Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, who served from 1913-1921 and only reluctantly led the nation into World War I, winning the Nobel Peace prize in 1919, once said these wise words:
“If we differ from one another…we will find that we are not so far apart after all, that the points on which we differ are few and the points on which we agree are many, and that if we only have the patience and the candor and the desire to get together…we will.”
Where does this patience, candor, and desire come from among people like us who are by nature self-centered and short-sighted? There are at least limited examples from history to be sure, but it seems like we’re always falling short. Our hearts need changing and that’s the business God is in.
The message for Sunday, April 25th was based on Nehemiah 5, which portrays an internal struggle within the workforce gathered by Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the third return of the Jews to their capital city following Babylonian captivity in approximately 445 B. C. This conflict among the people threatened to divide and destroy them. This challenge was more difficult than any they had faced during the rebuilding project to that point. It took 52 days to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but the project was nearly complete when the workers faced a unity challenge. It’s much easier to conquer and subdue an enemy who attacks us externally than it is to forgive and restore a friend who hurts us from within our own ranks. Nehemiah led the people through this difficult challenge and there is much for us to learn from him as we face conflict in our own lives whether it be at home, at work, or even at church. Listen to the audio file to learn more from Nehemiah’s example on how to resolve conflict and how his life foreshadows Jesus’ ministry of restoration and renewal in our lives.