JUST A CUPBEARER< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Nehemiah 1

You do not have to be somebody who is worthy of attention for God to raise you and make you somebody who is worthy of the whole worldÕs attention. Nehemiah was a nobody. He was not a prophet neither was he a son of a prophet. He was an ordinary cupbearer to the king in the Persian palace. He got to where he was because he was a captive. One thing was clear about Nehemiah: he had the concern for JerusalemÕs welfare and its inhabitants at heart. He had the desire for his people that have returned back home from captivity. Nehemiah was a cupbearer with a big heart who wanted to see changes for his fellow people. If a cupbearer could effect great change, it means all of us who have life are able to effect great change that can touch many lives and the entire world. NehemiahÕs operation of the heart is what God acknowledged before God moved by His divine intervention on behalf of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah got the report of what was going on in Jerusalem, this news developed as a burden in his heart and he began to intercede on behalf of the land and his people. Nehemiah 1:3-4, ÒAnd they said to me, ÔThe survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.Õ 4 So it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.Ó Nehemiah poured out his heart in prayer on behalf of his people and his homeland. He asked for nothing that had to do with himself, but rather petitioned for things that had to do with a better life for his people. God is a God whose eyes are always traveling to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong. (2 Chronicle 16:9) NehemiahÕs heart was in line with what God was looking for and God could not deny Himself by moving on behalf of Nehemiah. What are you carrying in your heart? Today it can be almost impossible to find a heart that is centered on seeing changes in the land. If there is any, it is often backed with hidden agendas of how to enrich oneÕs self. It is a serious matter when a claimed believer begins to seek more for himself than for the neediest. Today as you set eyes on this message, ask where is your heart? Is it centered only on how you will be become well off in all projects that are rather set up to better anotherÕs life? God is definitely not a sleeping God and you can only get away for a period of time. Nehemiah desired for his people and God deposited in him what it takes to bring glory to the name of God. All that was needed for this cupbearer to turn his nation around was put in place by the good hand of God. Desire what is good and better for the kingdomÕs glory and the Kingdom of God will back you up with what it takes for you to get through. It should not always be about us and only us alone, but rather it should be about all who come our way.