Do you know Sheerah? Have you read about her? In all probability, yes. But you might have lazily turned the pages of the Bible after reading her name. Let’s meditate about this dynamic lady from 1 Chronicles 7:24.
Sheerah was a descendant of Ephraim. As the Chronicler was writing down the history of the Israelites, he felt he should mention Sheerah’s name, though she was a woman, because she was a driving force to build three cities — The Lower Beth Horon, the
Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.
Her father’s name was Beriah. Her paternal grandfather initially had two sons, who were cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids, on a single day, by the natives of Gath. Just imagine the situation. Their father Ephraim was heart- broken. His
relatives came to console him. After this tragic incident, he had another son, born maybe 18 or 20 years after the firstborn. He was named Beriah (misfortune) because the family had not yet come to terms with the grisly murders. Sheerah was the daughter
of this man called Misfortune. The numbing sorrow of the death of her two uncles hovered over the family when they were blessed with a girl child. But this girl brought great pride and joy to the family by standing tall, throwing away the gloom that was
sitting on the family like a dark cloud, and letting the sun shine through. She did not allow the misery to depress her. What a lesson we have here, who let the little tragedies of life to put us down and make us hunchbacks.
Building three cities! Let your imagination soar. It was a huge leap of faith and she had no qualms about what she was getting ready to do. The roads, parks, water tanks, school, hospital, compound wall and so much more. If we are asked to visit a
village for evangelism, we tremble
and back out. But thousands of years earlier this woman had the courage to accomplish a herculean task. When it comes to the building of the Kingdom of God, why do we lack such muscle and push? What are the things she tackled?
1. Leadership
Sheerah was a woman and not many those days stepped into the role of a leader. She had to make a great many sacrifices to do it as good as a man. How did she learn leadership? By being a follower. Sheerah imbibed knowledge from her father, brothers,
husband and others. She equipped herself for the great task ahead. How she orchestrated the big bee-hive of workers is a wonder. I suppose Sheerah was leading and learning at the same time. You can’t lead without listening.
If you are not a follower today. You cannot be a leader tomorrow. It is by following that you learn leadership. The better you follow, the better leader you become. Most effective leaders are made, not born. Today the trend is to grab leadership. Youth
find it hard to submit to someone. They would rather be their own bosses than be under a boss. Seasoned maturity comes by listening and obeying.
When we are under someone’s authority we learn not to have our own way. We learn to be humble and accept somebody else’s decision. More than anything, we learn to trust God when things are contrary to our liking. Joseph did not like whatever was
happening to him. He was under his father, brothers, Potiphar and the jailor. All the while, through all the crushing experiences of life, God was making a leader out of him. The positive and negative that he learned through his gruelling past, were the
leadership principles he
applied. God teaches us submission that we may become leaders.
As a woman, Sheerah had to submit to so many. But one day she had scores of men and women working under her. Submission is the stepping stone to leadership.
2. Passion
Sheerah would have counted the cost first. I doubt if her idea was met with hurrahs. May be she was seen as a bit of a fanatic. When she mooted the idea, I am sure her father, mother, siblings and husband raised their eyebrows skeptically. “Sheerah,”
they would have said, shaking their heads from side to side, “it is too dicey to proceed. Think again. It is not as easy as you think.” She would have surely thought about it once, twice, thrice and though not sufficiently construction savvy, plunged
ahead, refusing to look back. The intrepid girl trusted in God and trusted in herself. Yes, it wasn’t as easy as she thought to get the project off the ground. But, brimming with optimism she kept one foot in front of the other not minding the sniggers
that echoed from all corridors. The objective before her was clear. Night she dreamed of the rising walls. She consulted experts and roped in others for help. Her determination set her on the road to success.
Jesus was not teaching proper planning when He spoke about building a tower or going to war. Rather He focussed on the suicidal dedication necessary to be His disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the
cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ... In the same way, those of you who do not give up EVERYTHING you have cannot be my disciples” (Lk 14:28-33). In other words, He said, “I want all of you, the whole of you, the total of you, the
complete you, the cent percent you, the entire you. If not, you cannot be My
disciple.” You must give up EVERYTHING! But our priorities are askew. Our list of priorities is too long that we lose sight of what’s truly important.
What do you think Sheerah’s first thought was when she got up in the morning? “I must build the cities.” She cooked and cleaned and played with her children. But her preoccupation was the city. Hats off to her indomitable passion.
In life there are so many things. But only one thing eats away a disciple. He is consumed with the passion for souls. You are cooking and a beggar calls. You put off the stove, go out, give him something with a smile and tell him to trust in Christ. You
carry the baby and go for a walk. You meet an old non-Christian acquaintance and you dig out a book for her from your handbag. You are stopped at the level-crossing. You don’t complain sitting in the car. You get down and start distributing tracts. Yes,
one thing must be your grand passion - to make Christ known.
3. Finance
The Project soon turned into a money pit and dug a deep hole into her finances. She must have kicked off a massive fund-raising campaign. Her family resources would have been virtually wiped out.
Building God’s Kingdom is not a joke. Ezra and Nehemiah needed money and gifts for their building projects. King David collected money for the building of the temple. They gave their own too (Ezra 1:4; 2:68; Neh 2:8; 5:14; 1 Chron
29:3).
Give what you can, not 1/10th and stop big spending. We must give every rupee that we can spare, cutting down personal expenses to the bone. God has given us a good income. Give more and more and more. Let us decrease and let His Kingdom increase.
“Missionary work is a revolutionary work. It expects from you great sacrifice. Only those who
sacrifice to the point of risk will step into it. It is a work that those who are caught in the tentacles of the Maya Bazaar of health, wealth and prosperity can never enjoy” - Annan Emil Jebasingh.
We can also visit Christian homes and explain the need in Missions. Many Christians are totally unaware of the needs for God’s Kingdom, about missionaries and their needs. They are in the dark about tribes who are perishing without the Good News. You
must take some DVDs of your Mission and wear out your shoes. Open their eyes to the huge need in Missions and ask them to contribute some amount every month. If you collect or give Rs. 4000/- a month, you can support a missionary. Don’t feel shy to ask.
You are building the Kingdom of a great God. All Missions are struggling. There is a great need for expansion. Go, and the Lord will bless your efforts. On the day when the King comes, you will rejoice to have been a part of God’s Kingdom Project.
4. Labour
As the sun begins to crawl out of the horizon, Sheerah gets up completely hyper, cooks, cleans and sends the children to school. Then she takes her lunch and umbrella and walks towards the site. The sun is hot and there is just a rickety shed for her to
rest. She has to manage with whatever ramshackle infrastructure there is. It is now 5 pm and the workers are still working. She thinks about the children, yet lingers. By 6 she packs her things and shuffles home to give a hug to each of the children. Now
she must prepare something for dinner and sit with the children for studies.
There was not a lazy bone in her body. She was mother, wife, leader, labourer, all rolled into one. When the sun went down and the moon began to come up, her eyes were already half closed from weariness. Then she fell into the
deep, dark, untroubled sleep of one who had done an honest day’s work. Life was hard but the reward was great. Grateful residents of the city got up to salute her when she walked through and thanked her for her innovativeness. Her name found a niche in
the genealogies of the Bible — The Eternal Book! Yes, big rewards go those who take big risks.
Sir, Madam, what are you doing to build God’s Kingdom? You can’t afford to sit in your house in the a/c room, watching TV. Jesus had no a/c. Not even an electric fan or light. Put on your shoes and get out. The time is short and there’s a lot to be done.
The King is at the door to reward you for what, “you have done.” God told Abraham to “ARISE and WALK,” through the land, before He could give it to him. The first step is to ARISE from your couch or sleep or easychair or whatever. Then you WALK. Abraham
was not sitting idle, expecting God to fulfill His promise. Don’t give excuses. “Excuses are nails used to build a house of failure,” said Don Wilder. A pastor of a big church in Delhi visited us. They conduct a huge big VBS, have church vans and Bible
studies and send their selected members to Bible college. He said, to start with, he used to wander the streets of Delhi with a shoulder bag full of Gospel tracts! Start doing something for God. A mission is something that you chase. You need not build
three cities. Do what you can. “For the birds that cannot soar, God has provided low branches.” Each day a little miracle will be in store for you.
“Night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn 9:4).
5. Problems
A boat that stays in the harbour, never encounters danger — but it also never goes any- where. How Sheerah handled the provoking problems is a question for the imagination. She triumphed over every obstacle. The manager of
a building project faces myriad problems. She had to pay every worker by the end of the day. A brick would have fallen on a worker’s foot, requiring immediate attention. The workers might have gone on a strike for increased wages. Rain might have
interfered. Some workers might not have turned up for work - But she was not fazed by the obstacles.
Any project will surely encounter a host of niggling problems. Let that not pour cold water on your zeal for God’s work. Expect problems and be prepared to tackle them. Develop the ability to overlook cons and focus on the pros. The first weapon is
prayer. Prayer gives you the courage to go on and the wisdom to solve problems. Fight the enemies of fear, doubts and discourgement. Building God’s Kingdom is not easy work. There are some who are specialists in discourging Kingdom workers. They will
tell you that you need to be wise, careful and this is not the right time. They will enlarge all the negative things that can happen. They will paint a larger- than-life picture of Goliath even before you enter your arena. Don’t let anyone psyche you
into quitting. We will always have Goliaths in our life.
Jesus said, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Mt 10:16). We are defenceless against wild, wicked animals with claws and teeth and horns to tear us to bits. But what emboldens us is that the All Mighty — ALL Mighty is with us. The phobia
needs to be nipped in the bud. You may also stumble and make mistakes along the way. That should only teach you, not deter you. The only people who don’t fail very much are those who don’t attempt very much. “Usefulness is not impaired by imperfection.
You can drink from a chipped cup,” says Greta K. Nagel.
“I believe anything is possible if you dream, work hard and pray,” says Maricel Apatan, 22, who is a chef in a Manila hotel. What’s so amazing about it? She has no hands. She lost her hands
when her family enemies attacked them with machets, when she was eleven. Her story is available in Google. It says “Real winners don’t
give up.” “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse,” says Jim Rohn, motivational speaker. Does that motivate you?
Sheerah completed one city. She had little time to sit back and bask in fame and glory. She now had her vision set on building the next city. That’s how it is in God’s work. You don’t sit down; you don’t retire. You go on and on and on, till you are
dead.
Sheerah finished her job to her credit and fast- tracked to stardom. Her project was a runaway success. She has raised the bar for every one of us. She never looked back. Once committed, quitting was not an option for her. God was glorified through her
accomplishment since it was not a wise, influential and noble person who did it, but a weak, foolish, lowly, despised woman, a nobody — the daughter of Mr. Misfortune who did it (1 Cor 1:26-29). Thus she became Mrs. Fortune.
You may consider yourself Miss Unlucky, not fit for the job, not having sufficient Bible knowledge, suffering from inferiority complex. It is such that God wants, that no one may boast before Him. Three cheers to Sheerah!
So, don’t be afraid to move on and try your wings. There are many revolutions waiting to happen, if only you will step out.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
Do you know Sheerah? Have you read about her? In all probability, yes. But you might have lazily turned the pages of the Bible after reading her name. Let’s meditate about this dynamic lady from 1 Chronicles 7:24.
Sheerah was a descendant of Ephraim. As the Chronicler was writing down the history of the Israelites, he felt he should mention Sheerah’s name, though she was a woman, because she was a driving force to build three cities — The Lower Beth Horon, the
Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.
Her father’s name was Beriah. Her paternal grandfather initially had two sons, who were cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids, on a single day, by the natives of Gath. Just imagine the situation. Their father Ephraim was heart- broken. His
relatives came to console him. After this tragic incident, he had another son, born maybe 18 or 20 years after the firstborn. He was named Beriah (misfortune) because the family had not yet come to terms with the grisly murders. Sheerah was the daughter
of this man called Misfortune. The numbing sorrow of the death of her two uncles hovered over the family when they were blessed with a girl child. But this girl brought great pride and joy to the family by standing tall, throwing away the gloom that was
sitting on the family like a dark cloud, and letting the sun shine through. She did not allow the misery to depress her. What a lesson we have here, who let the little tragedies of life to put us down and make us hunchbacks.
Building three cities! Let your imagination soar. It was a huge leap of faith and she had no qualms about what she was getting ready to do. The roads, parks, water tanks, school, hospital, compound wall and so much more. If we are asked to visit a
village for evangelism, we tremble
and back out. But thousands of years earlier this woman had the courage to accomplish a herculean task. When it comes to the building of the Kingdom of God, why do we lack such muscle and push? What are the things she tackled?
1. Leadership
Sheerah was a woman and not many those days stepped into the role of a leader. She had to make a great many sacrifices to do it as good as a man. How did she learn leadership? By being a follower. Sheerah imbibed knowledge from her father, brothers,
husband and others. She equipped herself for the great task ahead. How she orchestrated the big bee-hive of workers is a wonder. I suppose Sheerah was leading and learning at the same time. You can’t lead without listening.
If you are not a follower today. You cannot be a leader tomorrow. It is by following that you learn leadership. The better you follow, the better leader you become. Most effective leaders are made, not born. Today the trend is to grab leadership. Youth
find it hard to submit to someone. They would rather be their own bosses than be under a boss. Seasoned maturity comes by listening and obeying.
When we are under someone’s authority we learn not to have our own way. We learn to be humble and accept somebody else’s decision. More than anything, we learn to trust God when things are contrary to our liking. Joseph did not like whatever was
happening to him. He was under his father, brothers, Potiphar and the jailor. All the while, through all the crushing experiences of life, God was making a leader out of him. The positive and negative that he learned through his gruelling past, were the
leadership principles he
applied. God teaches us submission that we may become leaders.
As a woman, Sheerah had to submit to so many. But one day she had scores of men and women working under her. Submission is the stepping stone to leadership.
2. Passion
Sheerah would have counted the cost first. I doubt if her idea was met with hurrahs. May be she was seen as a bit of a fanatic. When she mooted the idea, I am sure her father, mother, siblings and husband raised their eyebrows skeptically. “Sheerah,”
they would have said, shaking their heads from side to side, “it is too dicey to proceed. Think again. It is not as easy as you think.” She would have surely thought about it once, twice, thrice and though not sufficiently construction savvy, plunged
ahead, refusing to look back. The intrepid girl trusted in God and trusted in herself. Yes, it wasn’t as easy as she thought to get the project off the ground. But, brimming with optimism she kept one foot in front of the other not minding the sniggers
that echoed from all corridors. The objective before her was clear. Night she dreamed of the rising walls. She consulted experts and roped in others for help. Her determination set her on the road to success.
Jesus was not teaching proper planning when He spoke about building a tower or going to war. Rather He focussed on the suicidal dedication necessary to be His disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the
cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ... In the same way, those of you who do not give up EVERYTHING you have cannot be my disciples” (Lk 14:28-33). In other words, He said, “I want all of you, the whole of you, the total of you, the
complete you, the cent percent you, the entire you. If not, you cannot be My
disciple.” You must give up EVERYTHING! But our priorities are askew. Our list of priorities is too long that we lose sight of what’s truly important.
What do you think Sheerah’s first thought was when she got up in the morning? “I must build the cities.” She cooked and cleaned and played with her children. But her preoccupation was the city. Hats off to her indomitable passion.
In life there are so many things. But only one thing eats away a disciple. He is consumed with the passion for souls. You are cooking and a beggar calls. You put off the stove, go out, give him something with a smile and tell him to trust in Christ. You
carry the baby and go for a walk. You meet an old non-Christian acquaintance and you dig out a book for her from your handbag. You are stopped at the level-crossing. You don’t complain sitting in the car. You get down and start distributing tracts. Yes,
one thing must be your grand passion - to make Christ known.
3. Finance
The Project soon turned into a money pit and dug a deep hole into her finances. She must have kicked off a massive fund-raising campaign. Her family resources would have been virtually wiped out.
Building God’s Kingdom is not a joke. Ezra and Nehemiah needed money and gifts for their building projects. King David collected money for the building of the temple. They gave their own too (Ezra 1:4; 2:68; Neh 2:8; 5:14; 1 Chron
29:3).
Give what you can, not 1/10th and stop big spending. We must give every rupee that we can spare, cutting down personal expenses to the bone. God has given us a good income. Give more and more and more. Let us decrease and let His Kingdom increase.
“Missionary work is a revolutionary work. It expects from you great sacrifice. Only those who
sacrifice to the point of risk will step into it. It is a work that those who are caught in the tentacles of the Maya Bazaar of health, wealth and prosperity can never enjoy” - Annan Emil Jebasingh.
We can also visit Christian homes and explain the need in Missions. Many Christians are totally unaware of the needs for God’s Kingdom, about missionaries and their needs. They are in the dark about tribes who are perishing without the Good News. You
must take some DVDs of your Mission and wear out your shoes. Open their eyes to the huge need in Missions and ask them to contribute some amount every month. If you collect or give Rs. 4000/- a month, you can support a missionary. Don’t feel shy to ask.
You are building the Kingdom of a great God. All Missions are struggling. There is a great need for expansion. Go, and the Lord will bless your efforts. On the day when the King comes, you will rejoice to have been a part of God’s Kingdom Project.
4. Labour
As the sun begins to crawl out of the horizon, Sheerah gets up completely hyper, cooks, cleans and sends the children to school. Then she takes her lunch and umbrella and walks towards the site. The sun is hot and there is just a rickety shed for her to
rest. She has to manage with whatever ramshackle infrastructure there is. It is now 5 pm and the workers are still working. She thinks about the children, yet lingers. By 6 she packs her things and shuffles home to give a hug to each of the children. Now
she must prepare something for dinner and sit with the children for studies.
There was not a lazy bone in her body. She was mother, wife, leader, labourer, all rolled into one. When the sun went down and the moon began to come up, her eyes were already half closed from weariness. Then she fell into the
deep, dark, untroubled sleep of one who had done an honest day’s work. Life was hard but the reward was great. Grateful residents of the city got up to salute her when she walked through and thanked her for her innovativeness. Her name found a niche in
the genealogies of the Bible — The Eternal Book! Yes, big rewards go those who take big risks.
Sir, Madam, what are you doing to build God’s Kingdom? You can’t afford to sit in your house in the a/c room, watching TV. Jesus had no a/c. Not even an electric fan or light. Put on your shoes and get out. The time is short and there’s a lot to be done.
The King is at the door to reward you for what, “you have done.” God told Abraham to “ARISE and WALK,” through the land, before He could give it to him. The first step is to ARISE from your couch or sleep or easychair or whatever. Then you WALK. Abraham
was not sitting idle, expecting God to fulfill His promise. Don’t give excuses. “Excuses are nails used to build a house of failure,” said Don Wilder. A pastor of a big church in Delhi visited us. They conduct a huge big VBS, have church vans and Bible
studies and send their selected members to Bible college. He said, to start with, he used to wander the streets of Delhi with a shoulder bag full of Gospel tracts! Start doing something for God. A mission is something that you chase. You need not build
three cities. Do what you can. “For the birds that cannot soar, God has provided low branches.” Each day a little miracle will be in store for you.
“Night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn 9:4).
5. Problems
A boat that stays in the harbour, never encounters danger — but it also never goes any- where. How Sheerah handled the provoking problems is a question for the imagination. She triumphed over every obstacle. The manager of
a building project faces myriad problems. She had to pay every worker by the end of the day. A brick would have fallen on a worker’s foot, requiring immediate attention. The workers might have gone on a strike for increased wages. Rain might have
interfered. Some workers might not have turned up for work - But she was not fazed by the obstacles.
Any project will surely encounter a host of niggling problems. Let that not pour cold water on your zeal for God’s work. Expect problems and be prepared to tackle them. Develop the ability to overlook cons and focus on the pros. The first weapon is
prayer. Prayer gives you the courage to go on and the wisdom to solve problems. Fight the enemies of fear, doubts and discourgement. Building God’s Kingdom is not easy work. There are some who are specialists in discourging Kingdom workers. They will
tell you that you need to be wise, careful and this is not the right time. They will enlarge all the negative things that can happen. They will paint a larger- than-life picture of Goliath even before you enter your arena. Don’t let anyone psyche you
into quitting. We will always have Goliaths in our life.
Jesus said, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Mt 10:16). We are defenceless against wild, wicked animals with claws and teeth and horns to tear us to bits. But what emboldens us is that the All Mighty — ALL Mighty is with us. The phobia
needs to be nipped in the bud. You may also stumble and make mistakes along the way. That should only teach you, not deter you. The only people who don’t fail very much are those who don’t attempt very much. “Usefulness is not impaired by imperfection.
You can drink from a chipped cup,” says Greta K. Nagel.
“I believe anything is possible if you dream, work hard and pray,” says Maricel Apatan, 22, who is a chef in a Manila hotel. What’s so amazing about it? She has no hands. She lost her hands
when her family enemies attacked them with machets, when she was eleven. Her story is available in Google. It says “Real winners don’t
give up.” “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse,” says Jim Rohn, motivational speaker. Does that motivate you?
Sheerah completed one city. She had little time to sit back and bask in fame and glory. She now had her vision set on building the next city. That’s how it is in God’s work. You don’t sit down; you don’t retire. You go on and on and on, till you are
dead.
Sheerah finished her job to her credit and fast- tracked to stardom. Her project was a runaway success. She has raised the bar for every one of us. She never looked back. Once committed, quitting was not an option for her. God was glorified through her
accomplishment since it was not a wise, influential and noble person who did it, but a weak, foolish, lowly, despised woman, a nobody — the daughter of Mr. Misfortune who did it (1 Cor 1:26-29). Thus she became Mrs. Fortune.
You may consider yourself Miss Unlucky, not fit for the job, not having sufficient Bible knowledge, suffering from inferiority complex. It is such that God wants, that no one may boast before Him. Three cheers to Sheerah!
So, don’t be afraid to move on and try your wings. There are many revolutions waiting to happen, if only you will step out.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
