Day 18
Return to
them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and
their houses, and the percentage of money grain, wine, and oil you have been
exacting from them.
Nehemiah
5:11
When
holding others accountable, we should provide clear, biblical, and unemotional
direction. When Nehemiah calls his fellow Jews to account for the way they had
been treating each other, he tells them exactly what they need to do. They are
to return the property, resources, and money that they had unfairly exacted
from their neighbors.
When
working with others, one of the greatest challenges is to disconnect emotionally
from the circumstance and provide clear, objective advice. If we do not
disconnect, emotions can take over and we fail to think clearly and biblically.
The art of disconnecting allows us to keep our feelings from coloring how we
see things.
One
of the easiest ways to do this is to recognize that it really is not about us.
It is about doing what God would have us to do and acting justly. Whether we
are holding someone accountable for how they treated us, or how they treated
others, we want to remain calm and rational.
It
is of further helps if we can be clear as to what needs to happen. This is where
Nehemiah demonstrates such genius. He does not get emotional or over react. He
simply says stop doing what you are doing and make right what has already been
done.
Nehemiah
also displays a great amount of humility in that he does not exclude himself. In
verse 10 he says, “I and my brothers…are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon
this exacting of interest.” Nehemiah is able to see where he has failed. This
ultimately gives him the moral authority to coach others.
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