Nehemiah 5 -- Leadership Lessons

Nehemiah became aware of financial abuse occurring within the community of Jews who’d come back to Jerusalem.  A famine was causing foot shortages, higher prices, and predatory lending.  Nehemiah feared God and immediately worked to correct the problem.  “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else,” my commentary said.

Being a godly leader doesn’t always win you points with those you lead.  “Some of the people may not have appreciated their leaders as they should, but that didn’t upset Nehemiah.  He knew that the final assessment would come from the Lord, and he was willing to wait.”

It also mentioned important leadership lessons to take away:  “Expect problems to arise among the people… Whenever God’s work is prospering, the enemy sees to it that trouble begins.  Don’t be surprised when people can’t always get along with each other…. Confront the problem courageously … Every problem that you ignore will only go underground, grow deeper roots, and bear bitter fruits.  Pray for God’s help and tackle the problem as soon as possible…  Be sure that your own integrity is intact.  A guilty conscience will rob you of the spiritual authority you need to give proper leadership…  See in every problem an opportunity for the Lord to work.”

Father, thank you for reminding me that in every situation, it should be You leading and not me.  Help me to let You shine through me, particularly in the difficult times.  Let others know that You are the one at work, not me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford