Sunday, 1/11/09, Day 60, Exodus 18:1-27

Are you doing too much? Which responsibilities has God clearly given you? Which might you need to release to someone else?

I really appreciated this one. Moses was doing all of the work, so much so that Jethro, his father-in-law, had to step in and actually rebuke him for doing too much. Moses had his nose to the grindstone, automatically stepping into every role, so close to all the action that he didn't recognize when to step back. It took someone else to help him see that he needed to delegate the work. Moses was actually keeping others from doing the work that God may have intended for them to complete. Stepping back also allowed Moses to do other things.

Often we fall into the same trap without thinking. We need to learn to say "no" sometimes, and let someone else handle some of the work. We need to recognize our own limitations and see the potential in others. Otherwise, without realizing it, one day we will burn out and not understand why. Not everything we do is God's purpose for us, even though it may be good or needed.