Leadership Qualities for
the New Generation
(Nehemiah 1:1 - 2:20)
What vital qualities do young people need to face the challenges of the 21st century? What character traits should we build into the next generation towards the dawning of a new millennium? One of my favourite Bible characters is Nehemiah, who was a Jew born outside his own country, raised up in a culture, language and religious environment vastly different from those of his ancestors. Yet he kept the faith of his fathers and though he was not a priest nor a prophet, he was very serious about his religion. He wore three hats in his career life: a palace official, a wall-builder and a governor, and his faith permeated in every aspect of his life. I believe we can learn a few qualities from Nehemiah in the first two chapters of the book that bears his name.
Passion (Neh. 1:1-4)
The theme for Teens Conference '97 is "Who Cares?". It's an expression often used by young people to almost everything! But as someone put it "Apathy is the ally of Satan", God is looking for people who are concerned with His Kingdom, His people and His glory! When Nehemiah heard about the ruins of Jerusalem and the destitution of God's people, he sat down and wept, for some days he mourned and fasted and prayed(v.4). What an emotional guy! But this is what passion is all about, it's a God-given qualities that is often lacking in our generation. It was this passion that led Nehemiah to travel 800 miles from his influential palace job to the hard work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and in the process, the faith of God's people. What about you, what vision grips you so hard that you respond with zeal and commitment? One of the most important qualities for young people today is passion. We care because Jesus cares!
Prayer (Neh. 1:5-11)
A minister and his wife had invited his church group for a garden party, but discovered at the last moment they forgot to invite an old lady in the congregation. He called to apologized and said he hoped she could come, but she replied, "It's too late, I've already prayed for rain!" Do we misuse prayer like this old lady? Or do we just neglect prayer completely? Nehemiah is a man of action, but he is also a man of prayer, the book of Nehemiah is a testimony of his constant prayer (1:4, 2:4, 4:4, 4:9, 5:19, 6:9, 6:14...). But it's his prayer in Chapter 1 that gives us a lesson on the content of prayer. For those of us who need a pattern for our prayer, here is something to remember: ACTS.
Adoration(v.5) - Praise God for who He is.
Confession (v.6-7) - Confess our sins to God.
Thanksgiving (v.8-10) - Thank God for His deeds and His promises.
Supplication (v.11) - Specific requests made to God.
Such simple reminders may help us to cultivate the most important qualities this generation of young people need: Prayer!
May we use God-given passion and Christ-Centred prayer to fulfil God's plan in our lives, with the spirit of pathfinding (Neh. 2), people-oriented (Neh. 3,5) and perseverance (Neh. 4, 6, 13), just as Nehemiah did!
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