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Walk into any bookstore and you can find an entire row devoted to business development,

including advice on how to accelerate personal success and how to inspire employees to reach their goals.

But there's nothing in those books that rivals the wisdom found in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall continues his series on leadership called Hand Me Another Brick.

Nehemiah was charged to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.

His story provides timeless lessons on leadership.

Chuck titled today's message Love, Loans, and the Money Crunch.

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Please turn with me and your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 5.

It's in this chapter we'll begin our reading at verse 1.

But before I do that, you recall in our last message how Nehemiah had masterfully addressed the criticism that came from his enemies.

Well, today's passage uncovers an even more complicated task.

And that's a laying the criticism and fears that had arisen among his own people.

You see, new sounds of discontentment were erupting within the partially completed walls of Jerusalem.

By now, money problems were opening up deep conflicts between the people, threatening the completion of their God-given task

to build that wall around the old city.

Whatever you're dealing with, whether it's finances, money, budgets, shortfalls, or lines of credit,

whether balancing the family checkbook or the nation's budget, everybody in leadership has to cope with two things.

Money problems and personal issues that invariably arise.

This is a good time for me to give you a little background on this issue.

For many years, the Jews of Nehemiah's day had been gradually returning from exile to live again in their beloved city of Jerusalem.

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