DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- WORKING TOGETHER

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – WORKING TOGETHER

"Then I said to them, 'You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.' And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, 'Let us rise up and build.' Then they set their hands to this good work." (Nehemiah 2:17-18)

Even though some of the Israelites had returned to Israel following their captivity by Babylon, Nehemiah was still in Shushan, the capital city. In fact, he was employed as the wine-taster for the king. But his heart was moved to return to Jerusalem when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were still in ruins. So the king gave him permission to return for the project of rebuilding the walls.

After surveying the broken down walls, he spoke to the leaders who were in Jerusalem, encouraging them to repair the walls around the city. And they responded to the call and set about to do the work, with the various clans each taking responsibility for a section of the wall. Chapter 3 tells of the project with all of the people working together to accomplish this task. The phrases, "next to him," or "after him," shows the cooperation of all of the clans, doing their share of the work. They were working side by side.

The Kingdom of God is built the same way – by people working together side by side. Each person has his area of responsibility, and as he or she does his part, the task is accomplished. Romans 12 give this picture. Some preach, some teach, some serve like deacons (diakonia), some exhort or encourage, some give liberally of their finances, some are leaders, and some are mercy givers. They each have their area of responsibility, but as they all do their part, the work gets done. As the NIV translates I Corinthians 3:9: "We are co-workers in God's service."

So let us be wall builders – or Kingdom builders – with each of us filling our spot. We have enough people who tear down. Let us be builders, so that the Kingdom will grow and prosper.

Love, Dad