TOGETHER
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.” Exodus 18:17, ESV
Theme: Even servant leaders, as faithful and humble as Moses, can end up doing too many things and become exhausted. This is not good.
THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE
All of us have heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. We usually think of the hare as over-confident, proud, idle (when he lays down for a nap), and irresponsible. “Slow and steady wins the race,” right? And that pokey tortoise plods his way right to the finish line!
But what if the hare needed to lay down and rest because he was too hyped up, set too fast a pace, and didn’t listen to his body in the early stages? What if the tortoise took his time, relied on his support crew, rehydrated, and kept a steady pace that his body could handle? And THAT’S what won the race! This interpretation might be a good moral for today’s busy lifestyles.
IN REAL LIFE
In the NFL play-offs, we’ve been watching some “one-man teams” where all the weight of every play depends on the quarterback. He must be Superman, and the announcers will occasionally say: “He needs to put on his cape right about now.” Or they comment, “This next play is all up to him.” Teams where every person is not playing with all they have, leaving every bit of effort on the field, are not the teams who win in the long haul.
Other teams tell their QB, “It’s not all on you. We’re in this together, win or lose,” which is a much more accurate statement! The best passer in the world is nothing without a receiver. The best running back doesn’t have a crease to get through the defensive line without an offensive tackle making that hole for him. The very best teams also have defensive lines that reach up and tip the ball as it passes overhead. They strip balls and cause fumbles. They pick those passes.
MOSES AND HIS WISE FATHER-IN-LAW
Moses knew he was God’s appointed leader. Though he originally felt ill-prepared to lead the people, he soon took up the position and tried his hardest. His mistake was “trying his hardest.” God had asked him to lead the people, not do it all. I give Moses credit: when his father-in-law advised him, he listened. He learned. He delegated.
It’s a core leadership principle at The Cove: don’t do ministry alone. Always be teaching someone else what you are doing. Always be actively learning from someone else to do what they already know and do well. Be filling your cup from those ahead of you; be pouring out your cup to those beside or behind you in their spiritual journey.
Make It Personal: No matter what you are facing today, or this week or this month, you’ll find your trial easier to face, and your burden easier to bear with someone else. When it comes to ministry, you must share both the privilege and the burden with others if you want to produce fruit: a crop of a thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold (Mathew 13:23). In the words of an African proverb (and paraphrased in “Mufasa: The Lion King”): “If you wanna go fast, go alone; if you wanna go far, we go together."
Pray: Lord, thank You for the abilities You have given me. Help me to remember to include You and my brothers and sisters in Christ in my journey and ministry. I do not need to do it alone. In fact, I will produce much more fruit when I partner with others to accomplish the tasks You have placed before me. Give me a humble spirit, and a willingness to ask for help. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
Read: Acts 6:1-7; Ecclesiastes 4:7-12; Exodus 17:8-13
Weekly Memory Verse: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1a, ESV