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<v SPEAKER_00>Good morning and welcome to your daily walk.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is Dan.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Nehemiah chapter 11 is about repopulating Jerusalem.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The walls had just been rebuilt, but the city was mostly empty.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So a lottery was set up to move 10% of families from surrounding towns to Jerusalem.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Think of it as a draft.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But why in the world was this draft needed?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, imagine someone asked you and your family to move to a city that lay in ruins and offered little in the way of economic opportunities.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then you'll get the idea.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's why the majority of Israelites lived in other towns.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And up until the time the wall was rebuilt, the city was defenseless.

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<v SPEAKER_00>A lot of names are mentioned in chapter 11, which shows that God cares about individuals who quietly work hard to build his kingdom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And what's interesting is that while the lottery forced 10% of the population to move, verses 1 and 2 talk about some people who willingly volunteered to move into the city.

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<v SPEAKER_00>These folks were greatly respected in the community.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God must have been pleased too at their willingness to sacrifice their personal comfort to repopulate Jerusalem.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it reminds me of 1 Corinthians 15, 58, which says, always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And you know what?

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<v SPEAKER_00>The text mentions that the leaders settled in Jerusalem first.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There's a spiritual lesson here that teaches if you're going to be a leader, sometimes you're asked to do the hard things to the point of modeling the sacrifice you ask others to make.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When you do this, though, people are much more willing to follow your lead.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Also, Nehemiah 11 lists a large variety of workers needed for maintaining Jerusalem.

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<v SPEAKER_00>These included warriors, priests, gatekeepers, singers, and supervisors.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was vital that people use their skills and their diversity of spiritual gifts in the everyday goings-on of the city.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it's a pretty convicting chapter when you think about it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>After all, how far does our willingness go when it comes to doing hard things for the Lord?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Even giving up our creature comforts for his kingdom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Have a great day.