-July 19, 2022-
Good morning, happy Tuesday,
“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.”
(Nehemiah 6:15-16).
When the Jews returned to their land after the seventy year Babylonian captivity, they had two major undertakings: rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. They accomplished the temple, called Zerubbabel’s temple first. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king of Medes and Persians. He was so burdened and saddened by the situation of the broken walls that he told the king. The king gave a leave of absence to go to Jerusalem. He served as governor and led the people in rebuilding the walls.
Nehemiah and the people of Judah faced much hardship and opposition from their enemies who fought them each step of the way. Their main enemies were: Tobiah, Sanballat, the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the false prophets. Nehemiah did not let them intimidate him from the task at hand. He knew that he was doing a great work for God. All the people worked together, laboring day and night, until at last the work was completed. The people worked on the of wall closest to their homes. Because of the threats of their enemies, they held a hammer in one hand and a weapon in the other.
The work was finished in an amazing fifty-two days. How did they do it? It was with the help of their God. They knew it and so did their enemies. They weren’t skilled craftsmen, but ordinary men that God used in His service. Every believer in Jesus Christ is a builder in the kingdom of God. God calls us, equips us, trains us, and uses us to further His cause on earth. Like the Jews who worked together in harmony and love, we need to do the same. Our mission will not be finished until the Lord calls us home to heaven.
Our enemies today are spiritual: the devil and his demons, the world, and our own sinful flesh. They will never give up fighting against us. So we must fight the good fight of faith to the end. People who observe our faith and commitment to Jesus recognize His power through us. We can’t take any credit for ourselves. Without the Lord, we can do nothing; with Him, we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
We must ask ourselves, how am I building my section of the wall? Am I distracted by the things of this world or am I serving faithfully day in and day out? We must be finishers. There is so much to do for Christ and so little time to do it. The hymn writer James M. Black wrote, “Let us labor for the Master from the dawn to setting sun, let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”
Have a blessed day building the church and building up the saints. God will help us and use us for His glory. Stay safe and healthy.
Building together as one in Christ,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 