What if when we got saved, somebody handed us a contract and said, “Okay, sign here.” Would it matter? Would putting our name at the bottom make us think differently about the commitment we were making?
That's where my mind went as I was reading Nehemiah 10. Yesterday we talked about remembering where God found us and how faithful He's been even when we haven't been. That's exactly what the people had just done. They looked back over their history and saw the same pattern we've seen as we've studied through all these books. God was faithful, they wandered, God showed mercy, and eventually they forgot again.
But This time they didn't want to just have an emotional moment with God and go back to life as usual. I get it. I've been there myself. God did something huge and then life happens and it's not that I forget but still I drifted.
So they put it in writing, and chapter 10 gives us their names. And by now we know those names matter. These were real people saying, I'm putting my name on this. This is how I want to live.
Now Of course salvation isn't a contract. I didn't earn it by agreeing to enough rules. Jesus did for me what I could never do for myself. But when I gave my life to Jesus, I gave Him exactly that, my life. Not just Sunday Mandy or Pastor Mandy. Not just the easy parts. My plans, choices, gifts, time, future and even the parts I'm still learning how to surrender. I said yes to Jesus. I was all in.
But how quickly we forget.
We can have a powerful moment with God and mean every word when we say, Whatever You want, I'm Yours. Then life gets busy, we get comfortable, and before we know it we're picking back up things we already placed in His hands. That's what I love about Nehemiah 10. They didn't just say, Sorry God, We'll do better next time. They got specific. And after ten days of Rise & Build, we have to stop right here and ask ourselves, What are we actually going to do with everything God has been showing us?
Let's not keep asking Him for another word while ignoring the one He's already given us.
So no, signing a contract wouldn't make us more saved. Jesus did that. But maybe there is something powerful about writing down what God has shown us, what we're surrendering and what our next yes looks like and putting our names underneath it.
Following Jesus isn't just about the yes we gave Him years ago.
It's about living that yes today.
Write it down. Put your name on it.
And live your yes.
Love Pastor Mandy
Daily reading Nehemiah 10
MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope
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