Before You Build, Check Your Heart

Nehemiah 5:11 – “Restore to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses…”

Good afternoon BFB

On Monday we continued our journey through the book of Nehemiah, and this week we landed in chapter 5. The wall was going up. Progress was being made. But Nehemiah shows us something important: before the people could keep building outward, they needed to look inward. This is where we pause for a Heart Check. I argue that you can’t build God’s work with dirty hands. You can’t move forward in public while leaving brokenness unattended in private. Nehemiah teaches us that God cares just as much about our character as He does about our progress.

So this week’s focus is simple but critical: “Before You Build, Check Your Heart.”

“Restore to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses…” (Nehemiah 5:11)

The wall stopped in Nehemiah 5, not because of enemies on the outside, but because of injustice on the inside. Families were starving, children were being sold, and the poor were being crushed under heavy burdens. And Nehemiah stood up and said, “This is not good.” He demanded restoration, not later, but right away. This moment reminds us that progress with God is never just about what we build; it’s also about how we live and how we treat one another.

I think there are at least three lessons we can learn from Nehemiah:

1. Check the Inside Before You Keep Building
Nehemiah hit pause on the construction not because of enemies outside the wall, but because of the injustice in the camp. God’s own people were harming each other. Nehemiah paused the building to confront what was broken by people within.

That’s a word for us. Sometimes the biggest threat to the work of God isn’t ridicule from the outside. It's the things we allow in our own hearts, in our own houses or in our churches. We can't expect God to bless the work of our hands if our relationships or words are full of bitterness, greed or injustice.

Heart Check: Before you build further this week, whether it’s in your career, your family, your ministry, or your personal walk with God, pause and ask: Lord, is there anything in me that doesn’t reflect You? Am I building well on the outside but ignoring what’s broken on the inside?  Are there relationships we’ve neglected? People we’ve hurt? Ways we’ve cut corners? Before we build for God, we must be right with God and with each other.

2. Make It Right, Not Just Sound Right
When Nehemiah confronted the leaders, he didn’t just ask for apologies. He said, “Give it back. The land. The homes. The dignity.” He called for restoration.

This helps me know that true integrity is more than saying the right words. It is about taking the right action. It's not enough to just confess; we should do our part to correct the injustices we see and not just walk by. Sometimes that may mean apologizing with sincerity. That might mean returning what we borrowed, or forgiving someone we’ve held resentment against. It may cost us something; our pride, our comfort, even our money. But building with God always requires sacrifice.

Heart Check: This week, ask yourself: Is there someone I need to make things right with? Is there a situation where I need to do more than say sorry maybe I need to repair the damage? God blesses those who not only repent but also restore.

3. Live in a Way That God Will Remember
Nehemiah ends this chapter with a quiet prayer: “Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.” (Nehemiah 5:19)

Nehemiah shows us what really matters. Not applause. Not credit. Not recognition. Just the quiet confidence that God saw it and it pleased Him. Nehemiah wasn’t looking for praise from men. He wasn’t trying to build a reputation for himself. His goal was simple: to be faithful before God. That’s our call too. To live so that when God looks at our week, He remembers our obedience, our faithfulness, and the way we treated His people. Even when nobody else sees, God sees. Even when nobody else notices, God remembers.

Heart Check: This week our prayer should be: "Lord, help me live in such a way that You remember my good. Not for my glory, but for yours." That’s how I want to live. That’s how I want us as a church to build. Let God remember you not just for what you built, but for how you built it.

Building with God is bigger than bricks. It’s about building trust, repairing relationships, and walking with integrity. Before you build another wall, check your heart and let God shape the kind of builder you are becoming.

Let’s build well BFB!

.I love you...and there ain't nothing you can do about it!
FLC