Commitment: Day 3

Devotion by: Antonia Siebert

Nehemiah 13:10-14

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who had conducted the service, had gone back to their fields. So I remonstrated with the officials and said, ‘Why is the house of God forsaken?’ And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their associates. Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Nehemiah made a commitment to “clean house” – the house of the Lord, that is. His tireless efforts restored order, so that the Levite priests could return to conduct services and the tithed treasures could be secure. While others had fallen short of their commitments to the Lord and wavered in their devotion, Nehemiah followed through with passion and integrity.

Every year for the past 10 years I have made the commitment to serve as the Editor of this booklet. I looked forward to it and enjoyed doing it, both because I served my church community and because it was a special project I shared with my friend Beth Tozer. This year, however, I wavered in making the commitment once again. After she passed away in early January, I struggled over whether or not to tackle this project. I already felt overwhelmed with grief and loss. The prospect of doing not only my traditional share of the work, but also the work that Beth had done, simply made the task even more distasteful. I also knew that if I agreed to do the Devotions again, I had to be prepared to fully commit and to follow through. There was no room for half an effort – it was all or nothing.

Even Jesus wavered in his commitment. He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to spare him the horrible death he knew was in store for him. But ultimately Jesus followed through on his commitment and died for us, according to God’s plan, so that we might live in the joy of resurrection.

As I contemplated the task before me, I remembered how many people in our congregation look forward to the Devotions for Lent. I thought about how the Devotions were planned to support our “Turning Silver Into Gold” Campaign, and how they could serve to help people prayerfully consider what they were called to sacrificially give. With the example of Christ’s commitment to us before me, a commitment made out of love and passion, I knew I needed to approach this commitment in a new light, and do it with the same love and passion that Christ has for us.

And then I called a dear friend in the congregation, someone who had also been close to Beth, just because a little voice in my head said, “call her and see how she’s doing.” One of the first things she said was, “I want to help with the Devotions. I know you and Beth always did it and I know it will be hard for you to do it alone, so I want to help.” Well, that was my answer right there. I resolved to complete this project once again, and to include others who wanted to serve in honor of, and in memory of, Beth. This project has been extremely difficult, as every step of the process brings back memories of the times we shared. But I know that Beth would want me to do it, and that I can approach these Devotions with a sense of service, of gratitude, and of thanks.

PRAYER: Dear God, let these Devotions touch the hearts of those who read them. Let these Devotions serve to uplift, instruct and guide not only those in this congregation who are prayerfully considering their participation in our Campaign, but also those outside this congregation who struggle with decisions of sacrifice and commitment. Bless all those who helped to make these Devotions possible, and remember their good deeds done for your house and your service. Amen