I first heard Andy Stanley talk about Nehemiah several years ago. He boiled it down to a talk about What One Thing. That talk was just repeated (or given again) in this week’s Your Move podcast/video.
Combining this thought along with Dr. Henry Cloud’s thoughts on “Necessary Endings” significantly changed my life for the better. I’ve removed myself from a couple of dysfunctional relationships and found new focus.
Nehemiah was the man who served the Persian emperor Artaxerxes somewhere around 444 BC. He heard a report from his brother about the terrible condition of the walls around Jerusalem destroyed by the previous empire–that of the Babylonians (the two are still fighting each other, by the way).
He decided to do something about it. So he went to Jerusalem as sort of mayor and project manager and started rebuilding the walls.
This work was going so well that some enemies in the plains below the city got worried. They needed to get rid of Nehemiah and stop the work. So they sent a message to him as a lure into a trap to come down from the city (which is on a mountain) to meet with them.
Nehemiah replied, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.”
Great Work
If you use this time of the year for reflection and rededication as I do, this is a great thought to meditate on.
What great work am I or should I be doing this year?
- Ending a relationship?
- Beginning a relationship?
- Strengthening a relationship?
- Breaking a habit?
- Starting a new ministry?
- Becoming more compassionate?
Figure it out. As we set our minds, so shall we become. Let’s set our minds on our great work.
Tags: attitude, Discipline, focus, planning
Faith Venture 
Leave a comment