I have recently completed the Book of Nehemiah
in my morning devotions. I have heard a lot of sermons on Nehemiah dealing with characteristics of a Godly leader, however, I believe there is
also a lot to be learning from Nehemiah about being a man of God. I have
outlined ten principles for manhood which I am learning from the Book of
Nehemiah.
10) Sensitive
Heart: 1:4; Nehemiah’s heart was
sensitive to the needs of his people. When he heard about the news from
Jerusalem his heart broke for his people and he wept. Men need to learn how to
express our emotions without being dominated by them. When we hear about the
horrors/effects of sin it should break our heart; causing us to weep for those
around us.
9) Prayerful
Heart: 1:4; Nehemiah’s first
instinct was to pray. He took his requests to God. He recognized that in his
weakness he could not fix the problem, therefore, he called out to God for
help. We must be men of prayer.
8) Workers
Heart: 1:11; Nehemiah worked hard
as the king’s cupbearer. Nehemiah’s job was to take the first sip from the
king’s cup to determine whether or not someone had poisoned the king’s drink.
He worked hard at his job and because of his hard work he had favor with his
employer. Men are like trucks we are meant to carry a load. God has made us to
work, therefore, as men we must work hard from sunup to sundown to provide for
our families.
7) Visionary
Heart: 2:17-18; Nehemiah was an
encourager and a visionary. Nehemiah saw the wall, saw what needed to be done
and he went to work empowering others to accomplish the task. Men must be
visionaries for our families. We must have a vision for the future. We must make decisions and lead our families well. The buck
stops with us!
6) Delegating
Heart: 3; Nehemiah delegated
responsibility to others. He allowed others to utilize their strengths. As men
leading our families there are times when we need to swallow our pride and ask
for help. I am not the best at saving money, however, my wife is. I am always
delegating financial matters to her expertise. We must allow others to exercise
their strengths and humble ourselves enough to ask for help.
5) Strong
Heart: 4:1-14; When people
opposed the building of the wall Nehemiah stood up to opposition. Men need to
stand up to opposition and fight for the family. Men too often remain
silent on issues which matter. We will get passion when talking about our
favorite team but when it comes to serious issues we remain silent. Men need to
stand up for the family. Men must speak out against gay rights, pro-choice and
other liberal agendas which are eroding the family.
4) Focused
Heart: 6:1-9; Nehemiah remained
focused on the task. There were a lot of issues which could have distracted
him, however, he kept his eye on the goal. Men must form a plan and work their
plan. It is easy to become distracted with climbing the ladder, blogging, and sports, however, we must remain focused on the ultimate goal of being a Godly
family man.
3) Worshipful
Heart: 8; Nehemiah read the law
and led the Israelites in worship. Men are called to be “Pastor Dads”
shepherding and leading our families. As men we must lead our family in
devotionals, catechisms, praying over meals and before bed. Men set the
spiritual tone for their family.
2) Celebratory
Heart: 12; After completing the
wall, Nehemiah had a time of celebration and remembering. He had a thanksgiving
procession and celebration to mark the completion of the wall. Men must
celebrate important mile-stones with our families. We must celebrate times when
our children walks, talk, enter kindergarten, anniversaries, Christmas and
other holidays. We must be men who know how to work hard and celebrate harder.
1) Bold
Heart: 13; Nehemiah spoke out
against sin. Men must speak out against sin in our families, neighborhoods,
city, state, Nation, and world. We must repent of our own sins and be a voice
calling our children, family, state, and Nation back to God.
Being a man is hard work, but, God has not left us
alone. God will empower and equip you to be a man of God. All you have to do is
commit your way to Him, acknowledge your sins, surrender your right to lead and
He will help you implement these principles. May we with God’s grace be men who
are lionhearted and lamblike in our servant leadership of our families.
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