A leader is willing to get involved.

Nehemiah 2:5 reads, “And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”  Leaders involve themselves in the work and task at hand. Nehemiah was  not stand-offish about the work to be done. He did not ignore it. It is interesting to note what Nehemiah did not say. He did not say to the king, “Let me have someone else rebuild.” He did not say “I’ll find someone who can rebuild.” He did not say to the king “I don’t want to get involved. I don’t live there and what happens in Jerusalem does not involve me.” Instead, Nehemiah’s request of the king is littered with words like “me”, “my”, and “I”.

Leaders cannot separate the mission God has given to them and their personal involvement in that mission. Nehemiah had a reason to get involved. Jerusalem was the land of origin for his people. Jerusalem was the holy city and the center of worship for the Jewish nation. Jerusalem, often referred to as “the City of God”, served as a witness to the power, worth, and majesty of God Himself. His mission was to rebuild, restore, and reclaim the splendor of God among the Jews and the watching pagan nations. How could he not be personally involved? Leaders must be willing to invest their resources. Leaders must be willing to invest their time. Leaders must be willing to invest everything they are and have to fulfill the mission and mandate God Himself has placed on them. There is no such thing as leadership by proxy.