The Daily Walk | 07.02.2026 | Dan Stephens | 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

Good morning and welcome to your daily walk.

This is Dan.

Nehemiah chapter 11 is about repopulating Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 11 · chapter mention

The walls had just been rebuilt, but the city was mostly empty.

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

Think of it as a draft.

But why in the world was this draft needed?

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.

And then you'll get the idea.

That's why the majority of Israelites lived in other towns.

And up until the time the wall was rebuilt, the city was defenseless.

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

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.

These folks were greatly respected in the community.

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

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.

And you know what?

The text mentions that the leaders settled in Jerusalem first.

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.

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

Also, Nehemiah 11 lists a large variety of workers needed for maintaining Jerusalem.

These included warriors, priests, gatekeepers, singers, and supervisors.

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

And it's a pretty convicting chapter when you think about it.

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

Even giving up our creature comforts for his kingdom.

Have a great day.