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Nehemiah 3 and 4 – If you’ve ever done clean up work, you know that it isn’t the most fun kind of work. It is dirty. There is sweat.
In chapter 4 we see more of the “how” of the rebuilding of the wall.
Some questions we can ask here.
- Can evil be stopped?
- Can good prevail?
- Is going agains the culture for the sake of holiness and godliness worthwhile?
Psalm 23 – the job of being a shepherd is often overlooked. These shepherds are with the sheep day and night, day after day. Not a “fun” job. Jesus is our shepherd, he gets in to the dirty places and walks with us no matter where we are or what our experiences.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle – and he will always provide a way of escape.
Nehemiah 4 – The rubble was an almost insurmountable obstacle. This is also one of the favorite tactics of the devil, he is very quick to point out the obstacles that are between you and the things that you want to do or desire to do and be.
It takes our “all” to have our souls restored. The devil loves to throw that in our face and say “there is no way that you can get though all the sin, rubble, mistakes… you just can’t do it.” Satan is always ready to pounce, to discourage, to take down the work that we’ve done, to steal, to kill, to destroy.
When these times of trial come, don’t stop building. This is what the devil wants, but not what Jesus wants. Jesus is there with us and he takes action on our behalf.
Jesus doesn’t want us to have just a mediocre life. He wants us to be satisfied, filled and content. “I have come that they may have life, that they may have life to the full.”
Nehemiah saw the intimidation tactics, but he called for a rally, to take extra steps to protect themselves and to continue to work. Adrenaline works for a while, but eventually fatigue will set in… When we are weary, the Lord will step in and provide the strength that we need to keep on.
For us, there is a good example here. If we wish to build and to succeed we also have the responsibility to protect. This covers all parts of life, from influence, to our children, to our families to our hearts.
What does it mean to bring every thought under the subjection of Christ? This isn’t every other thought, every third thought… its every thought. The person who consciously makes this decision, is the person who is building the most impenetrable spiritual wall possible.
Philippians 4:4-9 – When we commit to being under Christ, commit no matter what… that is when we can find success in building in the kingdom of God. When the opposition gets stronger, so must our commitment.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – Foolishness to those who don’t believe. Everything to us who believe.
We need to catch the vision for what we are building. We aren’t just “laying brick” we are “building a cathedral” – we are all called to be a part of the building of God’s kingdom.
