Moses had parted a sea. He had watched water break from a rock. And now he sat from morning till evening, judging people’s problems. Was this faithfulness?
“The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” (Exodus 18 v 13-18)
Moses, the judge, oversaw maybe a million or more people.
Work can look like devotion when it isn’t, and others, like Jethro, see it before we do.
I’ve been brought up to ask, ‘Is this commanded work?’ Meaning simply, is this what God wants from me? There are moments when we need someone to come alongside and say, “What you are doing is not good” (v. 17).
The things that ruin us rarely look like sin; in fact, they can look like faithfulness. Indispensability can feel like holiness. It is usually just pride with nice packaging.
The big question is whether we are humble enough to let someone speak into our lives. Especially in reordering it.
The work God gives us is never meant to be carried alone before Him. We need others to help us. Jethro’s questions still stand over every overfull diary.
Is this commanded work, or is it just work I can’t let go of? Maybe someone close to you needs to answer that.
Missions Paul 