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JULY 25
13 And after some days King Agrippa and entered the auditorium with the commanders
Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’
14 When they had been there many days, command Paul was brought in. And Festus
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Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, say- said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are
ing: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by here present with us, you see this man about
Felix, about whom the chief priests and the whom the whole assembly of the Jews peti-
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elders of the Jews informed me, when I was tioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying
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in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against out that he was not fit to live any longer. But
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him. To them I answered, ‘It is not the cus- when I found that he had committed nothing
tom of the Romans to deliver any man to deserving of death, and that he himself had
destruction before the accused meets the appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.
accusers face to face, and has opportunity to 26 I have nothing certain to write to my lord
answer for himself concerning the charge concerning him. Therefore I have brought
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against him.’ Therefore when they had him out before you, and especially before you,
come together, without any delay, the next King Agrippa, so that after the examination
day I sat on the judgment seat and com- has taken place I may have something to
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manded the man to be brought in. When the write. For it seems to me unreasonable to
accusers stood up, they brought no accusa- send a prisoner and not to specify the charges
tion against him of such things as I supposed, against him.”
19 but had some questions against him about
their own religion and about a certain Jesus,
who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be
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alive. And because I was uncertain of such
questions, I asked whether he was willing to 25:26 I have nothing certain. Since Festus
go to Jerusalem and there be judged con- did not understand the nature of the charges
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cerning these matters. But when Paul ap- against Paul, he did not know what to write in
pealed to be reserved for the decision of his official report to Nero.For a provincial gov-
Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I ernor to send a prisoner to the emperor with
could send him to Caesar.” no clear charges against him was foolish,if not
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would dangerous. especially before you, King
like to hear the man myself.” Agrippa. Festus hoped Herod’s expertise in
Jewish affairs (26:3) would enable him to
“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.” make sense of the charges against Paul.
So the next day, when Agrippa and
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Bernice had come with great pomp, and had
DAY 25:What leadership qualities does Nehemiah illustrate in his life?
Like many biblical leaders, Nehemiah demonstrated an understanding of God’s call over his
life. Whether as cupbearer to a king or as the rebuilder of Jerusalem, Nehemiah pursued his goals
with commitment, careful planning, strategic delegation, creative problem solving, focus on the
task at hand,and a continual reliance on God,particularly regarding areas beyond his control.Each
of the leadership qualities above can be illustrated from Nehemiah’s successful completion of the
effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
First, Nehemiah demonstrated his commitment by his interest and his deep concern over the
condition of his fellow Jews in Judah.Next,Nehemiah prayed and planned.He claimed God’s prom-
ise to bring His people back to the Promised Land, but he didn’t assume that he would be part of
God’s action. He declared himself available (1:11; 2:5).
Even when he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah personally inspected the need before he
revealed his plans. Then he enlisted the help of the local leadership. He challenged them to take
responsibility for the common good. He placed before them a very specific goal—to rebuild the
wall.Workers were assigned to work on the wall where it ran closest to their own homes.That way
they could see the benefit in having the protective barrier near where they lived.
As the work sped forward, Nehemiah did not allow himself to be distracted by attacks of vari-
ous kings or tricks from enemies. He took threats seriously enough to arm the people but not so
seriously that the work came to a halt. At every turn, we find Nehemiah conferring in prayer with
God, placing every decision before the ultimate Decider. Nehemiah succeeded because he never
lost sight of the true reasons for the work and the source of power with which to do the work.

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