Scripture: Exodus 18:14-16
Now
when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said,
"What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone
sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until
evening?" Moses said to
his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. "When
they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor
and make known the statutes of God and His laws."
Insights: Monday I referenced a fairly
lengthy quote from John Calvin. Let me
pick that quote up here to help us understand this second point a little
better. Calvin wrote, “Here, too, it
is worth while to remark, that no single mortal can be sufficient to do
everything, however many and various may be the endowments wherein he excels. .
. . Let, then, God’s servant learn to measure carefully their powers, lest they
should wear out, by ambitiously embracing too many occupations. . . . let us
learn that in the human race God has so arranged our condition, that
individuals are only endued with a certain measure of gifts, on which the
distribution of office depends.” What
Calvin was saying as well as Jethro to Moses was if we do all the work
ourselves, we are going to wear ourselves out.
Now I want you to know that Moses did not have an elitist mindset as
some people do. In other words, he was
not doing things by himself because he thought he was the only one capable of
doing the work. I believe his heart and
his words reflect his ignorance to what a burden he was creating. He had not considered the codependent
relationship he was developing with the people.
The same thing must be overcome by the church of the twenty-first
century as well. Pastors are not supposed
to do all the work. If they do, then
they are creating the same codependent relationship that Moses had been
developing. In the end that is not a
healthy outcome for anyone. Tomorrow we
are going to look more closely at the area of giftedness that was already in
place and talk in more depth about the gift(s) God has given you. For God has indeed gifted you for the work of
ministry. Our lives are to reflect the
glory of God to a world desperate for His love through our giftedness.
Questions:
- How has God equipped you to work within the Body of
Christ?
- Are you using your gift(s) to bring glory to God?
Prayer: Father, thank
You that You have endowed me with gift(s) to be used in Your service. Grow me in these areas and allow me to be the
most effective I can be for You. Amen.
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