Make Up Your Mind

Nehemiah was a prophet of God who had a big job to do. Although he lived in a foreign nation he was concerned for his people in the city of Jerusalem. This city was very important to God's people and was normally surrounded by beautiful walls. But, these walls had been knocked down by enemies. Nehemiah's job was to make sure the walls were rebuilt.

Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to begin his work. But, he found that the people there were not all carpenters and bricklayers. Many of them were store-keepers, sellers of jewelry, priests, and servants. How could these people rebuild the city's walls? To make things even harder, some enemies tried to stop the work.

Nehemiah decided that half of the people should protect the workers with swords, spears, and bows (4:13). He told them not to fear their enemies. He said: "Our God will fight for us!" (4:20). The store-keepers, jewelers, and priests left their normal jobs and worked on the walls. In just 52 days, they were finished (Nehemiah 6:15). How did they do it so quickly?

Nehemiah tells us how. He said: "the people had a mind to work" (4:6). They made up their minds to obey God and work together. In less than two months, they finished a very big job.

We should do just as these people did. If we will make up our minds to work together, we can do great things for God!

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