“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” – Nehemiah 6:3
A number of years back, we got my son some Legos for Christmas. But not just any Legos, we got him the official Star Wars Millennium Falcon Masterbuilder Lego Set! This thing had 1329 pieces and it was the most complicated Lego set that I had ever seen. Now, Caleb was in Elementary School, he loved Legos, and he had just seen Star Wars for the first time. In his mind, he was Caleb Skywalker, a Jedi Padawan in training. He spent most of his time dreaming about fighting the dark side and saving the world. He had his own outfit and his own lightsaber, the only thing he was missing was his own spaceship. As soon as he opened his present, it was as if Christmas was over. He didn’t want anymore presents. He just wanted to build his Millennium Falcon. And that is what he did. For the next 17 hours, he sat diligently placing one brick on the next, dutifully following the 168 page instruction booklet. We had to drag him away to eat or sleep, and every waking hour for two days straight was dedicated to his project. His focus and determination was something beautiful to behold. And sure enough, he finished it all on his own and years later, it still sits in a place of honor in his room. My wife and I have often pointed to that Millennium Falcon as an example of what our kids can do if they just put their minds to it… if they just catch the vision.
This is one of the things that I love about Nehemiah. He caught the vision! He knew that he was a part of a “great work.” He knew that God had called him to this work and that nothing would get in the way of stopping him from accomplishing that work. So that’s why when these two very important politicians called for Nehemiah, he basically told them, “No way… you can’t stop me now!” He wasn’t going to let anything, even a high powered official from the strongest military power in the region slow him down. Nehemiah had caught the vision and it gave him the motivation to keep going against all odds.
What keeps you going? What is your vision for the future? I want to invite you to catch the vision that Jesus came to give us. It may not involve building your own Millennium Falcon, but I can promise you that it does involve fighting the dark side and that even you can become a warrior of the Light. Will you join in the rebellion?
Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor