The Jews that could get back from the exile were ready to work and ready to build. They were following Nehemiah’s instructions to get the wall patched up and kept meeting resistance from their neighbors. So much so that the workers had to work with their swords close by. (Nehemiah 4)
Trying to do the right thing is easy until you add other people into the mix. If you try to do your best work, someone is close by to tell you why you will fail. Much like Nehemiah, you can even face outright aggression when you try to build something up.
Look what Peter and John did in Acts 4:23ff. They had healed a lame man and got jailed and beaten for their trouble. They went back to the others and told them what happened. The group went together in prayer, but didn’t ask to be delivered from the aggression. They asked for the boldness to face it and the strength to survive it.
I hope I can always fight the good fight like they did. I want to win the race like Paul. (2 Timothy 4:7)
March 19, 2013
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