Being the Body od Christ

Todays Scripture passage is a long one.  You might be tempted not to read the whole thing, but please…Do Read it!  The jewels buried in this Scripture are life altering, especially in regards to being the BODY of Christ.

Discouragement Overcome (Nehemiah 4)

⁹ But we prayed to our God, and because of them ( our enemies threats)  we set up a guard against them day and night.

¹⁰ Thus in Judah it was said,

¹¹ Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.” ¹² When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” ¹³ then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows.

*Are we taking our Armor out everyday, and protecting not only ourselves, but our fellow believers?   Are we circling the wagons, or is it every man for himself?

¹⁴ When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people:

“Do not be afraid of them;

remember the Lord who is great and awesome,

and fight for your brothers;  your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

¹⁵ When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.

¹⁶ From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. ¹⁷ 

Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.

*WOW!!!*

¹⁸ As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. ¹⁹ I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. ²⁰ At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

²¹ So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.” ²³ So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.

**I think this post is self-explanatory.   Are we watching out for one another, protecting each other from the enemies that threaten to undo us, threaten to undo the Work that God is doing in and through each of us, and all of us as a whole.

I feel very alone in my struggles, do you?    I need God to direct me in how to trust the Body of Christ, how to be the Body of Christ, and how to serve the Body of Christ.

So I ask  again,  “Are we being the Body of Christ, as described here in Nehemiah?  I shall strive to change to become as such,  will you?