Good morning. I hope you had a great weekend.
Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed? During this time of year, my friends who are tax preparers and accountants begin feeling that way. We all face demanding circumstances in our lives. The expectations put upon us by ourselves and others can quickly leave us out of gas and ineffective.
In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we find a great bit of advice, that all of us can put into practice. Moses was listening to the disputes of the people from sun up to sun down, making judgments in these contested matters. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro observed this and realized that Moses’ was not only hurting himself, but it would ultimately hurt the people too. To put it simple, Moses’ had too much on his plate. Take a look at the advice Jethro gives his son-in-law:
Exodus 18:17-23 (NASB)
17 And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.
18 “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19 “Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,
20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk, and the work they are to do.
21 “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
22 “And let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
23 “If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
There are two key pieces of instruction that Jethro gives. The first is that Moses should equip the people. Give them the knowledge to make good decisions. In this case it was through the teaching of God’s statures and laws, plus the application of those statutes and laws.
Secondarily, Moses needed to choose men of good character and delegate the responsibility of hearing disputes to them. Moses needed to give away this part of his workload to those who were capable of carrying it for him. Moses’ true responsibility was to be the representative of the people before God.
As you begin this new year, I encourage you to examine some ways you can apply Jethro’s advice to your own life and circumstances. Are there tasks around the home that your children need to be trained in? Is there a task in the workplace that could be delegated to another capable individual. Ask God to guide you in these questions of equipping and delegating. In the long run you will be better off for taking this step.
Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed? During this time of year, my friends who are tax preparers and accountants begin feeling that way. We all face demanding circumstances in our lives. The expectations put upon us by ourselves and others can quickly leave us out of gas and ineffective.
In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we find a great bit of advice, that all of us can put into practice. Moses was listening to the disputes of the people from sun up to sun down, making judgments in these contested matters. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro observed this and realized that Moses’ was not only hurting himself, but it would ultimately hurt the people too. To put it simple, Moses’ had too much on his plate. Take a look at the advice Jethro gives his son-in-law:
Exodus 18:17-23 (NASB)
17 And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.
18 “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19 “Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,
20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk, and the work they are to do.
21 “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
22 “And let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
23 “If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
There are two key pieces of instruction that Jethro gives. The first is that Moses should equip the people. Give them the knowledge to make good decisions. In this case it was through the teaching of God’s statures and laws, plus the application of those statutes and laws.
Secondarily, Moses needed to choose men of good character and delegate the responsibility of hearing disputes to them. Moses needed to give away this part of his workload to those who were capable of carrying it for him. Moses’ true responsibility was to be the representative of the people before God.
As you begin this new year, I encourage you to examine some ways you can apply Jethro’s advice to your own life and circumstances. Are there tasks around the home that your children need to be trained in? Is there a task in the workplace that could be delegated to another capable individual. Ask God to guide you in these questions of equipping and delegating. In the long run you will be better off for taking this step.
Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
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