Many people think that God is some kind of cosmic kill-joy, but NOTHING could be further from the truth. The truth is, God is the happiest being in the universe! C.S. Lewis said “joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21 tells us that “…Jesus, (was) full of joy through the Holy Spirit” and we can be also.
God is the happiest being in the universe!
Keep in mind that joy and happiness are not the same. You can be happy without being a Christian, but only a Christian can experience the joy spoken about in the Bible. You can be happy when . . .
You make good grades.
Your team wins the Regional Tournament.
You get engaged.
Your baby is born healthy.
You get a promotion at work.
Your checkup goes well.
Your portfolio is doing well.
Happiness is not wrong or bad, but happiness depends upon happenings! Happiness depends upon circumstances and is temporary at best. On the other hand, joy transcends circumstances and is eternal. You can be full of joy, even when . . .
Your grades disappoint you.
Your team doesn’t play well.
Your relationship ends.
Your baby has health challenges.
You lose your job.
The doctor says, “I’m sorry, but it’s cancer.”
The market crashes.
Walk closely with the Lord as a believer and experience His amazing joy! Jesus desires that our joy is “complete.” God is full of joy and the Holy Spirit desires to produce the fruit of joy in our lives each day.
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:10-11
Nehemiah was one of the greatest, most Godly leaders in the entire Word of God! We can learn much about modern-day leadership from his stellar example. You remember his story. When King Solomon died in 930 B.C., he left the kingdom of Israel teetering on collapse. As a result, the Kingdom of Israel divided.
In 722 B.C., 208 years after the kingdom divided, Samaria, the capitol of the Northern Kingdom, fell to the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom hung on another 136 years until 586 B.C. when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The walls of Jerusalem were utterly destroyed along with Solomon’s famed temple. Many of the Jews were captured and carried off to Babylon to live in exile.
In 538 B.C., Cyrus, king of Persia, defeated the Babylonians and became the new world power. In His sovereignty God led Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to their homeland and to rebuild the temple. The Books of Ezra & Nehemiah (originally on one scroll) stretches chronologically from 537-433 B.C. and recounts their story.
Ezra 2 tells us that 49,897 Jewish exiles returned to their homeland. Zerubabbel led them to rebuild the temple which was finally completed in 515 B.C. But, for the next 70 years after the temple’s completion, the walls and gates of Jerusalem still lay in ruins. Can you imagine how that made the Jews feel? Surely they knew they were in jeopardy. Surely they felt deep shame and longed for a better future.
Into this hopeless, dire situation stepped Nehemiah! In spite of the rocky road (pun intended) that ensued, he led them to accomplish in 52 days what they had not been able to accomplish the past 70 years. His Godly leadership made all the difference!
I believe that the most important factor in a church experiencing revitalization is leadership. But, not just any type of leadership—Godly leadership! Churches experiencing revitalization are led by pastors who walk closely with God and lead the church in the way He instructs them to lead. In the Book of Nehemiah, I see three marks of a Godly leader:
3 Marks of a Godly Leader
1. Godly leaders are called by God. When Nehemiah heard the tragic news about his beloved people, he immediately had a burden for them. As he prayed for them, God issued a call to Nehemiah to lead in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
2. Godly leaders live an exemplary life. Nehemiah was not perfect, but he was exemplary. The Bible tells us that he personally worked hard on the wall and that he paid his own expenses and the expenses of his servants. Although it would have been normal protocol for him to receive allowances as the governor (Nehemiah 5), he did not take them because he did not want to be a burden to the people. Now that’s an exemplary leader!
3. Godly leaders give priority to prayer. There are 12 instances of pray in the Book of Nehemiah. Dr. Billy Graham is quoted as saying “there are three secrets to living a successful Christian life: prayer, prayer, and prayer!” Nehemiah discovered that truth as do ALL Godly leaders.
Many members of our KBC churches share similarities with the Jews in this story. They are discouraged, they know their church is in jeopardy, and they desire a better future. Thank God for pastors all across our state who are striving to lead in a Godly manner. Pray with me that even more men of God will rise up and say “by the grace of God, I will be a Godly leader where God has placed me!”
Stephen C. Rice 