December 1, 2005

 

Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

 

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

 

So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

--Nehemiah 2:11-20

 

I’ve discovered in my own life that Saturdays are miserable for me. When I became a preacher of the Gospel, I gave up having any more fun on Saturdays because the weight and responsibility of Sunday mornings has been so great upon me. In my planning, praying, and preparation each week, I know that I must stand before thousands of souls whose eternal destiny hangs in the balance and I dare not come to the pulpit ill-equipped!

 

There’s a high price for leadership and all members of God’s church should participate in servant leadership to others. There’s a place of responsibility and accountability for every member to exercise his or her spiritual gifts. But, leaders must pay the price in separation and isolation before going public. What happens on the platform or in front of others must first happen in the heart.

 

Many people have a lot of showcase, but no warehouse. Have you ever met people like that? Nehemiah was a man who had a lot in the warehouse and not just in the showcase. If you want to be a leader in your home, job, or church, you must spend more time in the prayer room than in the boardroom. Effective, servant leaders get alone with God and discover His calling in view of the situation.

 

As a leader you need to identify the Person you are serving and following, isolate yourself in His presence consistently, and realize that leadership doesn’t come without confrontation. There are two kinds of people in the world of leadership: obstructionists and constructionists. Which kind are you? Are you constructive to the work of God? Or are you obstructive to His work?

 

Some of you are in your 40s, 50s, and 60s and you’ve not discovered yet what God wants you to do with your life! We have some walls to rebuild in our lives, homes, and cities just as Nehemiah did. Do you get alone with God often? Do you spend time in isolation and solitude, determining what it is that God wants to do in your life? If you want to know His purpose or the next step you are to take, you must get alone with Him. It’s the price of leadership.

 

ANY LEADER WORTH HIS SALT SPENDS FAR MORE TIME IN A PLACE OF HUMILITY THAN IN A PLACE OF HONOR.