Redirecting and Restraining

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 4:16-23

Reflection: I love the picture we are given here of men who are both workers and warriors at the same time. In fact, the text tells us that those who carried materials "did their work with one hand and held a weapon with the other." So, if I am wondering if these men are workers focused on positively building for the future or warriors seeking to protect the people from the negative impact of the enemy, I have to admit they are both at the same time. Another way of saying this is that on one hand these are men who are redirecting the people from accepting the negative conditions of their city to positively building toward a better future. On the other hand, they are also men who are seeking to restrain the influences of evil people who would seek to destroy the positive progress which has been made. So, they are involved in a balanced ministry of both redirecting toward the positive and restraining evil. In some sense, this is what we are to do as men within our society. On one hand, we need to seek to redirect our families, our worksites, and our society from negative thinking to constructing a positive future. On the other hand, we should be actively engaged in restraining the influences of evil that might frustrate that work. So today, as you are at work, seek to be both redirecting and restraining in all you do.