I have a Plan For You!

I have a Plan For You!

The great work began at once, and nearly everybody participated. Even the women wished to help in the building a part of the wall. Every gate of the broken-down wall was soon rising up in the same place where Nebuchadnezzar had burned the former gates many years before. And some promised to repair the wall in front of their homes, while others promised to repair longer stretches. When Sanballat and Tobiah, two enemies who lived near Jerusalem, heard that was taking place, they were very angry. They did not wish to see this great city rebuilt, for they feared that the Jews would no longer allow them to come into Jerusalem and oppress the people who lived there. So they planned many ways to hinder the building of the wall. But Nehemiah heard about their plan, and he armed the men with swords and spears on every part of the wall. Some worked with one hand while they held a spear in the other hand. And all the while, both day and night, guards stood about to watch for the approach of the enemy. At last the walls were built, but the doors of the gates were not yet set up.

The enemies had been afraid to come and fight, for they had heard that Nehemiah and his workers were armed with swords and spears. For twelve years Nehemiah stayed in Jerusalem and acted as governor of the city. Then he knew that Artaxerxes, the King, would be expecting him back in Shushan; for he had promised to return at that time. So he appointed his brother Hanani and another man to rule the city while he should be absent, and then he hurried back to see the King. Artaxerxes permitted him to return the second time to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah's work on this second visit was more the work of restoring the customs that God had commanded by Moses for the people to obey. Because of the faithful efforts of men like Nehemiah and Ezra, the priest, the Jews began to pay more heed to the teachings of God's law.

Lesson to be Learnt:

            Each one of us have a part to play in God’s ministry. In this case, everybody took atleast a small part of the work in building a huge wall. The same way, today God needs many people to carry out His work. For some, it can be praying/sharing the word of God/teaching children in good ways/preaching/healing/prophesying etc. You might have noticed that, today the growth of many churches has been stunted because, the people of the church fight for greater positions in the church and fail to look for God’s purpose in their life. My dear friends, holding greater positions in the church or in a ministry means nothing in God’s sight. God has a plan for your life. Find it and pursue it.

Romans 12:3-8

I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have.

If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.