Scripture: Nehemiah 5:18-19
Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six
choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts
of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand
the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this
people. Remember me, O my God, for good,
according to all that I have done for this people.
Insights: The fourth
major concern Nehemiah faced was the people affected by his promotion. Earlier in the week I mentioned that two
times Nehemiah made reference to not eating the food allowance which was given to
the governor. In verse eighteen we are
told the reason for his refusal to accept such a privilege at that time. It was because it would have added a heavy
burden to the people under his care.
When we accept promotions it will place people under us and we need to
make certain we lead them in such a fashion that does not over burden
them. In other words, our pace of
leadership may need to be slowed down at times and at other times picked
up. We need to lead at the appropriate
pace where we are just far enough in front that the people can see us closely,
but not so far in front that they get scared or discouraged and feel like
giving up. Let me close this week with the
motivating force behind Nehemiah’s leadership style. He was concerned about the people because of
his relationship with His God. Back in
verse fifteen the last few words read, “I did not do so because of the fear of
God.” The “I did not do so” was in
reference to all the policies of the previous governors that added to the
peoples already burdened lives. Now we
see him again refusing to accept his food privileges because of the burden it
would have caused the people. Then we
move into verse nineteen and we see Nehemiah offering up a prayer to God and it
is basically a prayer of examination. It
is as if Nehemiah is praying, “God, because of my fear of You and my desire to
lead Your people well, please examine my leadership and tell me if I have acted
properly for Your glory.” Everything we
do in the horizontal axis of this world and the relationships we have with
other people ought to be driven by the vertical axis we have with the Lord
God. Beloved, I pray you seek the Lord
first and then lead.
Questions:
- At what pass are you leading those under your
supervision?
- Is your relationship with the Father motivating you to
be a better servant leader?
Prayer: Lord, at the
end of the day it is because of my relationship with You that motivates me to
be a godly leader for those under my care.
Help me to affect their lives in a positive way. Amen.
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