January 15, 2024

Exodus 18.17, 18 (NIV)

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 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.”

There may be over-doing even in well-doing.*

Doesn’t this seem to be a contradiction of one of our favorite New Testament verses: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4.13)? If we can do all things through him, why do we need other people?

God has his reasons for creating us with a need for each other. I don’t know his reasons but I know some practical truths about delegating.  When I first found myself with a staff to supervise, I was unprepared to let go of all the things I had previously done by myself – even the things I didn’t like to do and/or was not very good at. (I recall one time looking up and realizing that all three of my staff members were looking at me expectantly. “What?” I asked. “What do you want us to do?” one of them asked on behalf of the group.) Pretty soon I learned that 1) other people like to do some of the things I hate to do; 2) other people perform some tasks better than I do; 3) I was the boss so they had to do what I told them to; 4) knowing that I didn’t have to do it all by myself allowed me to be more creative and proactive in my own job.

While it is true that we can do all things through him who gives us strength, we are limited by our physical bodies and the laws of nature. Very seldom will God intervene in a supernatural way to help us accomplish his work – especially when he wants us to work as a team. In the community of faith, delegating takes on a spiritual dimension. In the words of Dwight L. Moody, “It is no kindness to others or service to God to do more than your share in the sacred duties of Church life."* When you try to do it all yourself, you deprive a brother or sister of their opportunity to bless and be blessed.

Finally, the most important lesson I have learned about delegating is that part of learning to trust God often involves trusting other people. When I can’t do it myself; when I don’t know what else to do; I have to trust that God will accomplish his purpose without my help.

Great men should not only study to be useful themselves, but contrive to make others useful.*

*Quote sources available upon request.