Christianity Journal

Life Lessons from People Like Us

One of the great things about the Bible is that God shows us people as they truly were. We see people who chose to follow God as well as people who chose not to follow God. Even those who chose to follow God experienced their share of challenges and problems - and God allows us to see them as they were.

Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah

The Bible contains many life lessons for us. Nehemiah offers us many lessons that are well worth studying. I have selected ten life lessons from the book of Nehemiah. These selections are somewhat arbitrary and could have included many more.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven… (Nehemiah 1.1-4 WEB)

1. Nehemiah first repented of his own sin and his people’s sin (Nehemiah 1.5-ff). Nehemiah owned up to his responsibility before God as well as the responsibility of his people.
2. Nehemiah’s leadership and management skills, along with the necessary personal contacts, were developed in relative obscurity (Nehemiah 2.1-9). Often when we are laboring away we wonder where God is. It was through Nehemiah’s daily service as a cupbearer that God prepared him for a special mission. Nehemiah’s less-than-wonderful work assignment, along with the good attitude he maintained, earned him the audience of the king - the one who could make something happen. Nehemiah also learned the social and political environment he would need to operate in and made important contacts for his mission.
3. Sometimes there is wisdom in keeping your own counsel (Nehemiah 2.11-16). Nehemiah did not immediately tell everyone what God had called him to do. There is a time for proclaiming your mission, a time for developing support for your cause, and there is a time to tell no one what God has called you to do. Initially, Nehemiah did not advertise what God had sent him to do.
4. People work best when challenged with projects that are important to them (Nehemiah 2.17-18; 3.10, 23, 28-29). Nehemiah presented the people with an opportunity for service that they were interested in. When possible people worked at projects that were close to home (and therefore, close to their interests). Churches are notorious for attempting to fill “job vacancies” with any warm body. Helping people find ministries that fit them and their calling will provide much better results.
5. Expect opposition and intimidation when God gives you a project or ministry (Nehemiah 2.10, 19-20; 4.1-3, 7-8 - and it continues). The enemy will always oppose any work of God. There was no opposition until Nehemiah started moving forward with God’s calling.
6. Leadership comes with social responsibility (Nehemiah 5.1-13). Christians are called to love mercy and justice and to advocate for the poor, the powerless and those without a voice. God entrusts us with power and authority, not so that we can enjoy it or gain benefit from it, but so that we can serve others. Nehemiah did not use his leadership position for personal gain - he risked everything to use his position to serve others.
7. Always remember to study God’s word (Nehemiah 8.1-3). Never forget the importance of studying God’s word - in your own life, your family or your community.
8. Repentance of sin follows exposure to God’s word (Nehemiah 9-1-3). After hearing God’s word, those in Jerusalem began a several-week process of repentance. True repentance involves repentance not only for our sins but also for the sins of our families and our people. True repentance results in accepting responsibility for the sin of those around us rather than making excuses for why we are not responsible.
9. True repentance of sin always includes following God (Nehemiah 9.38). Nehemiah led his people in spiritual humility and repentance by being the first to sign a vow before God. Spiritual leaders are not perfect and need to repent like everyone else. Faith communities need to understand that leaders are not perfect and give them room to be real and grow. The vow that Nehemiah and these people took involved significant lifestyle changes, as repentance always does.
10. Blessings follow when we honor God with our lives (Nehemiah 11.1-2). Jerusalem was not restored from the desolate mess it had become until the people repented and honored God with their whole lives. Corporate restoration followed corporate repentance.

Nehemiah’s story offers many life lessons for us. His story is as appropriate and valuable today as it was when written down. God has a role for each of us. The question becomes whether we will cooperate with God’s calling and working in our lives.

There is so much more to gain from studying Nehemiah. What are some of your favorite life lessons from Nehemiah?

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Tags: Leadership, Life Lessons, Nehemiah

This entry was posted on Friday, September 12th, 2008 at 6:00 and is filed under Bible & Theology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.