Restart: Stepping Out in FaithSample

BRICK BY BRICK—A SACRIFICIAL TASK Doing the same tasks day after day from sunup to sundown can become monotonous. But carrying out those tasks with the threat of death hanging over one’s head can be downright dangerous. Why did the people continue? It was a sacrifice of love. Love for their country, love for their families, love for their leader, love for their God! Employees respect a boss who is willing to jump in the ditch and dig alongside them. A boss who is not afraid to get downright dirty; a boss who will seek to understand the trials of the employee by taking on the job him or herself. Nehemiah was such a leader. Although he was governor, he took on the same guard shifts as his workers and slept in his work clothes to be at the ready should an emergency arise. More often than not, people learn about us by how we live rather than by our credentials or the things we say. Our willingness to sacrifice on behalf of others can become our real life biography. As you reflect on the passage above, what traits can you insert into Nehemiah’s character profile? Are those traits qualities your associates would add to your résumé? Did you notice that the people’s weapons were kept close by as they slept? Do you keep your arsenal—prayer and the Word of God—close by as you sleep? Be willing to make those sacrifices God is laying upon your heart. Work in such a manner that those to whom you minister are eager to emulate you. Pray: Lord, let me not be high-minded and stand on ceremony with those I serve. Let me kneel and wash their feet—one foot at a time.