CREED, Rebuilding Your Family FortressSample

7. Not Coming Down

“I am engaged in a great work. I am not coming down!”

Have you ever had a moment where you were tempted to just give up? Let things go, drop the ball, get off track, become distracted, and finally, just stay down… Most of us have. And that’s why we resonate, deep in our souls, with this bold statement Nehemiah made when he took a final stand against his enemies. We too want to be men that will stand in the face of danger and adversity, during distractions and temptations that put us on trial, and say: “NO WAY! I’m not stopping now!”

The previous devotional was about not coveting or going on an entitlement rage, but rather living with generosity and excellence. Today is about sticking to your word and your work ethic. It’s about not giving up in the pursuit of excellence. And imprinting this quality on your household too. The first step to becoming the kind of man that won’t come down when the enemy comes knocking, is to be a man of your word.

Nehemiah simply did not have to worry about the allegations against him, because everyone from the king of Persia to the water boys on site knew that if Nehemiah said it, he meant it and he did it. A man is only as good as his word. Your word should be your bond. Jesus also said as much (Matthew 5:37; Luke 9:62). If people can’t take you at your word, how can they take you seriously?

There used to be a time when men could look one another in the eyes, shake hands on it, give their word to each other, and it was a done deal. There used to be a time when a man proposed to a woman and her family, feasted with her and his families, slept with her, and then the marriage contract was sealed for life. We don’t live in those times anymore. Understandably, with how things are going in our world today, there’s a need for everything to be written and signed to be binding – and even then, sadly, we still have buyouts and sellouts.

But what if you were known by friends, family, and foes, to be a man of your word? Then your work ethic would never-ever be in doubt. Your wife would trust you blindly and your children would believe in you no matter what. “My man said it, it would be so.” “My dad promised, I have no doubt.” And here’s the best part of it all. If you would be a man like this, how much less would you give people in your life reason to doubt God? You are His image bearer after all, aren’t you? Living like this will inspire others to do the same.

It takes courage to make commitments and responsibility to remember them. And our enthusiasm and excellence can only be as good as our devotion to what we set out to do in the first place.

Nehemiah had a stubborn stick to it mentality. This mentality stuck with his countrymen as well. The result – an entire city’s wall built without any gaps in less than two months! If there are gaps in your family’s fortress, start sticking to your word till the end of the line. If there are threats or traps thrown your way, stick to the work you set out for and don’t go down unless God tells you to. If you start living and being a man of your word, this will imprint onto your family’s view of their commitments as well. Whether it’s their commitment to you and your household, their friends, their work, their dreams and goals, or their faith in God. They will not go down either…

Inspect your own walls:

1. What do you observe about Nehemiah’s level of commitment to his work, word, and people?

2. How does the value of our word as men often get challenged by the society and culture we live in?

3. In which area(s) of your life do you need to start sticking to your word? Pray about it...