It's About Him - Not You

'...This work had been done with the help of our God.' Nehemiah 6:16 NIV

After scoring a goal for his team, a big, rugged AFL player started dancing and beating his chest as if to say, 'Look at me, I'm the greatest.' Then the opposing team gained possession of the ball and their centre kicked a goal from outside the 50. But unlike his opponent, the centre offered up a quick 'Thank You, God' before turning to celebrate with his team. Now meet another team player, Nehemiah, the king's royal cupbearer.

When he heard about Jerusalem's broken-down walls, he set aside his own problems and focused on the nation's. Nehemiah was so burdened for the city where his forefathers were buried that he '...wept...mourned...and prayed before...God...' (Nehemiah 1:4 NIV) He remembered his roots, and reminded God of His covenant with His people by, in essence, praying: 'I know who You are, God, and I know who are. Your people have rejected You, but we're coming back and You can give us success.' God honoured Nehemiah's prayers and Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt in 52 days, causing the enemy nations who heard to lose 'their self-confidence, because they realised this work had been done with the help of our God.'

When God looks for a leader, He knows the kind of man and woman He can count on. He knows that a leader who's a team player can turn weakness into strength, obstacles into stepping stones, and disaster into triumph. You may not see yourself as a leader per se, but people watch you every day. The question is, do they know who you are following? And that it's about Him - not you?

written by Bob Gass