Isn't it awesome to watch the Olympic athletes work pay off? They get to perform on one the worlds biggest stages and then stand on the podium to receive their reward. It is very moving and inspirational.

But have you ever stopped and thought about all the work it has taken them to just get the opportunity to compete, let alone win. Way back when they had to stop and really think about what it was going to take to do all of this. Knowing that even after the long hard years of training, the meticulous hours of practicing, and the beating down of their minds and bodies to insure victory, they might not even make it to the Olympic trials, let alone the Olympics. But after considering all of that, they still didn't know everything that was going to show up on that road to glory that would try to hold them back. Those moments where friends or family come in the gym or pool and say. "lets go out tonight," or "take a long weekend and lets just go play, you deserve it."

What comes to my mind when I think about all that is Focus. These men/women/boys/girls had to be focused all the way through to the podium. And it took more focus than what that one athlete could provide by themsleves in such a grueling journey to the glory. That is why you see them celebrating and enjoying the victory with thier families, their coaches, their teammates, and their country, because all of them helped contribute to their focus of winning.

It is like the Olympic sized victory Nehemiah had in completing the wall. He broke a "world record" in rallying his team to completing the task in 52 days, which was unheard of in that time due to all of the defeat that was around them. Their country was destroyed, scattered, and flat broke, but God had called Nehemiah to build a team and complete the task that would lead to God's glory. So Nehemiah had to be focused.

One example of that focus is in Nehemiah Ch. 6 where he and his team is enticed and intimidated by enemies 5 seperate times and decieved by part of his own team from the inside who had lost their focus. We see his response in vs 3 "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" Nehemiah is focused on the glory of God and nothing is going to stop him from finishing this race. His victory moment is standing on the podium, the wall they are building for God, to lift his hands to Jesus and shout "glory!"

Journey Church we too are on the wall building a podium. A podium that we want to stand on daily and lift our hands and shout, "Victory in Jesus, Glory to God!" This will take a focused team, not willing to fall to the intimidation and tricks of the enemy. A team that is more concerned with God's glory than our own personal gain. A team that echoes in unison, "We are doing a great work in Jesus!"

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