Corporate Devotion

Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month… And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. – Nehemiah 8:1-2,5-6

Another lesson every leader can learn from Nehemiah is devotion. We had earlier meditated on his culture of personal devotion and how that helped him in realizing his leadership potential by embarking on the journey that turned out to prove pivotal to his destiny and the lives of his compatriots in Judah. The life of devotion he had was what got him moving to do something about the battered state of Jerusalem and its people. It was also what helped him to successfully navigate the many challenges he encountered along the way.

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However, having achieved his immediate objective, he realized the need to also bring the people up to speed in their relationship with God. That was why he summoned a holy assembly, or a corporate devotion of sorts, to reacquaint the people with God. He had Ezra, the priest, read the scriptures to the people in an open assembly, something that had not been done in a long time, so that they could listen to the word of God and take note of His counsel concerning them.

Now, Nehemiah was not a religious leader. But he had the good sense to initiate a reconciliation between God and His estranged children, the people of Judah. He took a spiritual initiative that had not been done before for several years, since the days of Solomon perhaps hundreds of years before then.

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to provide direction, and one of the destinations a leader should lead his people is to God. That was what Nehemiah did at this gathering. He could have chosen to organize a funfair or an entertaining event of any kind. While there is nothing wrong with that, it is instructive that the very first general assembly he summoned was for the purpose of spiritual rebirth, a devotion to reacquaint the people with God and have them informed about His statutes.

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This is a key obligation of leaders at all levels, from a family head to national or global leaders. In a world that is suffering from various forms of identity crisis, one of the best things a leader can do is to bring her people into a spiritual connection with God, lead them to God, serve God with them and commit them to God. This should be done in sincerity and without guile, as God cannot be fooled. People also know when they are being deceived or manipulated by a leader with lopsided intentions.

Any leader who can successfully lead and sustain a spiritual initiative in corporate devotions will not just enjoy a peaceful and prosperous run in office but will also be shaping the destinies of her people for the better on the long run. Try it and see.

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

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