Nehemiah The Man... Part 2
A beautiful piece written by former Christian Surfers Australian National Director and CSI regional coordinator, Andy Carruthers. In this piece, Andy highlights the excellent leadership qualities possessed by Nehemiah while rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. Enjoy Nehemiah The Man PT 2
Nehemiah The Man PT 2
If you fail to plan you plan to fail its a cliche but still good advice. q If you don’t have a plan before your heat you will be over run by those who do. This plan needs to adapt and change with the heat unfolding and changing. But being decisive and determined is always better than being confused and undecided. Nehemiah has the character of heart he also has the smarts to back it up with a plan.
Nehemiah is a strategic planner 2:8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
He planned to succeed he had vision and foresight. He did not jump straight in but exercised restraint and planning. 2:11
Nehemiah made clear decisions 5:7 6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, You are exacting interest, each from his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. he didn’t react out of anger he took council and took stock then made a clear decisive decision.
Finally Nehemiah was realistic 4:9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. He didn’t come up with stupid christian hyper faith sentences and solutions. ‘you just need to push into God more’; ‘You lack faith’ or ‘there must be unconfessed generational sin in your life’. he prayed and acted taking responsibility for his part and leaving Gods part with God.
What this kind of character produced in others...
He raised the moral of a defeated people. he pointed them to God to lift their heads..2:20 ‘the God of heaven will give us success’ and 8:10 the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Faith builds faith pessimism dismantles it. A Carruthers
He encouraged those around him to be involved in Gods vital plan. 2:18 I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
He address failings and sin quickly and directly. 5:1-15 5:7 I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, You are exacting interest, each from his brother.
5:11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.12 Then they said, We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.He doesn’t play politics or pussy foot around the issue he calls a spade a spade.
He reestablished the priority of the word and the vitality of relationship with the Lord in the lives of the people. What does success in building a wall matter if the people have a wall between them and God. If his only purpose was to come to Jerusalem and lay bricks just to build a wall that would have been futile, he showed them why building a wall and laying bricks had importance and purpose beyond the task. He rebuild a nation and a relationship with God.
So what can we draw from this short character list of Nehemiah? What can we take away and apply to our situations. Weather we are workers or home workers fathers or sons...
He was a normal bloke who worked a job
He had a general concern for his people and a relationship with God
God moved on his heart to bring a greater burden and love for the people
He used ordinary methods in an extraordinary way attributing all to God
He prayed and fasted before making crucial decisions.
He lead the way he worked with the people didn’t take his allotted share but chose to share it with 120 others.
He knew he was called for a seasonThe way God used This man is an indication of how we can be used the way God moved on his heart for his people is how we should seek God to move on our hearts. The way he prayed then considered and acted should be our bench mark. We need to pray more wait on God longer and act decisively when he calls us to….
According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character. - John MacArthur
A spiritual leader will first and foremost, have a calling from God. His work will not be his profession, but his calling. - Zac Poonen
The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve. - John Stott
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Andy planted the SALT Life Community church, is the Chaplain to the World Longboard Tour and is a well-published Surf Photographer and Writer with articles across multiple magazines and newspapers.