Community

Community

MY QUESTION for GOD

How can I help others maintain a sense of community in the midst of changes and challenges?

A MOMENT with GOD

My God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there: Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived. Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile.

Nehemiah 7:5-7

To strengthen connectedness within a church, organization, or family, it is helpful to remember and celebrate the past. The Jews had recently returned from exile and were surrounded by hostile neighbors. They needed a strong sense of community in order to survive. Without it, their work would falter and the people would splinter. So Nehemiah published the list of the first wave of exiles who had returned under Zerubbabel in 538 BC. This gave the people a sense of continuity with the past as they faced an uncertain future. Affirming your heritage confirms your unity. You can’t live in the past, but you must build the future on it. To build a sense of community today, it is important to celebrate and remember the divine moments in the past when God did great works among his people.

DIVINE CHALLENGE

WE WILL NOT HIDE THESE TRUTHS FROM OUR CHILDREN; WE WILL TELL THE NEXT GENERATION ABOUT THE GLORIOUS DEEDS OF THE LORD, ABOUT HIS POWER AND HIS MIGHTY WONDERS.   Psalm 78:4