By: J.O. Lawal
Date: November 19, 2025
Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 28
“Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” (Neh 11:1-2NIV)
Some years ago, a church I was attending organised a crusade that ended very late at night. It was not planned to end as late as it did. But it ended late because the pastor of the church that was supposed to minister in it was caught up in a terrible situation that made it impossible for him to come.
So, last minutes plans had to be made to get someone else to preach in his stead. And what should have ended around 8pm or so ended after 10pm.Now because the crusade ended later than expected, getting some of the equipment used for the crusade back to the church meeting place became a very big issue for some logistic reasons. So, it became necessary for some of the members of the church to stay back overnight with the equipment.
Otherwise, nothing of it may remain on the crusade ground by the following morning.Who, then, among the brethren would stay? We ended the crusade late and getting back home for many at the time would be pretty difficult.
More so, it was not the brethren’s fault that the crusade ended late or that the church leaders did not make adequate plans to get the church equipment back to where they belonged. So, nobody, not even the church staff, could be commanded to stay back. The only available option was for the handlers of the crusade to look for guards that they could pay to watch over the equipment over the night.
Unfortunately, the money to even do that was not available. So, what we needed that night were volunteers, people who, out of a clear understanding of the situation and love for God and for His church, would willingly offer to stay back and watch over the equipment of the church.
Sadly, nobody wanted to volunteer to stay back. Even the church staff that one would expect a higher level of commitment from were unwilling to volunteer. Each of them was just giving all kinds of reasons they would not be able to stay back but must readily get back home.
Now when I saw how things were going and that much discouragement was already filling the heart of the assistant pastor of the church who, at the time, was the only remaining elder of the church that was still on the crusade ground, I spoke up and said that I would stay back.
Really, I just joined the assembly at the time. But I just could not cope with the fact that none of all the old members of the assembly would readily volunteer in that situation to do the needful for the safety of what belonged to the church. What was I thinking at the time, by the way? Did I think that I could, as one person, actually keep the equipment safe from robbers or thieves till the following morning?
No! The truth is that I was not thinking at all. I was not considering the consequences of my decision at all. All that I simply had in mind was to do what I believed to be right for the church. And guess what? The moment I said that I would say, some other brothers of the church began to say that they also would stay back. And before long, we had enough people on ground to make any group of robbers think clearly before they would attempt to rob the place.
Glory to God!Now when the pastor of the church later heard what I did, he was really elated. And that, of course, forever affected our relationship. That is because, from that time on, he literally took me as a younger brother and ministry companion.
Well, I shared that story with you to let you know that there are times that what God needs for certain things He wants to accomplish are volunteers and not just those who will be acting on His orders. Yes, He can command us to do anything He wishes.
But it is not every time that He wants to do that. There are times that what He wants is for us to willingly offer to do what He wants, even though He is not making it an obligation for us to do so. And if we will volunteer to do what He wants in such situations, the commendation that will follow will surely be greater than any reward we can hope to receive from handling His work like an obligation.
As we see in our opening text, when the Jews of Nehemiah’s time were trying to re-inhabit Jerusalem, they needed more than those chosen by lot to do so. They also needed volunteers. Yes, they needed people who would willingly relocate to Jerusalem from wherever they were living, not minding the cost or the inconveniences. And those who volunteered in this manner were greatly commended by them. That was because they made what God expected them to do easier to be done.
In like manner, when we volunteer to do whatever has to be done in the kingdom of God, not looking at what it will cost us or the inconveniences that may follow, we are making it easier for the will of God to be accomplished in our world.
In fact, we may just be inspiring several others to also volunteer to make the accomplishing of the will of God on earth easier. And where that is the case, God will not forget our labour of love but will reward us accordingly when the time is ripe. But are we willing to volunteer to do anything for God or for His kingdom? Are we willing to volunteer to do anything at all that will make life easier or better for others? Or is it only those things that will earn us money or prestige that we are always willing to do?
Well, those who volunteer to do the will of God and make Him happy, where others are shrinking back, will never be forgotten by Him. They may not be duly rewarded in this world for what they have done or are doing for Him. But He will not fail to reward them adequately in His eternal kingdom, when all has been said and done.
Cheers!