The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 2:17-18, “Then I said to them, ‘You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.’
18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, ‘Let us arise and build.’ So they put their hands to the good work.”

It was a desperate time. The walls of Jerusalem were down and they badly needed attention. Nehemiah was a servant of King Artaxerxes; and when the
King noted Nehemiah’s sadness, he inquired as to what was disturbing him. It’s
good to have leaders who refuse to lose the “common touch.”

Learning of the devastation of Jerusalem’s walls, Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to
Jerusalem to lead the work on the walls. The king also provided funds for the
rebuilding. It’s good to have leaders who have not lost the “common touch.”

As it turned out, there were some who strenuously opposed the walls rebuilding.
Two lacklusters, Sanballat and Tobiah, played every “trick in the book” to hinder
the Jews from rebuilding the wall. “…it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel” (2:10). Although Nehemiah possessed strong faith in the LORD, it required his instruction to the Jews to keep watch against those who opposed the wall’s reconstruction.

In all of this, we are being taught not to take the things of the LORD for granted.
Nehemiah had opposition. Jesus Himself encountered opposition. Whenever we
choose to stand for Christ, we can know from the start that we will face opposition.
We are to trust the LORD and make a strong stand. We live in the midst of a score
of “anti-christs!” Anything that honors Him, they oppose. He possesses absolute
strength! His opposition can never win. At the same time, He expects us to make
a stand on His behalf. And it is to our benefit that we do so at every turn!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom