Learning Leadership

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM DAVID

Today is our final study of the life of David. For our final study I think it is beneficial for us to simply reflect on what we have learned from the life of David based on our series of 19 blog posts.

In our study of the young life of David we have learned many great things and I am sure you will agree that David was an amazing man. David was a man with tremendous character, love, and passion for God combined with tremendous courage and military strength. Both Christian and non-Christian men, women, and leaders can benefit from becoming a little more like David. (Don’t get me wrong, David was not perfect, but his great character qualities far outweigh his bad.)

Here is the concluding text of our study of David where we get to see him being crowned king over all of Israel.

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’” So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all. He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. 2 Samuel 5:1-5

Here we see David crowned king of all of Israel which fulfills Samuel’s prophesy in 1 Samuel 16. Scholars estimate that 15 years has passed between the time Samuel made his prophesy and when David is actually crowned king here in 2 Samuel 5. 15 years is a long time to have to wait to receive your job!

I have worked hard to make the titles of our lessons “actions” that we can do. Part of a good Bible study is executing exegesis to determine the “meaning to them”. When I say “meaning to them” I am referencing the people of the time that the text was written to. In order to properly interpret, understand, and apply biblical truth to our lives we need to first know what the Bible text meant to the people reading it at the time it was written. Then, once we know what the original readers interpreted, we can transfer that interpretation to our lives. The Bible cannot mean to us what it did not mean to people it was first written to.

Because I performed the exegesis for you and allowed our lessons to be more “action” based, we are now able to look back at the lessons and see what we want to do with what we learned. 

Here is a summation of the lessons we have learned from the life of David.

1 Sam 16 – God Looks at The Heart of a Potential Leader, Not The skills

1 Sam 17 – Preparing for Leadership When You Are Not in Leadership

1 Sam 18 – Faithfully Serve in Spite of the Leader

1 Sam 19 – It Is Okay to Hurt When We Have Done Good

1 Sam 20 – A Best Friend Helps Us

1 Sam 21 – Hold on to God’s Promise

1 Sam 22 – You Don’t Need a Title or Power to Do Good

1 Sam 23 – No Matter How Tough Things Might Be, Seek God’s Guidance

1 Sam 24 – Never Hurt the LORD’s Anointed One

1 Sam 25 – Keep Faith and Keep Patience

1 Sam 27 – When Operating in Fear, Poor Decisions Are Made

1 Sam 29 – Even a Future King Is Not Perfect

1 Sam 30 – Decide Decisively

2 Sam 1 – Why have we hurt the LORD’s anointed one?

2 Sam 2 – When the Opportunity Is Given, We Still Have to Earn It

2 Sam 3 – Practice Patience in God’s Time Line

2 Sam 4 – Ascend Righteously

Looking back at these lessons, what has been the most impactful to you? Which ones have stood out to you?

For me, several have had special significance. Here are four of the most important lessons I have learned:

1. In chapter 16, we learn that God looks at the heart of a potential leader, not the skills. This is very encouraging. It is nice to know that God chooses leaders to do great work who might not always look great on the outside. Instead He chooses the people who have a heart on the inside for Him. As my friend says, “God should be in our heart, not in our shoulder.”
2. In chapter 18, we learn to faithfully serve in spite of the leader. This has been a good command for me to implement. At times when reporting to a leader it can be tough to want to give your best effort. But learning from David’s example that we should faithfully serve in spite of who our leader is, what he does, or what he says is a good reminder to us that we work for God, not anyone here on earth.
3. In chapter 21, we learn to hold on to God’s promise. This is also encouraging because of what I feel God has put in my heart. I have heard God tell me that He wants me to pour out my heart and what I have learned to help make leaders of everyday men and women. That is a promise that God gave me a few years ago, but it has not come true yet in the magnitude that I think it is supposed to. By now I would have thought God would have allowed me to do more, write more blog posts, have more readers, run my own business full-time, and have several books published and on retail book shelves. All of those areas have happened but not on the level I thought they would by now. God has been faithful to allow me to write and communicate leadership principles and information on a daily basis here on this blog, but I have not had the wider reach that I though He would have wanted me to have by the time I am my age. Therefore, I still hold on to God’s promise that He wants me to teach and serve leaders.
4. In chapter 24, we learn to never hurt the LORD’s anointed one. This is probably the most impactful lesson for me in a work context. Too many times at work I have observed coworkers challenge our leader in front of others and/or talk poorly about our leader. One of the most destructive habits I witnessed was when two middle managers (who I reported to) talked very poorly and disgustedly about the CEO of our organization in front of me. It was a very destructive habit and was toxic to our organizational culture at that time. Never hurting the leader above me does not mean that I don’t challenge the leader I work for; it simply means that I show support for the leader publicly. It means that as far as everyone else knows, I am on board with the leader and believe in what she is preaching. If I disagree then I will make that known privately with the leader and talk about it behind closed doors. I have worked hard to respect and follow the leader above me but I believe I can still improve.

Well, our study of the life of David as a young man faithfully following his king (while developing into a leader) has been fun and enjoyable over the past month. I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you what I am learning from the Bible, and I hope you have positively benefited from these blog posts as well. On a side note, I have published outlines and handouts for a 19 week Bible study of the same topics we just worked through. They are all here for free.

Question: Which of these lessons have you applied to your own life?

Review of 10 Chapters of 1 Samuel and 10 Lessons of David

Thus far we have worked through 10 chapters of 1 Samuel and 10 lessons from the life of David.

I hope this study has been as beneficial for you as it has been for me. I am learning about how to faithfully follow the leader above me, how to hold on to God's promise in my life, how to deal with discouraging times, and how to allow a best friend to help me.

Chapter 26 of 1 Samuel allows a great opportunity for us to pause in our study of the young life of David to reflect on what we have learned. Several of the lessons we have already studied from David's life are found in this chapter. Below are the lessons we have learned followed by the text of 1 Samuel 26. Together let's take a look at 1 Samuel 26 and see what lessons we can observe again. 

(chapter) – (title of lesson) 
16 – God Looks at the Heart of a Potential Leader, Not the Skills
17 – Preparing for Leadership When You are Not in Leadership
18 – Faithfully Serve in Spite of the Leader
19 – It Is Ok to Hurt When We Have Done Good
20 – A Best Friend Helps Us
21 – Hold on to God’s Promise
22 – You Don’t Need a Title or Power to Do Good
23 – No Matter How Tough Things Might Be, Seek God’s Guidance
24 – Never Hurt the LORD’s Anointed One
25 – Keep Faith and Keep Patience

Now that you have a brief review of the lessons we have learned over the past couple weeks, let's look at the text and see what we can observe.

1 Samuel 26

1Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”

2So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph.3Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,4he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul’s arrival.

5David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.6“Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.

“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied.7So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.

8“God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!”

9“No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one?10Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle.11The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!”

12So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put Saul’s men into a deep sleep.
13David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance.14Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, “Wake up, Abner!”

“Who is it?” Abner demanded.

15“Well, Abner, you’re a great man, aren’t you?” David taunted. “Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven’t you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him?16This isn’t good at all! I swear by the Lord that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the Lord’s anointed! Look around! Where are the king’s spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?”

17Saul recognized David’s voice and called out, “Is that you, my son David?”

And David replied, “Yes, my lord the king.18Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime?19But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’20Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the Lord? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?”

21Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”

22“Here is your spear, O king,” David replied. “Let one of your young men come over and get it.23The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one.24Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.”

25And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” Then David went away, and Saul returned home. (New Living Translation)

Here are a few of my observations about the lessons being lived out in David's life again.

Never Hurt the LORD's Anointed One (verse 9)
I am not sure why David goes into the camp where Saul is sleeping, but regardless of why David goes into the camp it is illegal to kill the king.

Hold on to God's Promise (v. 10)
David believes that God has a plan and will fulfill the promise made to him through Samuel. David is holding on to God's promise that someday he will become the king of Israel. 

Faithfully Serve in Spite of the Leader (v. 10)
David is committed to doing what is right until his time comes to be king.

Faithfully Serve in Spite of the Leader (v. 15-16)
Abner, regardless of the bad thing that the king is doing (in trying to kill David, an innocent man), should have been protecting the king. Abner is Saul's commander and will become the one who announces Saul's son, Ishbosheth as king over Israel after Saul dies.  

It is Okay to Hurt When we Have Done Good (v. 19-20)
David is sad to not be able to live among his own people because he is "far away [geographically] from God." At that time in history God's presence was believed to be in one place, not inside of each of us as we believe today. For David to have to live in other nations and be "far away from God" is a big deal and must cause him great pain. Not just that, but because of David's need to flee from Saul, David has had to separate from his family.

Never Hurt the LORD's Anointed One (v. 23)
Again, David reminds Saul that he could have killed him but does not. Here David reminds Saul that God is the one in control and with the real power. David knows that at God's chosen time, God will punish Saul for what he is doing and reward David for doing the right thing. 

Questions: What lessons do you see in this chapter? What has impacted you the most?

What I Learned in 2011: Focus on What God Has Told Me, Not What People Tell Me

Another lesson I learned in 2011 is to focus on what God has told me, not what poeple tell me.

When praying to God long and hard about what His will for my life is I have felt Him tell me that He does not want me to worry about what the need is in the world, He simply wants me to pour out what I am learning so others can learn from it too. This means that I should write, teach, and lead so that I may make leaders of everyday men and women around the world.

Part of my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is helping me to advance on that by teaching a weekly Bible study for men. Teaching that Bible study definitely lines up with pouring out what I learn to help make leaders. However, sometimes the feedback I receive from the participants does not always affirming that God has told me to teach others. Sometimes at our Bible study the guys tell me they do not understand what I am trying to teach, they are not sure what I am attempting to explain, or they do not see how the questions I am asking relate to the topic of the lesson.

Luckily I have learned that I need to listen to God’s voice, not the voices of people here on earth. When God tells me to do something, I do it to honor and serve him. Even if people here on earth do not agree or are displeased with what I create, I know that the only opinion that matters is God’s. His opinion of the work I do and create is what I care about, and the negative statements of others are not going to slow me down or discourage me. I know what God has told me to do with my life, and I am going to keep doing that regardless of what I am told by people here on earth.

Question: How do you focus on what God has told you instead of what other people tell you?

The Bible Can't Mean to Us What it Did Not Mean to Them

Teaching a Bible study for new Christians has been an interesting experience to say the least. First, I am amazed at their desire to know God and learn more about Him. Even though their knowledge of the Bible might be limited, their strength of faith, belief that God exists, and desire to follow God’s plan for their lives are very strong.

In addition to their strong faith, they (almost) always ask some difficult questions during our Bible study on Sunday afternoons. Several weeks ago I learned about the assertiveness I need to have when attempting to teach Biblical truth. We were studying Galatians 5:13-14 which says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (NLT). This is a verse that clearly tells us that we are to use the freedom we have in following Jesus Christ to serve others in love.

At Bible study a woman attempted to ask a question of this verse looking at it as a commandment about what we need to do to be saved and go to Heaven. She asked if we need to do good works to go to Heaven or if we are saved by faith alone. I know that the Bible cannot mean to us what it did not mean to the original readers, so I quickly responded to the question that as we study the Bible we need to keep in mind what point the author is attempting to teach his or her subjects. And in this case, with Galatians 5:13-14 we are being told by Paul to serve, not whether we go to Heaven or not based on that service.

In past years of Bible study I would not have had the insight and knowledge of how to study the Bible, but because of my knowledge of how to correctly teach the Bible from FPU and Steve Elliott, I was able to successfully be assertive and hopefully lead that woman to see the text as it is.

The Greatest Thing I Can Do For God

As a Christian leader there are many great things I can do for God.

I can seek to serve, humble myself, put others’ needs above my own, or donate the money I earn to worthy causes. These are examples of what Ajith Fernando means when he writes to us in his book, Jesus Driven Ministry that the “greatest need in the training of leaders today is to provide guidelines to help them live as biblical men and women” (pg. 14). I believe the best thing I can do for God is to look for and follow guidelines to live as a Biblical man.

Living as a Biblical man means I first spend a significant amount of time every day reading the Bible to learn how it can guide my life. As I read it daily and often, it will settle into my mind and I will find myself unconsciously guided by it. I can also look for significant mentors who can show me the path that they have lived as a Christian leader and use that path as an example to follow and learn from their mistakes. There are lots of great books on Christian leadership and character which I can read from Andy Stanley, John Maxwell, and others to develop into a Christian leader who honors God.

All of these are guidelines I can follow to live as Biblical man.

Question: What do you believe is the greatest thing you can do for God?

My Passion to Teach Others

As I grow older I am learning more about my passion of teaching the Bible and possibly some giftedness that I have in doing it.

In previous blog posts I have written about my experiences teaching a Bible study for new believers on Sunday afternoons and on Tuesdays teaching three men about leadership from the Bible. Through these experiences as part of my internship, I am learning that I enjoy studying the Bible in order to teach it effectively and that I seem to be pretty good at it according to the feedback from the people who participate in my teachings.

Each time I teach a Bible study I put a tremendous amount of hard work and effort into studying the text and topic we are going to work through. Then I organize it into a way that will be simple to understand, and I try to find a creative way to teach it so the participants can apply what they learn to their own lives. Because of this process that I work hard to go through before every teaching, I believe I have delivered some pretty good teachings. Knowing I have done a good job to teach God’s word gives me satisfaction because the participants seem to be learning a lot from the teachings.

The plan God has for my life still has many elements to be revealed to me, but I feel He is possibly showing me a plan teach others.

Question: What is your passion? 

 

Jesus was a Leader

So, who is Jesus?

Is he a leader? A teacher? A savior? A chosen one? A servant?

I believe, based on my reading of the gospels and my personal experience of Jesus working in my life, that Jesus is a leader. He is a leader of many things, but most of all he is a leader of the heavenly kingdom here on earth and unlike the expectations of the people at that time when he lived on the earth, he is not a positional leader. While here on earth he did not have a formal position as a leader or priest or king, but he held tremendous influence among the people at that time. Jesus had that influence as a leader because he cared for people, he taught them, and he sacrificed himself for them.

Jesus is a leader because he cares for others.
One of the things that encourages people to follow a leader is when he shows a sincere and genuine care for others. When people know you care about them, they will trust you and follow you. An example of this comes to mind when we read John 4 about Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus reached out to someone who never would have expected to even be spoken to, and he went beyond that by speaking into her life about her sin and teaching her about the kingdom of God and what it means to worship. He showed her kindness and love at a time when it was uncommon to even speak to a woman, and even more uncommon to speak to a Samaritan woman.

A leader stretches, grows, and brings along the people he leads by teaching them. 
Who can forget the teachings of Jesus which have marked the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John?  And in Jesus’ case, he taught them as much by what he did as by what he said. Two examples that stick out in my mind are the miracle he did to contrast the Sabbath in Luke 13 and his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The Sermon on the Mount was one of many examples of teachings and stories he gave that taught people then (and now) how to think differently, look at our world differently, and begin to see heaven differently.

Ultimately, leadership is sacrifice.
If we look at leadership through the lens of sacrifice, Jesus was the ultimate leader. He sacrificed himself and everything that he was and did for the people whom he led. He loved you and I so much that he gave himself for us. Even though he might not have understood everything that was going on and why he died, he still sacrificed himself because it was God’s plan. Jesus sacrificed himself so that we, who are not perfect, could join him. He died on the cross for your sins and my sins so that one day we could be joined with him in heaven. That is the ultimate testimony of what it means for a leader to sacrifice for the people he loves and leads.

Jesus is a leader who cares for the people he leads with love and kindness, he teaches them through his actions and his words, and he sacrificed himself for the betterment of the people he leads by dying on the cross for our sins. If there was ever an example of what a Christian leader should look like, Jesus is that example because while he was here on earth, he led an effective ministry which spurred on a church planting movement that still takes place with new people committing their lives to Jesus every single day. Today, over 2,000 years later, his love, teachings, and sacrifice still impact people and that is the true testament that Jesus is a leader.

Question: Now that we know Jesus is a leader who cares for you, teaches you, and sacrificed for you, what do you do with that? What can you do because of what Jesus has done for you? 

The Work We Do, and How Others See It

A few months ago I led a Bible Study group of four men through chapter 24 of the book of Acts in the Bible. 

Thus, I am dropping some thoughts in on you from that study from what I shared with those men that morning as it relates to leadership. In order to get the most out of this blog post, you will need to grab a Bible and read chapter 24 of Acts. If you don't have a Bible you can read Acts 24 here.

In chapter 24 of Acts we see Paul (again) being accused and punished because of the good work that he is doing to spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and Asia. The punishment and imprisonment Paul is experiencing is not because he actually did something wrong, it is because other people observing what he is doing think he is breaking laws and cause chaos. That punishment is coming because other leaders are looking at what he is doing, they are seeing it differently, and they are causing Paul problems because of it.

At that time (around 59 AD according to the NLT Study Bible) there were two groups of religious leaders: the Sadduccees and Pharisees. Each of them had their own beliefs about right and wrong among the Christian religion at that time. And most of them were well intentioned and well meaning people who wanted to honor God. The only problem was there were not doing as good of a job as they could have.

The way Paul was doing ministry and worshiping God was in-congruent with how the Sadducees and Pharisees believed it was supposed to be done at that time in their culture. And because of that, it caused them to see Paul's work as destructive and chaotic.

Why did these so called "religious leaders" see Paul's work as wrong? Two reasons the religious leaders saw his work as wrong:

• They have different belief systems about what was right and wrong in God's eyes
• Paul was challenging the status quo they had established

It is up for debate whether the religious leaders truly believed what they were claiming in the courts they where hoping Paul would be convicted in. Some believe they were lying and making things up in order to have Paul imprisoned or killed, while other people (myself included) believe the religious leaders were attempting to call it like they saw it. The only issue was that they were looking at the situation of Paul with a different belief system and idea of how things should be and stay.

You and I, as leaders are going to do good works to serve others. But, other so called "leaders" are going to disagree. When they do disagree, we need to stand up to them. Because even though the work we do is good, others might not see it that way.

Question: What is an example of a time in your life where you were doing a good work but others did not see it that way? 

I'm doing a great work, so I can't come (part 2)

Today I'm finishing up a blog from yesterday titled, I'm Doing a Great Work, so I Can't Come based on Nehemiah 6:3.

Nehemiah was the cup bearer and servant to King Artaxerxes of Persia. While the cup bearer to King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah receives a report from his brother about the Jews who have returned to the city of Jerusalem after being exiled to the land of Bablyon.

The report Nehemiah hears is not good.  Nehemiah hears that the walls of the city had been torn down, that the gates of the city had been burned down, and the people there were troubled and disgraced.  Not a good thing for Jews at that time.  This was devastating because it meant that God was not alive.  The culture at that time believed that God needed a place to dwell, and if there was not place for God to dwell, then there was no God present. 

Nehemiah responds to this news by praying to God that the king would be kind to Nehemiah and somehow and someway, to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.  Nehemiah gets a lucky break and his boss (King Artaxerxes) gives him permission and resources to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. Nehemiah gets to Jerusalem, they begin rebuilding the wall, and everything is going great. They are making progress, the people are excited about the work being done, and the wall is starting to come together.

But, as the wall was half-way finished, Nehemiah and the Jews encounter some strong opposition from three powerful political leaders named Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.  These men had tremendous power and influence over the city of Jerusalem at that time, and they did not like Nehemiah rebuilding the wall.  Those three leaders start to threat Nehemiah and the people rebuilding the walls saying they are going to kill them, start a war, and destroy the work that they had done so far.

However, Nehemiah and his people press on. They complete the walls, the only thing remaining to be done is finish setting up the doors and the gates to the city. Then, those same people who were trying to kill and prevent the wall from being build heard that the walls of the city has been rebuilt and finished.  So two of the three enemies, Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to Nehemiah saying the they wanted to meet with him. And that's the context for the verse below where Nehemiah says:

so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come.  Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?
Nehemiah 6:3 (New Living Translation)

There are several principles and lessons about leadership and time management that we can take from this verse from Nehemiah.  Do any come to mind?  Here are a few of mine:

• We need to stand up against opposition. Even if the opposer is more powerful and influential than we are.
• We cannot crumble under the pressure of other men who are more powerful and influential than we are. If there is something we are working to do, we cannot back down to anyone.
• We need to stay focused on doing God's work, not on keeping evil people away. No matter what you do, there will be people who disagree.  We can't stop the good work we are doing for God to try and make the unhappy people happy.
• There are times when we need to just say "no." Sometimes, you just need to say "no" to the request of people who are attempting to use your time.
• If God has put a vision and calling on your heart, do not yield to anything else.  Nehemiah had prayed, wept, and worked so hard to rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem, and he never yielded to that vision even though he faced extreme pressure and threats from other powerful political leaders at the time.

Question: What other insights do you have on this verse, Nehemiah 6:3?

Leadership thoughts from King David and King Solomon

Reading the Bible through the lens of leadership is awesome.

When reading 2 Samuel chapters 9 through 20 and 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2, we see some great examples of leadership from King David and King Solomon. Below are some answers to questions I did from the book, An Introduction to the Bible relating to those sections of the Bible.

After having read this story, which most modern interpreters consider a single literary unit, reflect on and discuss the main characters: David, Bathsheba, Nathan, Joab, and Absalom.  What adjectives come to mind in describing them?  Are any “sympathetic” characters?  What, if any, “timeless” qualities do you find in the story?

David—Decisive: David knows what he wants and what God has called him to, and even though he always takes time to pray to God asking for His will, David seizes every moment (if it was God’s will) and does what needs to be done.

Bathsheba—Loyal: Bathsheba appears to be very loyal.  When she discovers that she is pregnant with David’s child, she immediately messages David and trusts that he will know what to do.

Nathan—Discerning: Nathan is a godly, discerning man who had the amazing courage to confront David.

Joab—Following Leader: Joab was David’s loyal right-hand man.  In the midst of David’s troubles Joab continued to fight for David. But Joab occasionally violated David’s trust, which seems very out of character for Joab.

Absalom—Violent: Absalom was a troubled young man who did not know what he wanted.  He killed Amnon, deceived his father David, and attempted to overthrow his father through violent force.

I relate to and admire David as described in Second Samuel 9-20.  David was a courageous man with a good heart.  He was decisive in taking action, but he only acted after asking God what he should do.  In many instances, David asked God if he should fight a particular opponent in battle and if God would help him win the battle.  God clearly had chosen David for good work, and David lived up to that expectation by doing the great work.  I relate to David because I want to seek God’s will and seize every moment to do the good work that He has planned for me.

I learned from this section of scripture that the greatest thing we can do is follow the direction of the one who has authority over us.  David followed God and it guided him to prosperity and happiness.  Joab was keeping David happy as long as he was obeying David’s commands, but when Joab kills Absalom, it causes serious pain to King David.  Absalom would have saved his father a tremendous amount of grief and he would have saved his own life if he would have just loyally followed David as the King. 

This story suggests that “what goes around, comes around” or “you reap what you sow.”  Has that been your experience?

Yes, to a certain extent I personally believe that we reap what we sow. 

In a way, all of our actions eventually catch up to us.  In my experience of leading a volunteer a based nonprofit for five years, we reaped the benefits of the good deeds we “sowed” year after year.  We successfully fundraised money and used that money to serve the needs of people in our community.  When past and potential donors saw how we ethically and efficiently used donated money to serve the needs of their community, they began donating more money year after year.  This is evidence from the fact that we successfully raised more money every year (with the exception of 2007) for our project starting in 2005 despite poor economic conditions.

The story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 9-11) illustrates what happens when the attempt is made to cover up wrongdoing.  What modern incidents illustrate the perils of covering up misdeeds for political leaders?  Why is it so difficult for humans in general, not just politicians, to face up to their shortcomings and failures? 

An example that comes to mind is Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal as an illustration of the major perils of covering up misdeeds for a political leader. 

I have been fortunate to visit the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, CA and it was an amazing experience.  Mr. Nixon was a great man serving as Vice President of the United States for two terms under President Eisenhower.  During that time he was responsible for opening up trade talks with China and doing many other projects that supported our positive influence around the world. 

It is human nature to see ourselves as being good natured and as good leaders.  We want to be respected, loved, and admired by others because of the good that we do.  However, because our media is so hungry to point out the poor decisions and mistakes we make, it is difficult to admit mistakes a political leader might make.  When he does make a mistake (which is bound to happen at least once), that political leader doesn’t want to lose face and have pundits, radio talk show hosts, and TV personalities rip him apart.  The natural thing to do is do anything and everything to cover up the shortcoming so the political leader can maintain face with the public and the people who supposedly love and support him.

Question: What leadership insights do you have from King David and/or King Solomon?

Wisdom from Ecclesiastes

In my class at Fresno Pacific University, we recently studied the book of Ecclesiastes which is about wisdom on life. These questions are from the book, An Introduction to the Bible and I have shared my thoughts below.

Some of the content is related to leadership, so I think you might enjoy it.

3.  Read Ecclesiastes 1-3; 8:16-9:18; 12

a.  Some interpreters call the Book of Ecclesiastes the most modern book in the Hebrew Bible.  Why might they say that?  Do you agree?

I agree with interpreters that the Book of Ecclesiastes is the most modern book in the Bible. 

If nothing is new and “History merely repeats itself” (Ecc. 1:9 NLT) then all the lessons taught are timeless which means no new lessons and teachings have been developed.  Since we have thousands of years of history compiled in stories, poems, and instructions, we should know all things and history will only repeat itself from here.  Because most lessons we learn and principles we apply are timeless, the only thing that changes is how we apply them and the technology used to teach them. 

Since Ecclesiastes is not about the history of Israel like much of the Bible is, it is made up of simple thoughts and teachings about happiness and truths of life.  And since we know there are no new things in the world, simple thoughts and teachings about happiness and truths of life are still relevant to today.

b.  The Teacher (Qoheleth, Ecclesiastes) has been described as a “believing skeptic” who questioned the common assumptions of his day about God and religion and yet still affirmed faith in God.  Do you know any such “believing skeptics”?  What might their role be in modern religious communities?

I believe the Teacher is considered a “believing skeptic” because he believes what he feels in his heart about knowing who God is, but he struggles to believe in God based on what he reads in the Bible and what he has experienced in his own life (both personally and from watching others). 

I have a co-worker who is a believing skeptic.  She believes there is a God but struggles to believe He is good because she has seen a few Christians act very differently than how she believes followers of a good God should act. 

A believing skeptic is a realist and a pragmatist.  These are often people who study scripture to see what it says and closely observe what they see happening in the world to see how world events and scripture interrelate.  They ask questions such as “Is the Bible really relevant in the world?” or, “What does the Bible say about this?”  This causes them to be very discerning and insightful. 

Believing skeptics encourage many non-believers because they show that it is ok to believe in God because of what you feel in your heart while at the same time not understanding everything you read on paper or see it lived out in the current world.

c.  On the basis of your reading of Ecclesiastes, which adjectives would you apply to the book?  As you think about the meaning of life, is Ecclesiastes a helpful book?  Why or why not?

I pick the adjective “reassuring” to describe the Book of Ecclesiastes because it confirms and clarifies what many of us already know and believe about life. 

Haven’t we heard there are only two things guaranteed in life: taxes and death.  Ecclesiastes mirrors that message.  The Teacher tells us that we are here on earth only for a season, so we need to enjoy the only two things we are required to do: eat and work. 

I find the book very helpful and insightful.  It will save me what the teacher calls “wasted time” while also saving me the heartbreak of working super hard to accomplish things in life, which I would realize when I accomplish them that nothing really matters.  I think this teaching is significant because it comes from someone who is much older and wiser than I am.  The words written in Ecclesiastes position themselves as something being written by a man of old age who has been to the top and back knowing the positives and negatives of both. 

As a result, Ecclesiastes is a book that helps me to enjoy the daily things of life such as food with others, my job, and my girlfriend.

More thoughts on the book, Using God's Resources Wisely

Today I am sharing more thoughts from the book, Using God's Resources Wisely by Walter Bruegemann.  If you missed yesterday's post about the book, you can read it here.

3.  Chapter four addresses how Brueggeman sees the city being rebuilt.  What is the basis for rebuilding and why does he emphasize a Sabbath?  Why is inclusion of the “other” such a struggle?

Brueggeman outlines four main characteristics as the basis for rebuilding the city: maintain justice, do righteousness, not do evil, and maintain the Sabbath.

The Sabbath seems to be the main focal point which each of the three points revolves around because the Sabbath helps people break away from the productivity and consumerism that they so easily get caught up in and that caused them to walk away from God.  According to Brueggeman, Isaiah includes the “other” to drastically show just how much God wants the Jews to follow the laws set out for them. 

God teaches us that to be connected with Him, you need to live righteously, do no evil, maintain justice, and keep the Sabbath.  That is so honoring and pleasing to Him that he gladly welcomes anyone back into his house of love and prosperity.  However, it is a struggle to include the “other” because many times the Levitical Law talks about how the Jews are God’s chosen people whom He will protect and bless. But now Isaiah is making a drastic change to show that the people of Jerusalem need to include the foreigners and the “others” by living righteously, doing no evil, maintaining justice, and keeping the Sabbath. 

4.  In chapter five Brueggemann states that a key element in rebuilding the city is redeployment of resources which requires power-sharing.  How does a fast and counter-fast contribute to this?  Summarize his four key points.  Do you think his claim about what it will take to rebuild the city is outrageous or viable?

A fast and counter-fast contributes to power-sharing because it teaches us to include others in what we have. 

Either we get more of what we have (food, clothing, shelter, etc) in order to share it with others, or we share what we have with others as a way to fast from what we have.  To be more specific, a counter-fast ends the oppression, stops derision and mocking, stops slanderous accusations against the poor, and practices neighborliness with those who need a place to stay. 

From what I have read in Using God’s Resources Wisely, I believe Brueggemann’s claims about what it takes to rebuild a city are doable. It will take a tremendous amount of work and effort from rich businessmen, political leaders, and nonprofit leaders.  Each one will need to play a crucial role in “inclusionness” of the “other.”  Rich businessmen and women will need to generously share their vast wealth, political leaders will need to give equal rights and opportunities to the poor, and nonprofit leaders will need to make sure the services they provide to the community match the people’s needs.

Thoughts on the book, Using God's Resources Wisely by Walter Brueggemann

I recently read the book, Using God's Resources Wisely by Walter Brueggemann.  The book is a commentary on the book of Isaiah (from the Bible) talking about how city leaders should use God's resources to benefit the poor of a city.  If you have not read the book of Isaiah, some of these answers might not make much sense.

After reading the book, the folks at Fresno Pacific University asked some good thought provoking questions about how to use God's resources, wisely.

1.  Brueggemann claims, in chapter one, that the city is under a deep threat.  Describe the nature of the threat and its cause(s).  Do you agree that there is a real threat?

Because the city of Jerusalem is going down a road that is not good, the Jewish people will have to pay for those consequences.  They have partnered with foreigners, accumulated massive amounts of wealth, have lots of military power, and worship the gods they have created.  They are set up for disaster because of their poor use of the resources God has given to them through the covenant. 

As a result, everything they know and have is going to be stripped away and they don’t even realize it.  They need to make a drastic change otherwise they will face great heartache. 

2.  In chapter two the winds of newness refer to God acting in a manner not routinely experienced in society.  Describe what Brueggemann means by getting below the surface appearances to a deeper foundation.  What is the deeper foundation?  In chapter three, Hezekiah is used to demonstrate both the positive and negative aspects of the points made in chapter two.  Articulate whether you think this example is helpful for modern rulers.  Can they act faithfully as Hezekiah did?  Are they bound to fail just as Hezekiah also did?

I believe there are three possible examples of what the deeper foundation is compared to the surface appearances. 

• First, a surface appearance might be the conditions of the lives of the people living in poverty and poor living conditions in Jerusalem at that time.  It might have looked bad and been a sad sight to see so many people poor and struggling to survive on the surface level.  But if we look deeper into the hearts of people at that time, we will see that their spiritual health was just as bad, if not worse, because the people were looking to earthly gods to answer their needs and provide answers instead of looking to the one and only God, Yahweh.
• Secondly, there is the surface appearance of Assyria having influence over Jerusalem because of its military power.  However, if we look deeper we see that the people living in Jerusalem have the power of the God Almighty on their side, Yahweh, who would always protect them and guard them.  As Jews they did not have anything to fear because any threat against them was a threat against their God and His power. 
• Finally, Hezekiah saw on the surface level that his house might be taken away by the Babylonians.  He didn’t look deeper into the situation to realize not only would his house be lost, but also the house of God.  It meant a change in power because the people were not doing what honored God.  Because Hezekiah was only looking out for his own interests while he was alive, he was not thinking about and preparing for the future. 

This example is very helpful to modern readers because it shows us as leaders we need to be focused on and thinking about the future and health of what we lead beyond the scope of our time while in charge.  We need to made changes and set up systems that will continue to make our kingdom to be successful for many years without us being present.

Tomorrow I will share some more thoughts from the book, Using God's Resources Wisely. 

Can the Bible be taken literally?

A good topic to follow up from yesterday's post entitled, Why I Read the Bible is the topic: Can the Bible be taken literally?

I don’t think the Bible can be taken literally because the Bible is a story. 

Yes it is much more than that—it is instructions on what we are to do, say and how to act while at home, at work, with friends, and in all walks of life.  But the Bible is first and foremost a story about how Jesus came and died for our sins to be our savior.  With that said, the Bible should not be taken literally when it comes to specific Old Testament sacrifices and rituals that were done to honor God and bring forgiveness for sins. 

Many times throughout Exodus it says believers were to sacrifice animals and bring gifts to God (Exodus 25), yet we should not take those commands literally.  That was a teaching in a specific context at a specific time.  Or in Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus teaches about reasons we might need to gouge out our own eye or cut off our own hand.  Are we supposed to “literally” do that?  I don’t believe so.  We are to take those teachings seriously and in the context of the time they were written in, but we are not supposed to do exactly what they say.

Question: Do you believe the Bible can be taken literally?

Why I Read the Bible

I see the Bible as God’s inspired word, given to us to use as the guide of our lives. 

We should use it to live righteously, as a guide to help us honor God in all that we do, and in that process attract others to a relationship with Him.  I have studied the Bible very intently for about four years now.  I started by reading through the four Gospels several times as a “seeker” who had not committed his life to Christ yet.  I was often confused, had questions, and amazed at the teachings and acts of Jesus.  Most of the context that I read the Bible through has been a context of wanting how to grow as a person and learn about leadership. 

I have loved learning about leadership because it has helped me in my work, and the best leadership lessons are found in the Bible.  Learning those lessons of leadership from the Bible has helped me to improve and grow as a man, and in the process it has brought me closer to God.  This has allowed others to see the work of God in my life by the changes I’ve made as a man of integrity and character. 

I have many questions that I bring to the study of the Bible. Many of them deal with the context of the time of the writings and how we translate that to applicable lessons for our own lives.  Because figures, sayings, words, and analogies are very different than they were in biblical times, I often wonder what they mean to us in our own context.

That's why I read the Bible.

Question: Why do you read the Bible?

Why Rules are Good (according to Exodus)

Yesterday I posted my thoughts about leadership from the Bible book of Exodus.  Here are a few more thoughts from Exodus.  They are more "faith-based" than actual "leadership" teaching, but I still hope you find them beneficial and enjoyable.

(This questions is from the book, An Introduction to the Bible.)

2.  Read Exodus 19-24: The Sinai Covenant

a.  Are “covenants” necessary for societies and other human groups to function effectively? Make a list of the “covenants” (agreements) that affect you and your family, both those you yourself have entered into and those made by others, including national and international agreements. Which of these covenants is most important?  Why?  Which are less influential in our life?  Why?

Yes, I believe covenants are necessary for societies and other human groups to function effectively.  Covenants allow order and regularity to take place.  Covenants allow us to make pre-decisions about what to do in specific situations which helps us become people of integrity who live righteously.  Here’s a list of convents I’ve personally made, my family has made, and that I’m under as a citizen of the United States:

Faith in Christ: On November 11, 2009, I asked Jesus into my heart.  Since then I’ve made a covenant to follow Him no matter what.

Integrity: I’ve made a commitment to be a man of integrity and make sure I do what is right, no matter the cost.

Openness & Honesty: This is a covenant my girlfriend and I have made to talk about issues and problems we have.

Justice: Our nation makes a covenant of justice for anyone who does wrong to others and/or disobeys the law.  As a legal citizen of the U.S.A., I voluntarily commit to allow this justice to happen to me if I do wrong.

The most important covenant for me personally is my decision to follow Jesus.  This decision is a good gift I receive, but it is tough at times. The justice covenant is pretty menial to me. Besides one speeding ticket, I haven’t had to endure any justice.

Question: What has been your experience with rules?  Are they good, bad?

Leadership from Exodus

Recently I read Exodus chapters 1-18 from the Bible which features the famous story of Moses requesting Pharaoh (the leader of their country at that time) to let the Israelites leave Egypt for the Promised Land.

After reading that section, An Introduction to the Bible has some study questions that helped me digest what I learned and think through that section.  Here are my answers in case you'd like to learn more about the leadership of Moses and other character from the book of Exodus.

a.  Discuss and/or reflect on the portrayal of the principal characters in this narrative: Moses, his brother Aaron, the unnamed Pharaoh, and God.  Once again, choose adjectives for each.  What might this story have to say about the theme of leadership?

Moses—Tenacious: Moses was tenacious throughout the many problems he had when leading the Israelites and overcoming his own insecurities as a leader and speaker.  Even though he did not have a strong belief in his own ability, he had a big belief in God, and that made him tenacious.

Aaron—Servant Like: Aaron, the older brother of Moses always appears to be right there serving and assisting Moses to free the Israelites from Pharaoh and serve the people as priest. 

Pharaoh—Stubborn: Pharaoh was very determined to do what he wanted to do.  He believed that he was a powerful god, and it was not until the real almighty God hit him where it hurt the most (by killing the oldest sons of every Egyptian including his own) that he was finally humbled enough to allow the Israelites to leave.

God—Promise Keeper:  God is the ultimate promise keeper by first promising Abraham that he will have many descendants who will populate the earth.  Then God keeps his promise to Moses by allowing Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and God keeps them safe at the Red Sea.

This story shows me that in order to accomplish a nearly impossible task, a leader is needed.  Moses was a leader with incredible tenacity that allowed him to accomplish the nearly impossible task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Question: If you have read or studied this passage of the Bible, what did you learn about leadership?

What I Learned in 2010: God Loves Me

Today I'm continuing my long series of sharing what I learned in 2010.  Today's topic is a little more personal, but very relevant to my life.

God Loves Me

Learning that God loves me started in November of 2009 where a dear friend spent some time reading me verses from the book of Romans in the Bible.  Hearing those Bible verses and having her explain the love God has for me has made a tremendous difference in my life.  

I feel more at peace with myself to know that there is a Holy God who knows who I am, loves me, protects me, and watches over me.  He might not always bring good into my life, but he does have a plan for me. 

The Bible is an amazing book with so much wisdom in it.  Every time I read big sections of scripture it is amazing what I learn.  Amazing stories and truth is communicated that teaches and guides me as a leader to become a better man.  I have not read the entire Bible all the way through, yet, but I'm working on it (there are 66 books and over 2,000 pages in the Bible).

Realizing that God loves me as a leader and a man has given me a lot of peace of mind.  Because no matter if I succeed or fail, I know there is someone who still loves me, no matter what. 

Leadership Learnings from Nehemiah ch. 8

In chapter 8 of Nehemiah we continue to see the progress of Nehemiah's focus from Building Mode to Maintaining Mode. Here are a few key thoughts the guys and I learned this past Friday:

Nehemiah directs the recognition towards God (8:9-10) - The people had seen how God had been rebuilt the wall, they began to feel guilty and weep.  Nehemiah reminded them that it was a glorious and awesome thing that God had done for them, and they should celebrate it.  He mentions the words "Lord" or "God" four times in verses 9 and 10 (NLT) showing the people that God was surely in charge of this great work which had been accomplished. 

As leaders have success in what they do, it's easy to get pulled into thinking "I did it" or "I'm great" or "Look at me for what I've done."  Nehemiah points directly to God as the source of their success in rebuilding the wall.

Leaders always have something they can learn; if they look for it (8:14) - The family leaders, priests and Ezra (who did most of the Biblical teaching at that time) met to discuss the laws.  These leaders gathered together and made a new discovery.  They were supposed to be the most intelligent of all men at that time.  What impressed me is that:

1. They sat down to study the Book of the Law
2. They learned something new

Being that they were supposed to be the most intelligent men at that time, they still found something new to learn.  I think this is true with leaders.  The more we learn about leadership, the more we realize we still have to learn.   

People aren't grateful for until the job is finished - It took Nehemiah and the people 52 days to rebuild the wall (6:15), and many times the people working on the wall complained.  However, the people didn't feel grateful for the amazing thing that had been done by rebuilding the wall until it was finished.  It wasn't until the wall was completely finished, did the people realize how great God is and how ungrateful they had been up until that point. 

Sometimes the people who follow leaders don't always understand and see the big picture of what is going on.  Sometimes they can only see what is in front of them.  They don't see the big picture until everything is completed.  Then their eyes are opened and they can now see the great things that have been accomplished.

Leardership Learnings from Nehemiah ch. 7

The Friday morning guys and I studied chapter 7 of Nehemiah last week looking for some leadership principles.

We see a shift in Nehemiah and his leadership in chapter 7.  The first six chapters have focused on Nehemiah rebuilding the wall.  Now in chapter 7 Nehemiah makes a shift from Building Mode to Maintaining Mode.  He seems to realize it's now time to find out how to keep things to stay as they are.  Up to this point he was always so consumed with getting the wall built, now he seems to be focused on keeping the wall built and teaching the people to live Godly lives.

Here's three points I believe are important:

There are people who initiate - In anything there are always two types of people: people who initiate and people who follow through.  In Nehemiah's case, he was the initiator.  He received the vision from God to rebuild the wall and re-establish Jerusalem as a holy city the Jews would be proud of.

There are people who follow through - After you've got the initiator who has initiated and gotten things rolling, now you need the follow through person.  This was Nehemiah's men Hanani and Hananiah (v 7:2).  These were the men who "feared God more than most" and who Nehemiah asked to govern and manage the city now that the wall was completed.

Leaders give responsibility, not work - In verse 7:2 Nehemiah states, "I gave responsibility." (NLT)  He didn't give a "job" or "role" or "work," Nehemiah gave Hananiah and Hanani a responsibility to govern and lead the city.  This reminds me of how leaders we delegate work to people to be completed, but the responsibility still rests with the leader (at least most of the time).  Successful leaders don't just give tasks to others, they also give responsibility.

Leadership Take Away's from Nehemiah ch. 6

Last Friday the guys and I studied chapter 6 of Nehemiah looking to learn some leadership principles.  Here's the links to what we learned in chapter 4 and chapter 5.

Protect Your Time - In verse 6:3 (NLT) Nehemiah says, "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come.  Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?"  Man, I love that statement.  The evil political leaders of the land are trying to meet with Nehemiah because they claim to want to work out their differences.  But Nehemiah refuses, he was a busy man and didn't want to stop what he was doing.  The work he was doing was the most important thing, and meeting with political leaders who had their own personal agenda didn't match up with his vision.

Beware of People with an Agenda - As discussed in the principle above, Nehemiah constantly had local leaders who were trying to pull him away from his work.  The local political leaders had their own personal agenda they were trying to push and advocate for.  The liked things the way there were in Jerusalem, and they didn't want Nehemiah to do anything that would change that.

When you seek to do great things people gossip - Nehemiah received an open letter (verse 6: 6-7) where one of the political leaders mentioned that he heard rumors about Nehemiah wanting to become King.  This was far from the truth, and Nehemiah knew it.  But in the letter this political leader said that he heard the rumor, and he talked to a friend about it to see if it was true.  Clearly, there some serious gossip going on about the work Nehemiah was doing.  Kind of reminds me of Junior High School!

Don't answer your critics; silence them - It was clear that Nehemiah had many critics of the work he was doing.  His "sacred" work for God was seen as a threat to many of the leaders and influential people of that time.  When they accused him of having impure motives to want to be King he often did not reply or answer.  He only worked with more determination (v 6:9) to complete the wall.

Leadership from Jesus

Friday's leadership focused bible study was a little different than normal.  We took a break from studying the book of Nehemiah (you can read my notes from Nehemiah chapter 4 and chapter 5) to have one of our guys tell us about some Lead Like Jesus content that he learned.  Much of the Lead Like Jesus content has been developed by well known management expert, Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges.

Here are a few take away's from the teaching given by my friend Rick and some discussion topics we spent time on:

• Most leadership today is driven by ego - Very true.  Leadership these days is driven by leaders who want the benefits of being the leader.  They want to reap the rewards of being a leader for their own benefit, instead of seeking to be a leader to reward others.  The goal of a leader should be to make the lives of other people better.
• Jesus led out of a relationship of love but with a really clear purpose - It was clear that Jesus really loved the people around him.  The 12 disciples, his family, lepers, tax collectors and anyone else.  He loved them all, and that love was the basis for his leadership with people.  It's what drew people to him and allowed them to follow him.
• Jesus sought to honor God and advance the kingdom - While here Jesus did everything he could to honor God in everything he did (which he succeeded in by living a perfect life).  He advanced the kingdom by preaching and laying the ground work for Christianity to be created and led after his death.

Note - Special thanks to Rick Fritzemeier for sharing his thoughts for this post.

Leaderships Take Away's from Nehemiah ch. 5

Last week some guys and I studied leadership from chapter 5 of Nehemiah (a book in the Old Testament of the Bible).

Here's some of our thoughts and leadership principles we learned from the chapter:

• Great leaders ask for sacrifices from their people - This became obvious when the people cried out to Nehemiah because they had mortgaged their land and sold their daughters into slavery. Nehemiah was making a great sacrifice by feeding over 150 men a night at his dinner table, and was also asking the people to make great sacrifices too. Great leaders ask for great sacrifices, but only after they've first sacrificed themselves.
• Leaders need to help their people take care of their basic needs - Nehemiah had to take action is chapter 5 because the basic needs of his workers were not being met. So Nehemiah acted against the nobles and city officials to make sure the debt was forgiven against the people, so they could have their basic needs taken care of. If a leader doesn't help take care of the basic needs of his people, he will soon find the people worrying about their own basic needs instead of the work which needs to be done.
• Have a private meeting, then hold a public meeting - When Nehemiah found out the city officials and nobles where taking advantage of his people, he became angry. Nehemiah expressed his anger to his inner circle of people, then called a meeting with the people to tell them to get right with God. Leaders should always have a meeting to prepare for the meeting. They shouldn't shotgun everyone with the same information at the same time. Different people need to hear the information at different times in the organization.
• Ask everything from your people, not for yourself, but for God - Nehemiah asked his people to make great sacrifices of mortgaging their fields and family, not for his personal benefit, he asked it for God's benefit. He asked for nothing for himself. Leaders should ask for great things from people people to help meet the vision and purpose of the organization, not for fattening the coffers for the leaders or to satisfy his ego.
• Be in touch with the "burdens" of your people - Nehemiah was in touch with the needs and burdens of his people. He heard of the burdens of his people, how they were feeling pain, and he took action. As leaders we have a tendency to get a vision of what we want to see created, then we go for it, and stop for no one under no circumstances. Leaders need to listen and act on the needs and complaints of the people they lead.

You can read more leadership thoughts from Nehemiah on this posted entitled, Leadership Take Away's from Nehemiah ch. 4.

Leadership Take Away's from Nehemiah ch. 4

Here's a few thoughts I learned from my weekly bible study focused on learning leadership from the Bible. Last Friday we studied chapter 4 of Nehemiah. The book of Nehemiah is the story of how a cup bearing servant to a King led men, women and children to rebuild a massive wall in the Holy Land of Jerusalem.

Here's what I learned:

We can do everything we can, but ultimately God is the one doing it - We might give our best effort as leaders, but we need God's help too!

Time and time again, Nehemiah proves himself to be an incredible planner - This is evident in so many passages in Nehemiah. Mainly when the King asks him for his vision of the holy city.

It's ok to be angry when God's cause is challenged - Appropriately displaying anger is tough to discern, but there seems to be several times where Nehemiah became angry. Nehemiah was often angered when the local political leaders of the city tried to challenge his vision and discourage his people.

At times you're going to need ditch diggers -  At times while building the wall, Nehemiah had to request certain men to do building, and others to be warriors to defend the wall. I think this showed that at times you have to summon your team to do things that they don't want to do, and to do things that they know aren't in there "strength zone." But there will be seasons in life where you're just going to have to ask your team to be "ditch diggers" and do the hard work for a limited time.

Momentum can disappear fast - Chapters 4, 5 and 6 all seem to reveal lots of problems, issues, and challenges arising. The worst part is that most of them happen pretty close to the same time: when the wall has barely halfway completed. Lots of problems arriving at the same time can cause momentum to stall.

Every Friday morning I meet with five men for coffee. We work through books of the Bible to draw out leadership lessons and leadership principles. As a way to share with you what I'm learning, I hope to share more of my Leadership Take Away's from those meetings.