Tag: Nehemiah 3-4
Warfare as you work!
Scripture reading for May 9th: Nehemiah 3-4
God’s people are wired for work! When a vision is present, focus of energy and teamwork can result in a miraculous amount of work being done and great accomplishments. It takes leadership and discipline to get people to work together. There are many hindrances that try to hold up progress and destroy the vision. The leader must assess the situation, cast the vision, organize the team of workers, and deal with the hindrances in a timely and effective manner. He can’t run a popularity contest or seek to appease those who would hinder or hold up the work.
Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was chosen by God as he prayed for the city of Jerusalem, burdened for it’s broken-down walls. Nehemiah was given favor, authority, and materials from the king to go and rebuild the broken walls of his beloved city. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) He decided to put families in charge of rebuilding the section of wall nearest their own homes. (Nehemiah 3) This brought personal responsibility to bear on how the job would be done and how fast they would work. You work harder and smarter if your own family’s lives depend on it!
Nehemiah had to deal with opposition, both external and internal. Spiritual warfare is ever-present in the life of a believer seeking to do God’s will! He prayed (Nehemiah 4:4-5) and then posted a guard. He armed half the men while the others worked. He kept a trumpeter by his side to sound the alarm if any family was attacked and needed help. (Nehemiah 4:17-20)
We are each assigned work to do according to our gifts and talents. There will be opposition that must be dealt with to avoid setback and defeat. The Holy Spirit is the trumpeter in our lives who lets us know when trouble is coming. He helps us prepare for attack and leads the resistance. As we work and fight together the work gets done quickly. We remember that we are fighting for our own protection and that of our family!
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14
Work and warfare!
Scripture reading for May 9th: Nehemiah 3-4
God’s people are wired for work! When a vision is present, focus of energy and teamwork can result in a miraculous amount of work being done and great accomplishments. It takes leadership and discipline to get people to work together. There are many hindrances that try to hold up progress and destroy the vision. The leader must assess the situation, cast the vision, organize the team of workers, and deal with the hindrances in a timely and effective manner. He can’t run a popularity contest or seek to appease those who would hinder or hold up the work.
Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was chosen by God as he prayed for the city of Jerusalem, burdened for it’s broken-down walls. Nehemiah was given favor, authority, and materials from the king to go and rebuild the broken walls of his beloved city. His plan of action was formulated as he assessed the situation for himself after arriving there. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) He decided to put families in charge of rebuilding the section of wall nearest their own homes. (Nehemiah 3) This brought personal responsibility to bear on how the job would be done and how fast they would work.
Nehemiah had to deal with opposition, both external and internal. This is spiritual warfare that is ever-present in the life of a believer seeking to do God’s will. He prayed first (Nehemiah 4:4-5) and then posted a guard. He armed half the men while the others worked. He kept a trumpeter by his side to sound the alarm if any family was attacked and needed help. (Nehemiah 4:17-20) Everyone worked together and kept ready to meet any opposition.
This is a good plan for each person in God’s family. We are each assigned work to do by the Lord. There will be opposition and it must be dealt with to avoid setback and defeat. The Holy Spirit is the trumpeter in our lives who lets us know when trouble is coming. As we work and fight together the work gets done quickly. We remember that we are fighting for our own protection and that of our family. Personal responsibility and God’s grace insure the victory!
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14
Rebuilding by Families
Scripture reading for May 10th: Nehemiah 4-5
Nehemiah faced a daunting task! After over 7o years of disrepair, rubble and burned timbers were all that was left of the wall surrounding Jerusalem. I imagine trees might have grown up and time had taken a toll. He had a vision of that wall being rebuilt and shared it with the leaders. They could see it, too, and together they began to work. Evidently, Nehemiah divided the work between families who lived in the area where the wall would protect them. The leaders of these families were put in charge and were responsible for their section of the wall. They found great favor and help from working with those who loved them.
We find all sorts of people helping with this wall. You did not need to be a block or brick layer to work here. We find many common people working together. Goldsmiths and perfume makers worked side by side with rulers and women. (Nehemiah 3:8-12) Priests and Levites worked on the wall as well. (Nehemiah 3:17-22) This was a cooperative project that took everyone’s attention and effort.
There is always opposition when God’s people work together. We find some nobles refusing to work on the wall. (Nehemiah 3:5) Tobiah the Ammonite and Sandballat the Horonite were angry and ridiculed the workers, trying to cause discouragement. (Nehemiah 4:1-3) Some workers did become discouraged and voiced failure. (Nehemiah 4:10) Enemies threatened to attack the workers and some Jews were fearful. (Nehemiah 4:11-12) Satan loves to discourage and cause division. We must always be aware of his devices.
Nehemiah called the workers to prepare to fight as well as to build. He armed some of the family members and posted guards. “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14b) This was a good fight of faith and God gave strength and courage to the laborers.
Today we must take this same approach. God wants each family to work together. Each church family is also a unit that must build and fight. There is opposition from the enemy, Satan, and from within from discouragement and criticism. Good leaders encourage the people and focus their efforts on the mission! Victory comes when we work with all our heart! (Nehemiah 4:6)
Work and warfare!
Scripture reading for May 9th: Nehemiah 3-4
God’s people are wired for work! When a vision is present, focus of energy and teamwork can result in a miraculous amount of work being done and great accomplishments. It takes leadership and discipline to get people to work together. There are many hindrances that try to hold up progress and destroy the vision. The leader must assess the situation, cast the vision, organize the team of workers, and deal with the hindrances in a timely and effective manner. He can’t run a popularity contest or seek to appease those who would hinder or hold up the work.
Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was chosen by God as he prayed for the city of Jerusalem, burdened for it’s broken-down walls. Nehemiah was given favor, authority, and materials from the king to go and rebuild the broken walls of his beloved city. His vision was the rebuilding of the walls. His plan of action was formulated as he assessed the situation for himself after arriving there. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) He decided on putting families in charge of rebuilding the section of wall nearest their own homes. (Nehemiah 3) This brought personal responsibility to bear on how the job would be done and how fast they would work. You work harder and smarter if your own family’s lives depend on it.
Nehemiah had to deal with opposition, both external and internal. This is spiritual warfare that is ever-present in the life of a believer seeking to do God’s will. He prayed first (Nehemiah 4:4-5) and then posted a guard. He armed half the men while the others worked. He kept a trumpeter by his side to sound the alarm if any family was attacked and needed help. (Nehemiah 4:17-20) Everyone worked together and kept ready to meet any opposition or force that might attack them.
This is a good plan for each person in God’s family. We are each assigned work to do by the Lord according to our gifts and talents. There will be opposition and it must be dealt with and watched closely to avoid setback and defeat. The Holy Spirit is the trumpeter in our lives who lets us know when trouble is coming. He helps us prepare for attack and leads the resistance. As we work and fight together the work gets done quickly. We remember that we are fighting for our own protection and that of our family. Personal responsibility and God’s grace insure the victory!
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14