Day 7 – Intermingling Roots And Leadership Fruit

“Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28, NLT)

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20, NLT)

“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:12-13, NLT)

“My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT)

The giant sequoia trees stand as tall as the length of a football field and have lived for as long as two thousand years. If you walk through the forest, you will see signs explaining that the trees have been able to stand because they grow in groves. Though their roots are only a few feet into the ground, they intermingle with other roots, which keeps them standing.

As this week of Bible study draws to a close, I want to help you understand the intermingling roots that kept Nehemiah standing through storms, intermingling roots that produced his fruitful leadership.

Without healthy leadership roots, you will not have the fruit you and others desire.

Vision. If a leader runs to the fruit of vision but doesn’t focus on the roots of burden and belief, the leader could be tempted to borrow someone else’s vision, a vision severed from a deep burden for their specific context. (See Nehemiah 1.)

Conviction. If a leader desires to give the appearance of being convictional but skips over clarity and courage, the leader will speak inconsistently because the leader’s “convictions” are constantly changing and not real convictions. (See Nehemiah 2.)

Servanthood. If leaders know they need to be servants because they have heard that is what the best leaders do, they can be tempted to pretend—to do a few things that look servant-like. But if they have not embraced thinking big and acting small, the lack of healthy roots will be uncovered when a storm hits. (See Nehemiah 3.)

Perseverance. We want this. Perhaps your idealism has been shattered by the stories of toppled leaders. While longing for the fruit of perseverance can be motivating, leaders must focus on the intermingling roots of fighting and being content that God is fighting for them. (See Nehemiah 4–5:13.)

Credibility. We cannot lead without credibility. While leaders long for the fruit of credibility, the fruit comes through the intermingling of character, commitment, competence, chemistry, and capacity. (See Nehemiah 5:14–7:73.)

Transformation. Leadership has always been associated with change. Transformation theorists have debated which comes first, beliefs or behavior. But theorists agree the fruit of real organizational transformation is the result of both beliefs and behavior being transformed. A leader who talks about transformation but has not worked on the roots of beliefs and behavior is engaging in wishful thinking. (See Nehemiah 8–12.)

Resolve. Predeciding you will stick to your convictions and persevere through difficult challenges of leadership takes resolve. While leaders want the fruit of resolve, they must learn to live with two roots intermingled—restlessness and resting. (See Nehemiah 13.)