Above Reproach - Nehemiah 5

Sometimes in order to lead, sacrifices must be made. Nehemiah made a point to never use his position and office as one to take advantage. Especially in this difficult time, when his people were working so hard, and doing without….he made sure that;
- I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
- we did not acquire any land.
- I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.
I was reminded of an article I read last week about the inauguration. The cost of all the balls and galas totally over $150 million dollars, and in this time of economic crisis and people are hurting….The President could have really made an impact with what he didn’t do…or what he refrained from. According to the article…there were some cut and some things that were cancelled, but this Inauguration was the most expensive by far. Honestly, I’m sure the next one will be too.
But President Obama missed an opportunity to put his money where his mouth was. In light of our current economy and as a proponent to the poor and middle class….it would have made a lot of sense to under sell the Inauguration pomp and circumstance. Just so you know…I’m sure McCain would have done the same thing.
In this way Nehemiah’s motives were never questioned. I think this is a great lesson for believers and leaders. We walk a fine line anyway….but this is a way to live above reproach.