04-03-24-ENG.

Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

 Nehemiah 13:14
If you want God to relieve your burdens and lighten your load, you need to stop skipping over the opportunities He gives you to do the same for others around you. What goes around really does come around when it has to do with kingdom values. Have you ever been on a customer service call and been told that this call is being recorded for quality assurance? The business managers do that so they can go back and double-check that their customer service agents are operating according to the standards they have established. Likewise, when you call on God for mercy, He has some kingdom values standards established, and He is going to double-check if you’ve been adhering to them.

This may be a selfish way of looking at why you should show mercy, but this is how Jesus framed it. He made it clear that those who show mercy will be shown mercy. Or, if you want to reverse that—those who do not show mercy run the risk of not being shown mercy when they need it. Of course, God can always go outside of His prescribed plans anytime He wants to do so. He can show mercy to whomever He wants to at any time He wants to. But what Jesus is stressing in this kingdom value is that there exists a boomerang effect when you show mercy. Or, another way to state it in today’s contemporary language is that there exists an incentive to showing mercy. The more you give, the more you set yourself up to receive. What’s more, you can feel confident in asking God to give it to you if you have a track record of showing mercy. Nehemiah is a perfect example of this in the Bible.

Throughout the book, we see Nehemiah doing good to those in need. He had a comfortable position in a comfortable location with a comfortable outlook on life. After all, he was the cupbearer to the king of Persia. But despite his comfort, Nehemiah’s heart became burdened for his people, the Israelites. His heart became broken over the plight of Jerusalem. So, in the book named after him in Scripture, we see Nehemiah leaving the comfort of his surroundings and going out to help people who are hurting. He leads the campaign to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He brings justice to a group of people who were being treated unjustly. He feeds and clothes people who need it, and he supplies and enables them to defend themselves, their families, and the city. Yet as you read through the struggles and difficulties Nehemiah had to overcome in order to bring about such good for others, you see a repeated phrase.

It’s a short phrase, and you might have missed it if you read the chapters too quickly. But often throughout the book you will find the phrase, “remember me for good.” As Nehemiah is going about doing good for others and showing mercy to those in need, Nehemiah is looking up to God in heaven and nudging Him with this phrase, “remember me for good.” In other words, He is asking God to take note. He’s asking God to keep track. He’s asking God to return the kindness to him when he needs it most. Nehemiah prays this way because Nehemiah knew the kingdom principle that giving sets you up to receive. That’s what the Bible means when it says you are more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). 

Reaction:
Have you ever asked God to specifically remember the good and merciful things you have done for others when asking Him to show mercy to you? If yes, what was the result? Why is it important to point out the things you have done for others when praying to God? Have you been encouraged by helping someone else, and how did that impact your desire to help others even more? 

Prayer:
Jesus, remember me for good when You think of my life and the things that I need regarding Your mercy, comfort, and care. Remember the times when no one else even noticed, but You did. Remember my loyalty to Your Word and my faithfulness to Your commands. In Your name I pray, amen.