“So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”
My brother has been in construction for a long time now. He can tell you many stories of subcontractors both good and bad. If you get into his world, he will tell you that the subs that “have a mind to work” are his top subs. Why, because they get the job done in a timely manner and the work is not thrown together or halfway finished.
Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. God was with him in both favor and leadership. Against incredible odds the small group of people would rebuild the entire wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days. The Bible says in previous chapters that neighboring people groups would ridicule and make fun of the Israelites for trying to rebuild the wall. They would say things like “if a fox would jump on the wall, it would fall down”.
A piece of this puzzle is not often talked about. If you remember back in the days that the Israelites built the temple for the first time, God gave his people the ability to work and to be the best at things like stone masonry, metallurgy, textiles, etc. So the people who were rebuilding the wall were the best subs one could find in all the land because God was with them.
In our lives we may not be tasked with rebuilding a giant stone and wood wall around a city, but whether we are going to school or work all of us should still be able to identify with this verse. The Israelites had a mind to work. They did not have a mind of procrastination or laziness but rather when something needed to be done, they did it and kept on working. God wants us to have this mind to work. I believe hard work is your best friend with a never quit attitude in all you do, whether it is school or your current place of employment or both. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
Today, put on an attitude and mind to work. The Bible also says in Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,” God is all about hard work and a mind to work as well. Don’t be lazy today or any other day. Do your work as unto the Lord for he will give you rest when the job is done.
Let It Go 
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