Daily Devotions
Godly Leaders Are Sensitive to Problems
Title: Godly Leaders Are Sensitive to Problems
Reading for May 22: Nehemiah 4-7
Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
Nehemiah 5:1
Godly leaders must be sensitive to problems within the camp.
Nehemiah dealt with enemies outside the walls in chapter four. Turn the page to chapter five and we see him have to deal with problems on the inside.
Unfortunately, the greatest issues we have to face as leaders are family problems. When wolves infiltrate the flock and hurt the sheep you've got a problem on your hands, but when the sheep turn on themselves you've sometimes got an even bigger concern. Some of the most hurtful and destructive problems you will have to deal with as a leader are those that originate from within.
What can we learn from Nehemiah's response?
1. He got angry (v 6). We must be careful about anger (Prov 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; etc.), however there is a time and a place for it (Mk 3:5). It's good to see our leaders get angry because it shows that they care.
2. He acted carefully (v 7). While anger is sometimes necessary, we must always be careful to control it and not act hastily when filled with anger (Prov 14:29; 18:17).
3. He was impartial (v 7). His anger was against the nobles and the officials. That was a big risk on his part seeing that their help was vital to finish the wall (see chapter 3). It didn't matter to Nehemiah. Doing what was right was more important than doing what was expedient. A leader never shows favoritism toward those of influence and power, no matter how much he needs their help (Deut 16:19).
4. He leveraged his own example (v 10). Because Nehemiah had already shown mercy to the poor, he had the moral authority to challenge the rich to do the same. Leaders lead by example or they don't lead at all (Mt 23:2-3).
Father, help us to care enough to get angry at injustice. Give us wisdom to know how to act against injustice. Grant us courage to speak out against injustice. And give us love that we might defeat injustice with acts of mercy and kindness toward the needy.
