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• When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after two years, he found that the Israelites had abandoned their earlier commitments to the Lord. Nehemiah learned what all leaders must learn: a leader’s work is never done.

-Illustration: singers, musicians, actors, parents all must repeat what they do over and over.

• Nehemiah 13:8–9
• Most leaders don’t like a power struggle, but a good leader will not run from one.

-Illustration: Pastor who defended his sermons from the Bible.
-Illustration: Jesus drove the money changers from the temple.

• Nehemiah 13:11
• Leaders must be willing to direct and redirect people to their priorities.

-Illustration: Robert Schuller once said that he chose to fail so he could succeed. He said, “I chose to fail at golf, because I wanted to succeed as a father.”

• Nehemiah 13: 15, 23, 25, 26.
• Nehemiah rebuked the people of Israel for failing to observe the Sabbath and for intermarrying with other cultures.
• Illustration: Mike Ditka lost his temper while coaching the Bears.

• Leadership is a never-ending process; your work is never done. Leadership isn’t a part time job—it’s a full-time commitment. Leadership is not something you do; a leader is something you are.