Ne 2:18 Then I
told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's
words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So
they strengthened their hands for this good work
Ne 4:21-23 So we
laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the
morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same
time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within
Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my
brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of
us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
I have always believed in work, hard work. If you are going to do
anything at all that is worth doing, give it your best and don’t be known as a woman who “hardly
works.” Get up early before everyone else and take care of the family. If you
work outside the home, get up and take care of your responsibilities. Arrive at
your job early and stay until you have accomplished what it is needed to be
finished for the day and then turn around the next day ready to go again. If you have a husband that doesn’t help you
with the work at home, sit down and talk it over or you will run yourself
ragged! Work hard for as long as you can
because the day will come when you may not be able to do as much as you like.
Through the years, I’ve experienced hard working faithful
teachers who have given their all to the call of God and yet every now and then
a few lazy sheep slip through our school. It doesn’t take long to recognize
them. They have trouble arriving on time, make excuses for late lesson plans,
messy rooms, unkempt bulletin boards and low test scores. They are of the “entitlement generation” and drive
us old folks crazy! Wonder who had patience with us back in our day? Oh
me……Nehemiah had a few of those but he straightened them out in a hurry.
Sometimes we have to look at the crooked and give it a yank, and keep on
working. We do them no favors by not being honest with them. If we allow the
work to slow down, then the “entitlement group” will place more on our plate to
hand back to them on a silver platter. They only learn that we “owe them” and
this is not God’s way!
So, rise up and build! Are you like me and often want to shout, “Get yourself to the
wash room, take a bath, comb your hair, brush your teeth, and get busy. Quit
talking about how great you are, and just WORK!” How long did it take for
Nehemiah to get this across to his people? There is always a crowd ready to
work and while we have them, we have to guide, to push, and not give up on THE
WORK put before us. Those lazy ones MAY get it, but then, maybe they won’t. We can learn so much from this great man of
God.
Nehemiah was my kind of man….. A man’s man and may I add this..... I want to give
another shout to the top of my lungs to these young men coming along, “Just
stand up and be a man, for heaven’s sake and quit messing around trying to find
an easier route for everything handed to you to do. Just do your job!”
Nehemiah left a coveted position as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes
to go and haul rocks and bricks for the building of the wall around Jerusalem.
He knew how to work. Not only did he know how to work, he knew how to get
others involved. It’s not a good testimony for the teacher and her classroom or
the Godly mother in her home to not keep a tidy place for others to work. The
key to it, is to get everyone involved. There is a place for everything, and
for everything there is a place.
Children need daily lists to follow. They delight in their
own accomplishments, not moms, or have you not noticed. Nehemiah’s workers enjoyed seeing the work get
done and more importantly they felt a part of the wall going up. Everyone
whether child or adult needs to be needed. Nehemiah was gifted in this area and
used the wisdom God gave him to see the work, get the people involved, and keep
the work moving even when the enemy came around to try and discourage them. He
called it like it was and was not afraid. If you are a young mother, be firm in
this area of teaching your little ones. If they mess up, then they should clean
up. Messing up is fun, but cleaning up can be fun as well. It is all in the
attitude of those involved. It takes a group effort with consistency. Nehemiah
could not have accomplished the work in the little time he had, if it were not
for the PEOPLE.His plan worked because he worked the plan. Get a plan today if you struggle in this area. We all do and it isn't a sin to admit it, but oh me, if we don't admit our failures, God's work suffers!
What work do you need to accomplish today? Don’t give up.
Ask God to strengthen you and then “rise up and build” making a difference in
those who look up to you!
Until next time, Lord willing….
Sharon
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