So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6
The Royal Bank of Scotland had a series of video advertisements intended to encourage people to be proactive. In one of the advertisements, a group of people is eating in a restaurant when one of them starts to choke. One man says, ‘Isn’t Jacobsen choking?’ Someone else says, ‘I’d definitely say Jacobsen’s choking.’ The first fellow then says, ‘I know exactly what to do. I saw it in the movies once. It’s called the Heimlich maneuver.’ That launches the diners into a discussion first of how to pronounce ‘Heimlich’ and then how to perform the maneuver. Of course, all the while, Jacobsen is choking. Finally, a man from a neighboring table comes over and successfully performs the maneuver on Jacobsen. Then the announcer says, ‘Less talk — make it happen!’ That is the message that the people in Jerusalem received and responded to because they had a mind to work at the reconstruction of the city’s gates and walls.
There is an old saying that when all is said and done, more is usually said than done. We all know people who are such great workers that they spend most of their time talking about how great they are at working and very little time at actually doing the work. Such people do not have a mind to work. Such people are of little use when it comes to getting anything done. We also know people who do have a mind to work, people who understand the need to begin a task and to stick with that task until the work is done. These are the people that we want to have on our side when there is an important project to complete. These are the same people that God can use when He has work that needs to be done. This is the kind of person that we need to be when it comes to the work of the Lord.
Not everybody has a mind to work. Not that people are lazy (although some are). Many people sinply do not understand the importance of the things that the Lord would have us to do. And unless we understand the importance and the urgency, we will have little incentive to do much. Consider the work that the people in our text were doing. They were rebuilding the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. Without those walls and gates in good repair, the people were open to attacks by enemies. Once the walls and gates were repaired, other project could be launched without fear of being damaged or destroyed. Knowing this, the people had a mind to work, a good solid reason to get the work done. You and I have a good solid reason to get done the things that God has for us to do. Without our help in the Gospel, inviting people to meetings, witnessing, giving out tracts, and so forth, some people will never have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. And that could include some of our relatives, friends, and neighbours. Without our help in the Assembly, doing any of the myriad of task available, others will get discouraged and all sorts of things small and large will slip.
Having a mind to work is important. Without it, no work gets done. -Jim MacIntosh