Leadership 101: Part 10

“All these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our God.” Nehemiah 10:29

When my late wife died in 2003, I was alone for the next 9 years. Truthfully, it seemed that God was leading me to remain single and devote myself exclusively to full-time ministry. Then I met Connie, and I knew right away that God had brought us together.

In October, 2012, Connie and I were married before a small group of family and friends. Beforehand, we signed our names to a marriage license; after the ceremony, we again signed our names to our marriage certificate. Before God and man, we are now husband and wife.

Context:
Nehemiah, the priests, the Levites, leaders and the people affixed their seals to a written, binding covenant.  They pledged to establish godly priorities in their lives.

Leadership Lessons:

A leader maintains personal purity.

• Nehemiah – and the rest of the people – separated themselves from the Gentiles for the sake of the Law of God.
• God calls us to be “in the world, but not of the world.”  How much of God is reflected in your life?  How much of the world is intertwined in your life?

A leader puts God first.

• The people agreed to follow and obey God’s Law.
• The late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, used the analogy of God sitting on the throne of your life.  Who is sitting on your throne right now?

A leader puts family first after God.

• The people agreed that their sons and daughters would not intermarry with neighboring people.
• Think about what happened yesterday.  If that was all anyone knew about you, would they conclude that the family is your highest priority after God?

A leader conducts business with integrity.

• The people agreed not to conduct business on the Sabbath or holy days, and to observe the sabbatical year.
• People are watching you to see if your life backs up your claims to be a Christian.  Suppose a company audit was conducted of your expense account, telephone bill, office supplies, photocopying, and daily schedule.  What would the auditors report?  Is there anything you need to correct?

A leader supports the local church.

• The people agreed to pay the temple tax, to contribute wood, to offer the firstfruits of their crops, to bring their firstborn sons and animals to the priests, and to give a tithe of their crops.
• “We will not neglect the house of our God.”¹
• We are to offer out time, talent and treasure to the Lord.  How are you doing in each area?  Where do you need to make some changes?

Prayer:
“Lord, Help me to set and keep godly priorities in my life to Your glory. Amen.”

Endnotes:
1 Nehemiah 10:39b

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