I can’t come down

…Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" - Nehemiah 6v2-3

Sanballat and Geshem, two of the bad guys in this story, sent a notice to Nehemiah. ‘Come out and meet us in the village.’ Nehemiah would not be deterred however. He knew they were up to something. He would not go. To quote one a character in one of my favourite comedies, he could not be bothered with ‘trivial trivialities.’ He had important work today and nothing was going to distract him.

Sadly, I am one of those guys who has a problem with distractions. It doesn’t take much to get me off track.

That is a terrible weakness. It is quite the character flaw. Modern technology has done little to help in that regard. Facebook, Twitter, news stories, television programmes, the radio, and such are always right there to get my mind off what I am doing.

Sure, I could quit those things, but that would not solve the problem. The problem is one of heart and character. Distractions are always going to be there. They were there before Facebook and will be here when the next one comes along.

Although the subject today is me, I think most readers can identify. Sure, it is wise to take steps to minimise the distractions, that just makes sense. But what we really need is a right view of God and our responsibility to Him. The details of our service vary, but we all are called to serve Him at work, at home, at school, at play, or wherever. Let’s ask God to help us develop a character like Nehemiah’s that says ‘I have work to do – I cannot come down!’