The Thing About Responsibility...

OT: Nehemiah 3-5
NT:

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Nehemiah 5:14-16, 19 — Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year — twelve years — neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors — those preceding me — placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land... Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.

I can't tell you how much the story of Nehemiah speaks to me, from his humble beginnings as a cupbearer to King Xerxes to his great leadership as governor of Israel. Throughout his life, Nehemiah proved himself to be a man of faith, a man of prayer, and a man of action. His wisdom went well beyond his humble background. And his sense of responsibility can be seen in every decision he made. Indeed, I think Nehemiah displayed a greater sense of self responsibility than most Old Testament leaders. Here, in chapters 3-5 of the book that bears his name, Nehemiah oversees the construction of Jerusalem's walls. His plan of construction can only be described as "brilliant." He had each family or family group build the part of the wall closest to their home. In doing so, each family took upon itself extra responsibility for construction. After all, what man wouldn't want to keep his family safe? When opposition arose from outside parties, Nehemiah set up guard duty on the wall and then calmed the people down, reminding them of the protecting arm of the Lord.

Indeed, responsibility is a mighty thing. Nehemiah knew that his responsibility as a leader was to organize the people wisely and to keep them focused on the Lord. It's still the same way with God's chosen leaders today. Pastors and directors must take command of their responsibility to organize widely and exhort their charges to stay focused on the Lord. They must always be alert and always anticipate obstacles before those obstacles appear on the horizon. In other words, responsibility involves action above reaction. Proactivity above passivity. Pray for your leaders. Submit to them when they are following the will of God. And encourage them as they exercise their God-given responsibility.

Be God's.