How are you building?

Nehemiah 3: 20 "Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest."

In the list of men working to restore Jerusalem, we find Baruch. Baruch was a common man wanting to do something for God. He is the only man listed that has a description of how we worked. It says he “zealously repaired”. This indicates his attitude, mind set, and even gives you a mental picture of how he looked physically while working.

Let me tell you what I mean. When you hear the word lazy, your mind paints a mental picture of a sloppy dressed person, maybe dirty, messy hair, lying around doing nothing of worth, watching TV, eating and spilling at the same time.

But zealous is far different. Zealous means extremely eager or enthusiastic, filled with or motivated by zeal; fervent.

So, here is the picture of Baruch. His forehead is glistening with sweat; he is lifting heavy lumber and stone in a constant and stead pace. He is positioning each material with care and precision. He measures often to make sure that everything has been done correctly. He eyes are focused and his face shows the look of determination. He is serious and yet he is joyful and pleased with the progress he is making. His tempo has begun to get the attention of those around him and his passion for the work of Christ is now becoming infectious. The men on either side of him are now taking greater pride in their repairs and cleaning up mistakes and poor workmanship. There pace has increased and they are now focused on doing their best.

I want what I do for God to be described this way. How and what I put into the work God had given me will reflect my attitude and will either encourage others or make them not want to even try. I have been challenge today to work in all areas of my life with zeal.

How will people describe you?

Lord, thank you for using Baruch to challenge me to live a life of zeal. I pray that I will grab hold of this and walk it out in my life starting today. Amen.