep, and plead with God. He knew very well that the Israelites suffered these hardships because they chose to live self-centred lives, resulting in broken families and desolate cities. He was not content with being the king's cupbearer but longed to live a God-centred life. Therefore, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem not only to build the walls but also because God wanted to use him to restore the Israelites to living a God-centred life.

This chapter mentions many people's names, all of whom once led the Israelites to restore a God-centred life. At that time, King Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and gave them much gold and silver. As a result, after these people returned, decades passed in the blink of an eye, and they still did not restore a God-centred life; Jerusalem remained a desolate sight. Then God raised up Ezra, and decades passed again, but still, they did not restore a God-centred life.

Was God's will so difficult to reach the people of Israel? In fact, when God saw the desolation of Jerusalem, the prevalence of disasters, and the people struggling in suffering, He wanted to solve their problems very much. However, the Israelites could not live a God-centred life.

Those who returned to Jerusalem during the reign of King Cyrus originally returned with fervent hearts. They lived very well in Babylon, just like we see Jews living in the United States and Europe today; they were in control of the wealth of that place. When people are living comfortably, but are willing to give up this comfortable life, there must be a fire in their hearts saying: I want to return to Jerusalem to build a temple for my God! Initially, these more than forty thousand people encountered many difficulties upon returning to Jerusalem, and the Israelites said: The time to build the temple of God has not yet come. Haggai 1:2-11 writes that they were having a hard time because they saw that the grain in the field could yield ten measures, but after harvesting, it was only about five measures, and only three measures of grain were threshed.

How strange, just like many of us today. If you are in this situation, you must be especially careful. You look at your bank account, and there should be five thousand, but there are only three thousand? After a while, you check again, and there should be three thousand, but there is only one thousand? Later, you can't even keep the four digits, and only a few hundred dollars are left. This is a typical example of a life that is not pleasing to God.

In 520 BC, during the time of Zerubbabel, the first group to return, they began to lay the foundation for the temple with zeal, and God began to delight in them and bless Israel. But before long, people's hearts began to grow desolate, so God encouraged them through the prophet Haggai. As a result, people's hearts grew desolate again not long after. God encouraged them again, and Ezra returned to make people's hearts fervent again, but soon, during the time of Nehemiah, they grew desolate again.

Live to Serve God and Hold on to the Fire in Our Hearts

I find it difficult to maintain the fire in people's hearts. The biggest challenge of being a pastor is whether or not you can maintain the fervour of a group of brothers and sisters. One day, while singing hymns, my tears kept flowing. Because it is really a difficult thing to ask God to restore the throne full of glorious light in our hearts and to restore the burning fire within us. But if people don't have that fire in their hearts, there is no point in living. If a person can be zealous for God for a while in this world, or if you can be zealous for God for a lifetime, your life can live out God's glory!

At this time, in Nehemiah chapter 7, the Israelites began to be zealous. Being able to complete the walls in fifty-two days is so inspiring! He began to restore the burning fire within and to restore living a God-centred life. We really have to ask ourselves how long our fervour can burn for God? We are all flesh and blood, and in our daily lives, if we do not constantly remind ourselves, the fire within us will also dwindle.

Therefore, what hinders our zeal for God is the mentality of living an ordinary life. When you are content with your daily life, going to work and getting off work, three meals a day, and getting fat, you will find that the fire in your heart has gone out. The fall of Israel was also because of this.

In the Book of Judges, why is it constantly written that the Israelites were bullied by the people around them? It is because they always wanted to live their ordinary lives and fatten themselves up. As a result, the fire within them was extinguished, and their zeal for God disappeared until the enemy came to strike them, and they began to cry out to God.

Everyone must know that people live to live for God! In Exodus, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt so that they could escape the dominion of Egypt and run to the wilderness to serve God and live a life of great grace. Deuteronomy makes it very clear that God's original plan was to establish a group of His chosen people on earth, to become a people above all nations and live out His glory.

However, the Israelites did not choose this blessed path but instead liked to mingle with those Gentiles and do things that angered God, resulting in becoming beneath all nations and experiencing many hardships. God's intention for us is to bless us. When we choose to live a God-centred life, we will surely become above all nations, and all the good things in this world will come to us.

To Live for Oneself is the Path to Destruction; To Live a God-Centered Life is the Path to Blessing

We must be wary of the narrow-mindedness of living an ordinary life. Living an ordinary life is not a sin. We have not murdered, stolen, or committed adultery, and we tithe, but an ordinary life can lead to our swift destruction. If the fire within you is dying out, rekindle it. Like Nehemiah, vigorously promote a God-centered life. God hopes we are all like Nehemiah, capable of such dreams, setting aside our deserved rights. He served as governor for twelve years without taking any salary and spent much of his personal savings, dedicating himself entirely to God.

Brothers and sisters, you must truly understand: What kind of person does God favour? When you see through all the things of this world, you will know that living a God-centered life is best. When you live a God-centered life, God will surely exalt you above all nations. If you cannot see through it, it is because you are standing in this dazzling world, always wanting to pursue your small dreams and live a good life—this perspective is too short-sighted. If you could stand on God's throne and look down upon the earth, from God's eternity look down upon the earth, you would find that many things in this world become meaningless. The things we feel are very real today—the pursuits and busyness—you will soon find are all vanity. On the contrary, living a God-centered life is truly substantial. Which person who lives a God-centered life lives in poverty?

Nehemiah lived a God-centered life from a young age, so he later became a cupbearer, the governor of Judah, and eventually a person with a mission, recorded in the Bible, a person remembered by God. If you are a person remembered by God, how could you live poorly? So, remember one thing: God calls us out to serve Him, and serving Him is our duty. When we serve Him, we will be exalted above all nations and live out God's glory! Let the people of the world see that living a God-centered life is so wonderful! Do not think that living a God-centered life is dull; it is a life full of wonder, where you will often experience God's actions.

Looking at the history of Israel, after the Israelites came out of Egypt, they first experienced the era of Moses, the era of Joshua, and the era of the Judges, then the era of David and Solomon. Later, one kingdom of Israel became the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, until the final demise of both kingdoms. There is sufficient historical knowledge to tell us that living a small life is the path to destruction, while living a God-centered life is a blessed path.

Today, Nehemiah began the work of restoration, which is to gather the Israelites from their respective cities and their small lives, to free them from the fleshly thoughts of I have to eat, I have to work, I have to earn money. Today, because of Jesus Christ, we receive all grace from God. Since our Jesus Christ can feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, if you trust Him, will you lack food and clothing? God's resources are unlimited, but if we do not live a God-centered life, we will not experience the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.

Today, as long as you choose to live a God-centered life, God will surely give you an abundant life! Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, giving us eternal life. Are we still going to live our own small lives of seventy or eighty years? The light and momentary affliction we experience in this world can bear for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison! Which will you choose? I choose the eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. What does it matter if we suffer a little loss in this world, especially since God will not let us suffer loss.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 promises blessings in our earthly lives—blessed in the city, blessed in the country, blessed in the fruit of your womb, the increase of your livestock—how wonderful! Living a God-centered life is the answer to all the problems we face in our lives.