1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000
Day 127, or May the 7th.

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,200
Cheer up!

3
00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,760
Our God is great!

4
00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:12,200
Our thoughts today are from Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 10.

5
00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:18,340
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is

6
00:00:18,340 --> 00:00:23,020
so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.

7
00:00:23,020 --> 00:00:26,200
Now the big picture surrounding this verse.

8
00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,800
Nehemiah gives us a comprehensive list of all the workers on the wall, including what

9
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:32,080
they did.

10
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:38,760
There are construction companies in the UK today who do not keep such detailed records.

11
00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:43,800
Of course the gates they refer to are not necessarily the same as the ones in Jerusalem

12
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:44,800
today.

13
00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:50,520
However, one is called the sheep gate, and St. Stephen's gate in the wall today is also

14
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,160
known as sheep gate.

15
00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:58,600
Gates for selling sheep tend not to move much, as they are traditional sites, so the two

16
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,560
gates could be linked.

17
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,660
The builders received lots of opposition and ridicule from the authorities, but they stuck

18
00:01:06,660 --> 00:01:14,760
to their tasks and worked with one hand while the other held a weapon, just in case.

19
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,520
And now today's action step.

20
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,360
We are so tired already.

21
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,560
There are not enough of us to finish the job.

22
00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,000
The job is far bigger than we thought.

23
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:32,960
These were some of the comments that Nehemiah heard as he and his co-laborers worked hard

24
00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:34,960
to build the wall.

25
00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:40,000
Whether they were accurate comments is debatable, but they were certainly unhelpful.

26
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:45,400
Sadly, we hear similar ones in lots of churches every week.

27
00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:51,440
Even comments like those that Nehemiah had to bear can weigh you down, but not him.

28
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,160
Remember the Lord who is great and glorious.

29
00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,080
He told them this, and it is still great advice.

30
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,780
Most people learn from those around them.

31
00:02:01,780 --> 00:02:06,680
If your attitude at church is negative and less than helpful, then others will learn

32
00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:11,380
that from you, and you will help produce a fellowship of mourners.

33
00:02:11,380 --> 00:02:17,200
On the other hand, if you always have a positive comment to make, they will learn that too.

34
00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,240
What are people learning from watching you?

35
00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:48,800
Remember the Lord is great and glorious, and rejoice.