The Passage: Nehemiah 4:6
The Point: We need people who are willing to work.
In his first speech to Parliament after being appointed as Prime Minster of Great Britain in the thick of World War II, Winston Churchill gathered himself and said to the anxious nation, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” He was under no illusions. He knew that for England to survive the threat of tyranny, it would take every ounce of effort that he and his nation had to give. England went through many dark hours in the months following that speech. At one point during the bombing of London, every single British plane was in the air. They had none in reserve. The British held the line alone until the United States joined the fight. With forces united and many months of herculean effort, the Allies prevailed, and Hitler was overthrown.
Nehemiah faced a similarly daunting task. He undertook to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem amid intense opposition. The task was great and spread out over a large area. Nehemiah gathered a big band of willing laborers who were ready to sweat it out; and to the surprise of everyone, they made rapid progress.
Great things can be achieved by a group united in purpose and heart, and most of all, willing to work. We want to bring hope to families in every neighborhood in South Florida. It is a daunting task. To the best of our knowledge, nothing like what we’re attempting has ever been done here before. We’ve made encouraging progress so far, but much remains to be done. To see it happen, all of us need to get on the team and be willing to work.
Processing:
- Does our vision for taking the gospel to every person, in every family and every neighborhood in South Florida stir you up?
- Are you willing to work to see it happen?
Planning:
- What part can you play?
- What’s your next step?