The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. (Exodus 18:18)T minus 3 days and counting until the Installation Service on Sunday afternoon. I am convicted that it is more than coincidence this caught my attention in today's reading. Moses might not know it, but he's riding a runaway train toward burnout in his attempt to care for the people who followed him out of Egypt. They are depending on him; he knows it, and he's feeling the weight of that responsibility.
Thank God for his father-in-law Jethro, who can look at the situation objectively and give Moses some good counsel. We all need a Jethro in our lives. Please forgive me for the posted image.
From the very beginning, God never intended for us to go it alone. The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18)
[Choosing capable people who can help you fulfill your mission] will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you . . . and [everyone] will go home satisfied. (Exodus 18:22,23)
We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:3,4)
From Adam and Eve, to Moses and Jethro, to the Apostles and their newly appointed deacons, God has never intended us to shoulder the burden in solitary confinement. That's why he places us in a church family.
No need for forgiveness on the posted image - I love that Jethro, he was tremendously honest and always tried his best at all things. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like your thoughts here, no one (not even those wonderful shining Leaders we like to stick up on pedestals) can carry such burdens alone - And they weren't meant to.