Let’s Start Rebuilding The Wall

Let’s Start Rebuilding

The Wall

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the temple needs protection

You need a wall around you

You need strong relationships with those who will encourage you in the faith

Start the New Year strengthening the wall

 Don’t just go to church or listen on line

Build relationships

Get involved with a small group

If you see someone who has no walls, connect with them and help them build the relationships that will encourage then daily

So let’s start the New Year building the wall of protection

Nehemiah not only built the walls he built the wall with gates

We need to go in and out and we need to let others into our lives

But there must be standards because we may be in this world

But we are not of this world 

Let your light shine the light of love and truth

If you have suffered a great loss start rebuilding the wall

Get back in fellowship with those of like faith

The Wall

There is a lot of talk about the “Wall”.

This devotional is not a political

position on the USA-Mexico Wall.

This devotional is for those who have

seen destruction in your personal life.

Your defenses are down and you need protection.

Nehemiah was a servant to a king (Artaxerxes).

The king saw Nehemiah was sad,

a sadness from the heart.

Nehemiah’s city in Judah where his

fathers were buried was in ruin.

The walls to the city had been destroyed.

The city was venerable and there were those who

did not want to see the people of God prosper.

If you have never gone through a fiery trial

that has destroyed your walls and left

you feeling venerable get prepared.’

If you have lost a loved one, your job,

your health, you know the sadness of heart.

Even though Nehemiah lived in the

king’s palace and had favor with the

king he had sadness of heart.

 The temple was within the walls of Jerusalem.

It too had been destroyed and rebuild about

70 years before Nehemiah rebuilt the walls.

We know that it is not the buildings of

brick and mortar where God dwells.

God does not live in temples made with hands

but in people who have turned their lives over to Christ.

 We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

As holy as you are it does not make

you and I exempt from fiery trials.

You and I need walls, we need protection.

Nehemiah had favor and support from the king,

 but he rebuilt the walls with those of like faith.

  

When we are sad of heart and our walls are destroyed

we need the support of those of like faith.

Even when things are going well in our lives

we need to be maintaining the wall of protection.

We are told in the Book of Hebrews to…

“Encourage one another daily lest through sins

deceitfulness our hearts become hardened”

Hebrews also says…

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

“Don’t give up meeting together.”

Church is more than the preaching of the Word,

it is fellowship with those of like faith.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit

and the temple needs protection.

You need a wall around you.

You need strong relationships with those

who will encourage you in the faith.

Start the New Year strengthening the wall.

 Don’t just go to church or listen on line.

Build relationships.

Get involved with a small group.

If you see someone who has no walls,

connect with them and help them build the

relationships that will encourage them daily.

So let’s start the New Year

building the wall of protection.

Nehemiah not only built the

walls, he built the wall with gates. 

We need to go in and out and

we need to let others into our lives.

But there must be standards because we may

be in this world, but we are not of this world.

 

Let your light shine …

The light of love and truth.

If you have suffered a great

loss start rebuilding the wall.

Get back in fellowship with those of like faith.

Scripture Reading

Nehemiah 2 NIV

2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?"

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.  

10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

17 Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.

They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?"

20 I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."