Key Verse

Nehemiah 1:2b And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

Pastor Alex defined leadership this morning as “influence”. We all influence someone, so we are all leaders. Today’s message showed us that leaders ask the right questions.

In 931 BC the Kingdom split into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). They were in captivity for 70 years, but then Cyrus, a pagan king, let Israel go home. The city of Jerusalem was now in ruins, and so Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artexerxes, begins to ask questions about his homeland and family. What he finds out is that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and its gates were destroyed by fire. This broke Nehemiah’s heart, and so he began to pray…

Questions to discuss as a family today

1. Who do you lead (influence)?

2. Go stand at your front door and look at the hinges. Discuss a time as a family that a simple question changed the your course.

3. Each night at dinner, talk about the intentional questions who asked during the day.

4. In preparation for next week, read Nehemiah 1:5-11.

Prayer

Spend time giving God glory for who He is. Ask Him to show you who to talk to this week and what questions should be asked. Ask Him for wisdom to lead well. Thank Him for His faithfulness!