Nehemiah 3:10
Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah.
The book of Nehemiah describes the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed and broken down and the people exiled to Babylon.
There was a huge amount of work to be carried out, removing rubble and reconstructing.
It was a task that needed many labourers and a good foremen to supervise.
But one verse stood out for me, that Jedaiah repaired the part near his house. It may have been just a small part of the wall, but it was put back and restored and contributed to the whole work.
It struck me that, we may not be able to change the world, but we CAN influence those around us and reach out to those we rub shoulders with - perhaps our neighbours or friends and families.
Doing our little bit may not change the world, but it can change one person's world!
Reaching out to just one lonely person will transform their life, provide them a shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with. If we all do our little bit, it will bring about a chain reaction for Jesus.
There's a lovely verse which promises that, Jesus will help us rebuild the ruins - in this case, I'm meaning the spiritual ruins:
Isaiah 58:12
And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste]; You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
No one can look at today's world and not realise that we are in a ruinous state.
So let's start building bridges in relationships with those nearby.
This society is so broken down and isolated with fears of many kinds!
Be that repairer of broken pieces in lost lives. Bring Jesus into the mix.
Recently my nearest and dearest was drafted in as a helper to mix cement and assist our builder friend in the roof repairs. It meant getting his hands dirty.
He just followed instructions and helped lighten the load and the job was done more swiftly.
Let's do our bit for Jesus as He guides us by His Spirit to help rebuild broken hearts and lives of people near us - it may get a bit messy, but it will be worth it.
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