Effective Leadership

by Jeff Curtis

    An effective leader is respected because he has cultivated his natural abilities and shown himself to be dedicated, trustworthy, and loyal. In the Old Testament, Nehemiah became known as a capable leader after he was appointed governor by King Artexerxes I and was commissioned to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. However, he had already proved his ability as “the cupbearer to the king” (Nehemiah 1:11). This was an important and influential position. He had access to the king and had to be absolutely trustworthy. The king’s life depended on the cupbearer’s skill and loyalty. If he were not loyal, the king might be (and sometimes kings were) poisoned by their enemies.

    The book doesn’t tell how Nehemiah came to have this position. We do know that other Jews before him (specifically Daniel and his three friends – Daniel 1:9), (Mordecai – Esther 8:2) had attained positions of authority and influence in the governments of Babylon and Persia. We might assume that Nehemiah was from a wealthy and influential Jewish family in Babylon (Neh. 5:14-19). Maybe, his ability in school or business caught the attention of the king or his advisors. In all that he did, he must have shown competency and integrity. That is the only way one could have become cupbearer to the king. To continue in this role, his service had to be outstanding.

    The king paid tribute to Nehemiah for the way he had conducted himself by noticing that, for the first time, his cupbearer was sad in his presence (Neh. 2:2). Apparently, one job of the cupbearer was to be an encouraging companion, and Nehemiah had always fulfilled that function.

    In the church today, capable individuals are needed to be leaders of God’s people. God’s choice of Paul shows that men of great ability are needed to lead His flock. The need to be a “capable” person (1Cor. 6:5) to be a Christian leader may be reflected in the requirement for to have “a good reputation with those outside the church” (1Tim. 3:7). Also, it is necessary for a preacher to be “an example of those how believe” (1Tim. 4:2).

    One who would desire to be in a position of leadership today must first “be on guard for” himself (Acts 20:28). He should be known to others as one who is trustworthy and reliable. He must strive to develop and use his talents, take advantage of his opportunities, and seek to succeed at whatever he does. The old saying “if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing right” is a good motto for an aspiring leader to remember. For a would-be church leader, being a “capable person” means being a faithful Christian who is always trying to reach his highest potential spiritually.

    Of course, not everyone can be a leader in the sense that we are using it here. Not everyone has the talent of leadership. The church has room for all kinds of people. As Christians, we don’t all have to be alike in ever way. We have different backgrounds and personalities.

    All Christians have a few things in common, however. We have been given abilities by God, and we are all expected to use them to the glory of God and the service of the church and mankind. To become the best people, we can be – the most capable and effective individuals possible – we must become more like what Jesus would want us to be.

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Nehemiah Prayed

Jeff Curtis

    Nehemiah mourned and prayed to God for four months. He remained in this state from the time he heard the bad news about Jerusalem (Neh. 1:1). Then he approached the king about the possibility of going back to Jerusalem to lead the Jews in rebuilding the wall (Neh. 2:1). His persistence in prayer had good results: the Persian king agreed to let him return to Jerusalem to build the wall.

    Jesus taught us the need to persist in prayer (Luke 18:1-8). Do we continue in prayer (see Romans 12:12; 1Thess. 5:17), or are we satisfied to ask God one time for what we need? Jesus prayed all night in Luke 6:12. Have we ever done the same?

Being What Jesus Taught

by Jeff Curtis

     How does happiness to come to us? Is it someone else’s responsibility to make us happy? Does happiness come from having a high-income job, having a house that suits our desires, living in nice community, or having a nice retirement plan? No, it comes from none of these things. In fact, the search for happiness itself can produce the greatest unhappiness (1Timothy 6:9-10). Happiness essentially comes from inside us. A truly happy person lives a controlled and balanced life. In other words, true happiness comes from being in a right relationship with God and with the people around us. We are to be what Jesus taught us to be (Matthew 5:1-12).

    The first four Beatitudes listed in Matthew’s account concern inner principles of the heart and the mind. The last four are showing the way we are to relate to other people. For example, when we are “poor in spirit” (5:3), we will understand God’s mercy toward us. And in turn, that should make us more merciful toward others (5:7). Recognizing our own sins and being truly sorry for them (5:4) should give us the desire to live purer lives (5:8). Being gentile in spirit (5:5) will cause us to seek after the things that lead to peace (5:9). When we truly “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (5:6), we will understand the price that must be paid to live as followers of Jesus (5:10-12). Paul wrote that those “who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Timothy 3:12).

     Marten Lloyd James pointed out four important truths about the Beatitudes. (1) They are a description of how every Christian should live. (2) They are intended to be completely absorbed by every Christian. (3) They are not what we would call natural tendencies; they challenge us to the opposite of what may come naturally. (4) They call upon us to live above the world and its lusts and to be truly different and distinctive from those around us.

     Too many Christians today, and even more congregations of the Lord’s church, waste time and money attempting to adapt and adjust to the environment of the world around us. Rather than doing this, we should do our best to stand out (James 4:4; 1John 2:15-17). We have allowed the world to invade the church, and the church has become too much like the world. Jesus said that His disciples, though they would be in the world, should not be “of the world” (John 17:15-17).

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Suffering

Richie Thetford

Job 5:7 tells us: “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” Yes, suffering is the burden of humanity.

Perhaps, your heart is aching today, and you say, “What can I do with this burden?” Often God allows us to have burdens to exercise our faith. People who run from problems, for example, those who try to fill the valleys in their lives with drugs or alcohol, are really missing a blessing.

God works to make us more valuable through difficulties and hardships. A bar of iron may be worth $5.00. Make it into horseshoes, and it will be worth $10.00. Make it into needles, and it might be worth hundreds of dollars. Make it into balance wheels for watches and its value might run to tens of thousands of dollars. To be worth more, it has to be refined, superheated, drawn out, and purified.

Our faith is like that; it grows under pressure (disappointments, trials, difficulties) far more than when things are comfortable. Paul underlined this in Romans chapter 5 where he tells us to rejoice in our sufferings because they are good for us. They teach us patience, and patience develops strength of character and helps us to trust God more each time we exercise it until, finally, our faith and hope are strong and steady.

Accordingly, we’re able to hold our heads high no matter what happens. We know all is well because God loves us. Therefore, strengthen your faith, bear your burden gracefully; trust in God, and He will see you through to the end.