No matter what the project, no matter what the ministry, whether it's in your church or in your life, is what you're doing, glorifying God. Let's get a clearer picture of that together coming up right now on the TV Today Show. You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shaw, a daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill.
I'm John Galantis. Welcome to the Clearview Today Show, right here live in North Carolina. We're here with our host, Dr. Abadan Shah. If you're listening for the very first time, Dr.
Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, professor at Carolina University author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show. Dr. Shaw, I have no clue why I lie to the audience every single episode. We are not, we're live in the sense that we're all here together. Right.
Nobody's Zoomed. We are in real life. It's not a conference call. We're here. We're live, but we're not live streaming.
It's not live radio. Although we do have a special announcement about that coming soon. I'm not going to say too much. Dr. Shaw, welcome.
Thank you. It's good to see you. We've been talking about Nehemiah, right? Been talking about leadership. And we come here.
Nehemiah has really provided a masterclass. Yes. How to respond, how to handle difficulty, how to respond to the Lord. What do you do as far as fasting and prayer goes? I mean, it's been incredible.
Yes, it has. And Nehemiah has shown us that leadership is not always, these principles of leadership are not always only applicable to ministry. But talking about being, you know, applicable in ministry, everything we're doing is for the glory of God. And Dr. Sha, you know, from having been in ministry for 30 plus years, that is the broadest statement.
That is the broadest, safest statement that a Christian can make. Yeah, that's very much in the same realm of we are about authenticity and kingdom building. We're about, I was just about to say that. We're about kingdom building. Dr.
Sha, we're doing all of this for the glory of God. Most of us as Christians mean that's just a broad blanket statement that I want to say to you to get you to approve of what I'm trying to do. But genuinely, what does that mean? We're doing this for the glory of God.
Well, when people say that, we're doing this for the glory of God or all to the glory of God, either they really mean it or it's just filler. You're just saying that. You're just using Christianese just to say, hey, I am in the circle. I am, I have, I have. I have checked the box and I have signed my initials.
I am approved. And if that's what you're doing, then I guess do keep doing it. But if you're really meaning that, that you're doing this to the glory of God, then what you're trying to do should bring a smile on God's face. When you say, I'm doing this to the glory of God, it means you're doing what is on the heart of God. Jesus said, My will is to do the will of my Father.
I am here to please him.
So, when we say I'm here to glorify God, or we hope that this radio show will glorify God, or our church, or some project that you're working on, we're hoping, man, it's going to bring glory to God. Then, I hope. Everything you're doing there should be Putting a smile on God's face. I think that's such a great rubric for Christians to use because a lot of times I think, or even just leaders in general, we have this idea and we have this plan how to execute that idea. And it's not a sin, so God probably approves of it.
So it's probably a safe thing to say.
So it's just like you said, we're going to tack on, and we're doing all this for the glory of God. But the idea, even if the idea didn't originate in God's mind or he gave it to you or whatever, it's like, is this something that God wants us to do? Yeah. Right. I think about Nehemiah.
Like, Nehemiah didn't have this crazy idea and say, and you know what? God also probably would approve of that. Right. God put that on his heart to do. Yes.
Yes. I've heard you use that phrase before that brings a smile to God's face. And we've incorporated that in not only our student ministry, but also our kids' ministry. I mean, when we lead devotions or when we teach lessons, when we talk about being obedient to God, I mean, sometimes obedience to God, abiding in scripture, those are big words for kids to understand. But are you living a life that makes God smile?
Are you living a life that makes your heavenly father happy? That kids grasp that. They understand what that means. That's right.
Well, for those of you who are just joining in or you have been part of this Nehemiah series, you know where we are. We are right now standing with Nehemiah in the presence of the king. He is Laid out his request, he has told the king. This is what he's looking for. He wants to rebuild, go back to his father's cities, which is city which is Jerusalem, go back to the land of Judah and to rebuild it.
And Then he says something that we quickly run past. And we need to take the time at least to acknowledge. He says in verse 6. And then the king said to me. And in our English translation, and I'm reading from the New King James Version.
In parentheses, the queen also sitting beside him. The king said to me. And the Queen was sitting next to him when he made that statement.
Now why in the world did Nehemiah Choose to mention that little detail.
Well, I think for several reasons. One is to say that this is not some made up story. When you give that certain kind of detail, he's telling you that, hey, I noticed that this was not just an ordinary day or some You know, the king happened to be walking through the stables, or he was in his garden, or he was eating food. No, no, this is, he is on his throne.
So, this is a little detailed thrown in there. Yeah. To help us know that this story is real. Yeah, we do that. We do that in our stories.
Right. Like, I remember, like, there's, I remember Dr. Shah said something to me, I'll never forget. I was sitting in his office, he was wearing that green, that same green shirt that he, you know, we do that all the time where we just let you know this isn't some like mythical thing that I made up. That's right.
But also That little fact tells us something more. The king is sitting with the queen This was not an ordinary moment. This is. A I would say This is in the throne room, of course. this is like the court has come to session moment.
This is where decisions are made, decrees are passed.
So when Nehemiah includes that little detail, he is saying here, and this was the pivotal moment. where this could go. How dare you Or it could go. Name name what you want and it will be done.
So I think it's pretty. Amazing. Yeah. And then the words that the king said. How long will your journey be?
And when will you return? How long will your journey be and when will you return? Wow. What does that mean? How long will your journey be?
It means. It's a done deal. Can you imagine Nehemiah feeling at the moment, like, oh my goodness. Yeah, the journey's happening. Please said yes.
means if he said yes, means he's going to help me. If he said yes, he's going to support me. If he said yes, then he was going to defend me and protect me all the way there. But wait. And when will you return?
Means the king is not like, Okay, I guess I'm gonna let this guy go. He's done a good work for me, but I don't think he's coming back. Yeah, I hope God blesses you in all your endeavors. Yeah, or man, he's he's he's got his mind on other things and Yeah, I'm gonna have to find me another cupbearer. No, when will you return?
What are your plans? Yeah. And I think that's also very important. Nehemiah was not just some throwaway club bearer. He was a very valuable person to the king.
He said, I will help you. But I need you back. Right. It always helps when you're a leader. It helps to know that your superiors trust you.
And I really, I wouldn't even say it helps. It's everything. Like, it's everything to me to know that you've been here, you have made yourself valuable, not, but not only just made yourself valuable, like I can't afford to lose this person, that my pastor, my boss, whoever, they trust me. Yeah, that's huge. They want me here.
That's right.
That does so much for your work ethic and so much for your spirit, you know, to know that. I'm wanted here.
Well, it helps with your buying too. It helps with your buying to the mission of the organization that you're a part of, whether it's a church, whether it's a workplace, to know that you, Dr. Shah, have invested in us and that you trust us. I mean, that makes me want to then prove myself trustworthy. It makes me want to reaffirm, like, hey, you've trusted me.
I'm going to, I'm going to go a step further. You've trusted me. I'm going to take this and take it to the next level. It's a great, I think it's a great mindset for, especially if you're new in ministry or if you're like revitalizing yourself or whatever, to know that, hey, I've been trusted, therefore I work hard. Not I'm going to work hard and make myself invaluable so that you'll trust me.
It's like everything that I have has been given to me. I didn't earn this. And I think for myself, I have felt that since day one. I didn't earn any of this. This was a gift given to me.
Therefore, I give my all. Yes. You know, my encouragement to people who are listening, whether they are pastors or supervisors or bosses or company owners or CEOs, is make sure you make your people feel wanted. Yes. That's exactly what.
The king did. I mean, I tell you, this is a 2,400-year-old book, but it reads like today's leadership bestseller. Yeah. When will you return? What does that mean?
Like, you're my slave? You're my servant? No. When will he return? Because.
I'm waiting for this to be done because this is big on your heart. But I want you to know that you are valuable to us here. You are an integral part of what is happening in the Persian Empire.
So yes. Building your forefather's city, your ancestral homeland, is important to you. And since it's important to you, it will be important to me. And you have my support. Having said that, you are needed here, and I hope you will come back.
I hope you will do that with people in your life. And I know sometimes that may be misunderstood as, oh, you just need me so you can use me. People do that. Yeah. And if you are that employee that feels that way, that every time your boss speaks to you or is kind of trying to hold you and say, hey, you know.
You know, this is a good place to work. And you interpret that as you're just trying to keep me here because you want me to do all your work. You may be misunderstanding what your boss is doing. 100%. Maybe you are not as mature as you think because you are misinterpreting somebody's good.
Good feeling towards you. That's right.
That's right.
You're 100% right. I think there's so many people. The internet is such a good thing, but it can also be a real cesspool because there's podcast bros out there. There are influencers who tell you when you go to work, you make yourself indispensable. You make it to where you are so valuable they can't afford to lose you.
I mean, who wants to think like that? Make yourself wantable. Yeah, make it to where people want you around. Yeah, yeah. Be somebody that your employer wants back.
Yeah. Yeah. And if somebody's in your life, maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a family member who tells you that they just need you because you do that for them. They may not be as mature as you think. That's right.
They may not be giving you the right feeling. Imagine if Nicole were to tell me: you know, the church wants you because of what they get out of you. Like, how motivated are you to keep doing stuff? Like, really? That's it, huh?
Yeah. That's all they want is they just want something out of me. What if I what if she should turn around and say, Hey, listen, the church people, they will do anything for you. They really love having you in their life.
So I encourage you, speak that way to your family, to your friends. It's like, hey, you know, they want you because they really, truly love you. They really, truly like you. They consider you part of their team. It's not just for what they can get out of you, it's for who you are.
Mm-hmm.
So next time, Pastor Ministry leader, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, business owner, supervisor, foreman, CEO, whoever you are, make sure you communicate to your people that you do want them because you truly like them. In that statement, it could be taken two ways: how long will your journey be and when will you return? Hmm. Hmm. How long will your journey be and when will you return?
That's a difference, though. Very different. Very, very different sentiment in that inflection in the emotion behind those. Yeah, yeah. Because I think at that moment, Nehemiah must have teared up.
Yeah. It's like. Oh, I I was so afraid of this king and he is like, hey, Yeah. You have my support. It's a huge.
I just know we love you and we want you back. That's right.
That's right.
We want you back. It's not like you must, don't you ever forget, I can come all the way. I know where you are. I know where Jerusalem is. I'll bring my army down in Judah, and this time I'll finish what Nebuchadnezzar started.
I will hunt you down like a dog. That's like, when will you return? That's right.
That's right.
Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that feels much better than I'll bring the weight of the Persian army down on you. And I got to tell you, man, it transforms your work.
It transforms how excited you get to start doing stuff because now you are doing stuff among friends. And I think even if you don't work in ministry, I mean, your secular job can be that way. Your leadership, your employees, your employer, y'all can have that relationship. You really can. I think that speaks to the relationship, too, between the king and between Nehemiah, because Nehemiah, I mean, on paper, this is kind of an audacious request.
This is kind of like this is a big ask of the king. And he's not shocked by it. He's not repulsed by it. He's not turned away by it, but he honors it and displays his care and concern for Nehemiah as well. Yeah.
Yeah. And God is with Nehemiah. You know, I mean, think about it. He is in. In Persia.
He is right next to the king of Persia, the largest empire, at least that's what they tell us, the largest empire ever. all the way from the western coast of modern day Turkey All the way to India. I mean, that's the Persian Empire. That's massive. Yeah.
Massive. And you are An outsider.
Now, of course, you've been living in Persia all your life. You were born and raised here, but still, your parents. We're the first generations who came here. You are the first, maybe the second generation. For you to tell the king, hey, those conquered people, I mean, you didn't conquer them, but the last group conquered them.
But I'm going to go rebuild. their homeland. The temple. That's a good point. I didn't think, you know, I mean, I'm going to go do that.
That requires some courage. And I want to tell you that, you know, again, the holy audacity. Don't forget. Serving God requires courage. And It requires faith because Nehemiah knew deep in his heart that the king's heart is in the hand of God.
He turns it wherever he wishes. And of course, The king responded. Positively. And then it says in verse 7, this is Nehemiah chapter 2, verse 7.
Furthermore I said to the king If it pleases the king. Let letters be given to me for the governors of the region, Beyond the river, talking about the Euphrates River. Let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the river, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah. and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel, which pertains to the temple. For the city wall and for the house that I will occupy.
So Number one, I need letters of safe conduct. I mean, imagine when Nehemiah goes, he's going to be going with a little entourage of people with him. Maybe some soldiers, maybe some bodyguards, maybe some servants, maybe some. You know, family members. We don't know exactly how many people went with him.
Mm-hmm.
So he wants letters for safe conduct.
So he is Mm-hmm. Thinking in the moment, this is a good time to ask some of those things. He's not saying, can I take. You know, take all my clothes with me? Can I take my deed to the house?
None of that. He's like. I need Safe conduct. Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, this is going to help. I mean, this is a real request. I'm not trying to go there to start a war against you, King. Mm-hmm.
I'm not going out there to start a rebellion. I'm not trying to go be the king of Jerusalem, of Judah. and try to fight against you. That will not happen. I need you to give me letters so I can go.
Very wise. Yeah. Yeah. I was thinking about that. You know, I was trying to think of a way to bring that up, but I think you did it just perfectly.
That this isn't courage in the sense of brash courage. I've just got to take it, I've got to take my shot. Right. This is courage laced with wisdom. Oh, yes.
Every single-that's a good way to say that. Yeah. I mean, it's courage, and it's got wisdom just interwoven through it. He can't help but succeed. God's hand can't help but be upon that.
That's right.
I mean, wisdom is so important. I know we talked about wisdom through the book of James. We've talked about wisdom at the start of the book of Nehemiah. We're talking about wisdom again, because all of this is bathed uh well uh bathed in prayer, of course, but it's also full, full, full of wisdom. How do I ask?
How do I present myself? How do I then respond?
Sometimes, you know, we struggle with that. It's like we're not. We haven't thought through these things.
So when the moment comes up, it's like, so what do you want? Oh, I mean, let me get back with you. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Think through that.
And I think those four months, Nehemiah has spent Thinking. And I'm thinking as to like, here's my long list of 457 items that we need. No, it's like. I know what to ask for. Safe conduct Timber for the gates.
The walls And the house where I will be living. Safe conduct. But I need building materials. And also, I need a domicile. I need a place for my home.
Okay. Those three things. See how definite it is, how real it is, because the rest of the things can follow. Safe conduct may entail other things like approval from the other people. Also, if somebody, which we're going to see later on in the book of Nehemiah, people are going to come against him and he's going to say, King, I didn't do anything wrong.
Remember, these are the people, they're lying to you. Materials, it's not just the timber from the forest. Shucks, he needs stones. Right. I mean, the gates were you know, the the the walls are not going to be all built of wood.
Yeah, yeah, he needs stones, he needs tools. He needs tools. But he didn't say, Well, we need a hardware store. Is there a hardware store none of that? He's like So, when he's asking these things, he is taught through what matters.
and he has distilled them down. Very clearly. Yeah. A great I've had to do that over the years in some critical projects. I've had to think through, and I spend time, of course, prayerful time, but think through is like, okay.
This thing can go one of two ways. Either this can crash and burn, And it'll be short-lived and a disaster. And we're going to look back at it with a lot of regret and shame. And sadness. Or It can go in the right direction for the glory of God.
And really Make a big impact, but also give us another platform to do greater things down the road. How do I need to approach this? You've instilled that in us as well. There have been projects that we've worked on with certain people outside of the church. And it was like, in some of those instances, it's like, we need an itemized list.
You have to present everything and it has to be right. Then there's been other projects where it's like, if you approach it that way, these people are going to get spooked and run and we're not going to, or it just doesn't work that way. Keep it broad. Let things work behind the scenes. It takes wisdom.
that you have from years of experience to know which of these or somewhere in the middle is correct. To know how to navigate. That's really what Nehemiah is doing is he's navigating his conversation, his response to the king. And I'm hoping today you're not going to be like, oh, wow, man, Dr. Shah, he has that wisdom.
We can't. No, you can too. Do it prayerfully. Do it. Study how great institutions have been built.
Study how good pastors, good shepherds have done their work over the years. Read solid, classic. Leadership and business books. And again, all truth is God's truth.
So take the time to study these things. Have mentors and people in your life who can clarify situations. And build your faith in God and still give you the courage and the wisdom to move forward. To have that spirit of grace and compassion and mercy, where you need to have that as well. You know, have people like that in your life, and you too can make these decisions.
These are not like, oh, just for the elite leaders or people who've been in the ministry or business for years, and they can. No, no, you can too. Just got to have that desire. I think I have a story that will illustrate. Tell me if this is sort of in the ballpark.
It's about the Clear View Today show. We've told this story in the past where this, it was not a thing where, okay, because of our wisdom, we approached the Truth Network first and said, Hey, here's our pitch for a show, and we want to skillfully craft out this really, really intricate pitch and sell you on it. It was just the wisdom of, hey, I think this guy, Stu Epperson, is a really good guy. I think he really likes us. And let's just go, let's go to lunch.
It was as simple of a decision as that, and he approached us later on because of that.
Well, actually, he's the one who offered lunch. Yeah. Oh, he's the one. Yeah, you're right. You're right.
We did not ask for lunch. Yeah. He's the one he said, I want to take you all out for lunch.
Now I could have easily said, oh, okay, well I'll go. But something inside me said, No, I think he wants to meet all of us.
So I can either say, oh, how about just me and I? We'll go. Oh, I can bring me one other person. No, I said, no, we'll all show up. He asked for all of us, right?
And I think he seems to be a kind of person who really, truly loves the Lord Jesus Christ and really wants to bless us.
So, I'm not going to rob him of that opportunity or rob ourselves of some opportunities down the road.
So, I said, okay, hey, guys, the whole team. We're all going to lunch with him. And we did. And it was like. He was great, he was funny, he was inspiring.
And we walked away going, wow, well, I don't know where we're going to go with this, but And next thing you know, there are meetings being set up about: hey, there's going to be a daily show coming five days a week. And we're like, oh, five days a week. Yeah. How are we going to do that? Yeah.
And then later on, he said, Hey, you need to add more stations. Let's add more. I'm like, I think we can do that. Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's encouraging to hear stories like that because we think from the outside, when we see people who are even more successful from us, we think, okay, they navigated, they crafted something, they did.
But it could be something as simple as they were wise enough to say yes to an opportunity God gave them. That's right.
And the key ingredient there is that everything is driven and bathed in prayer. Yes. Everything is covered by prayer. Everything. I mean, you've prayed over that meeting, Dr.
Shaw. You've prayed over that relationship. Before we even set foot in that restaurant, you were praying for that. You were praying over that lunch. And look at where God has taken us as a result of that in the meeting with Sue Epperson.
I mean, we've met all kinds of people with connections with Truth Network, NRB. I mean, wonderful people that we consider our friends of the Cleaver Today Show because it began with prayer. And I think that's something really encouraging for our people. And maybe, Dr. Shaw, you can help us kind of close with this: that just being wise enough to say yes to that lunch meeting opened up a new world.
World for us. And so there's people out there listening to this who maybe previously had thought, I just need to be wise, I have to be. Smart and intellectual, and make the right connections, and I got to do it. Right, right. What would you what would you say to those people?
Right now? I would say if you're following the Lord Jesus Christ, He will open the doors for you. But you have a choice to wisely walk through those doors, to humbly take those opportunities. Don't d think too highly of yourselves. But don't think too lowly of yourself.
If Christ is in you, He will give you exactly what you need the next step.
So step out. step out and Let God help you dream big. You know, I admire Jerry Falwell, who was the founder of Liberty University and then pastor of Thomas Roard Baptist Church for years and years and a lot of other things he did over the years until he passed away back in the 2000s. But he used to say, you know, You need to try a BHA. One's a B Hag.
B hag was a big Hairy, audacious goal. Oh, I don't love it. I don't love the way it's framed. I get it. I love the sentiment, but I don't love the way it's framed.
In other words, he would often ask people, what would you do for God if you were sure you couldn't fail? I love that. What would you do for God? That's a great question. Yeah.
And now, of course, there are some caveats there as well, but I think that's something to consider. Mm-hmm.
What would you do for God if you were sure that you wouldn't fail? Yeah. Right now, where you are, what would you do for God if you were sure you wouldn't fail? Yeah, maybe that's something to chew on over the weekend, be thinking about, desperate about. Yes, absolutely.
What a great way to end the show and to end our week of programming. Yeah. To have people kind of look inside and say, hey, what would I do for God? What is God calling me to do? Maybe I should step up and take this by the reins and bathe everything in prayer.
Well, whatever the answer to that question is, what would I do if I was sure I couldn't fail? Whatever answer you arrive at, you know, the only thing stopping you from asking for God for it is a feel of failure, fear of failure. That's right.
That's right.
Guys, make sure you join us.
Next time, we're going to dig further into this conversation in Nehemiah's life. Figure out how he handles the opposition that's coming to him. Make sure you follow along on all of our podcasting platforms and share these episodes with your friends, your loved ones who will benefit from these lessons in leadership through the book of Nehemiah. Don't forget that you can always support us financially at Abhidhanshah.com forward slash give. That's right.
We want to thank all of you guys who are supporting us financially, especially all. All of you who are giving monthly on pray.com, those of you who are giving on Abadanshah.com. A couple of things we want to let you know before we head on out today. Number one is you can pre-order your copy of the Greek New Testament. This is the New Testament in the original Greek.
It's coming out in a couple of weeks, but it's available for pre-order right now on Abadanshah.com, or you can follow the link in the description below. And if you're worried that you're going to buy this Greek New Testament and you can't read Greek, don't worry. We have a surefire method to have you reading the Greek New Testament in under two weeks. It's a new video course that we have. It's called How to Read Biblical Greek with Dr.
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We love you guys. We'll see you next time on Clear Read Today.
