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Tuesday, April 12, 2016

By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination. – Christopher Columbus

Nehemiah and the people were finally getting close to crossing the finish line and completing the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in spite of the numerous attempts to stop the project. Most of the reconstruction was done; the walls had been erected and all that remained was to replace the gates. However, just as the project was nearing completion, in one last attempt to stop the work, Nehemiah’s enemies came up with a final plot. Instead of trying to scare and intimidate the people as they had done previously, this time they focused their attention on Nehemiah himself.

Nehemiah 6:1-4 NIV

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—  Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Taking out time to meet with the enemy was not necessarily a bad idea; on the contrary this could have been a great opportunity. The message, as it was written, gave the impression that Nehemiah’s enemies wanted to make peace with him. Nehemiah however, viewed the offer as a distraction. Nehemiah understood that God’s primary calling for his life was to rebuild the walls and so he would remain sharply focused on rebuilding and nothing else. For many, this might have appeared to be a great opportunity but for Nehemiah it was nothing more than a distraction. Look at how Nehemiah responded to their repeated offer: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

We will face challenges and opportunities on a daily basis that have the potential to distract us from the main thing God wants us to do. The opportunities that have the greatest potential to distract us happen to be good opportunities. To accomplish your divine purpose, you must learn to say no to some good things. It is the good things that have the potential to distract you from the divine things. However, just like Nehemiah, when these opportunities present themselves, we must learn to answer: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”