The Word of God says, “Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.” This is Nehemiah 2:17-18.
Let’s think about these words for a moment. Specifically the words let us build. One thing we have to remember in reading Nehemiah is that it also needs to be studied along with Ezra, Esther, Haggai, Zachariah, and a few other prophetic books.
The issue we see here is that they neglected the walls, the holy city and the house of God. In Ezra, the people were saying, "it's not time yet" to build the temple – yet their own homes were looking pretty nice. Now, the temple is being built, but they have failed to care for it. They have allowed the things of the world to distract them. Mordecai even hast to tell Esther that she was placed in her position of authority for “such a time as this.” The time was right. God planned it this way. What can we learn from this today?
We are the temple of the Holy Spirit according to I Corinthians 6:19. Think like this: if your body is the temple (a holy house) and the Holy Spirit is the resident. He lives inside of you. what does the inside look like on the inside? We must not move out the good stuff to make room for the bad stuff. The opposite is true.
As we go about our day, talk to people, watch television, search the Internet, read or Bible, work, go to school, etc. we must ask, “Are you bringing in something godly into your temple or bringing in something evil?” Every choice we make, including the people, we fellowship, can either help or hinder our spiritual walk. We must not make a habit of building up walls when God has not commanded it. Likewise, we must not tear down walls or neglect walls that God has asked us to erect.
Picture your life as a doorway that opens into your spiritual house. Ask yourself, "Whatever I'm doing or saying, is it something I want to move into my spiritual house? Is this something I want to unpack and display in my spiritual home? Or will it distract me or tempt me into doing something wrong?” This perspective can change everything.
Paul told the Ephesians to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32) Paul says, basically the same thing to the churches of Galatia.
My goal is to rise up and build. Let’s work together to build strong families and even stronger churches. To God be the glory!