“Why are you doing this” was probably a question Nehemiah heard often. After all, he left his comfortable place beside the king to willingly enter the front line in a war for restoration. Nehemiah heard about the condition of his people and immediately developed a burden for them. He fasted and prayed about the situation and felt compelled to make a difference. Why didn’t he reason to himself that if the thousands of Israelites already there couldn’t do it, why should he bother? After all, he was only one person. Besides, he was comfortable. What if the king got angry at his request? Then his life would be ruined and all because he dreamed too big. Nehemiah didn’t seem to think any of these thoughts. He prayed and then sprang into action. I think the key to Nehemiah’s success was his selflessness. He had no stake in the project. He lived in a palace in safety. He was not gaining anything from the building of the wall. Even so, he risked his life, his relationship with the king, and his own comfort.

Thinking like Nehemiah’s seems to be a little scarce in society today. We get something out of everything we do. Company’s hire certain kinds of people because they get tax breaks. People make large public donations and they end up on the cover of a magazine. Businesses give away money to a few contest winners in exchange for private contact information on thousands of others who entered the contest but will never win. Society today does not seem to advocate selflessness. People are even shocked and maybe a little frightened when someone does something for seemingly no reason.

I want to be a Christian like Nehemiah was. I want to have a burden that would cause me to abandon the comforts of my own life and to do something that gains nothing for me. I want to be so moved by someone else’s need that it causes me to spring into action. I want to show Jesus to somebody through my life. “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification” (Acts 15: 1,2 NKJV)