nehemiah: reforming our lives in order to rebuild our communities

This past Sunday we started our REBUILD preaching series from the book of Nehemiah. One of the main teaching portions of this book is that God has called Nehemiah to be a catalyst for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem which was a city for God's people and glory. This seemed to be an impossible task, since Nehemiah lived 800 miles away, the walls had been broken for mnay years and the wall was 4.5 miles long. The walls also covered 960 acres, which is about 1. 5 square miles. This task that Nehemiah had for leadership was incredible. Tons of people challenges, money needs, families represented, cultural understandings, opinions by multiple generations, expectations from thousands, enemies at bay, etc... What is really incredible is the task was accomplished in 52 days! Wow. However, when I think about how impossible this task was and yet it was accomplished by God through people in 52 days, that has me thinking. What could we accomplish if we set our minds, hearts, and souls toward over the next 52 days. What might God want to do amongst us and within us over the next 52 days? God could save a marriage over the next 52 days if we were willing to be led by God and serve our spouse. God could reorganize our finances in 52 days and take us from drowning in debt, to setting a new course, and having a new plan of action. God could enable us to forgive something or someone that we have been bitter towards for years in just 52 days. God may even want us to see more life change in the next 52 days than we have seen in the last 52 months? Who knows what God will do, if only we will set our hearts toward His plan over the next 52 days! -casey