WEBVTT 00:00:05.450 --> 00:00:08.089 Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity 00:00:08.089 --> 00:00:10.730 Sermons. This week we're continuing our sermon 00:00:10.730 --> 00:00:13.470 series called A Matter of Time, where we're looking 00:00:13.470 --> 00:00:15.970 at what does the Bible teach us about time, how 00:00:15.970 --> 00:00:18.510 should we use our time, and today we're going 00:00:18.510 --> 00:00:21.609 to dive into the example of Moses. Moses was 00:00:21.609 --> 00:00:24.449 a really important leader, but he was doing all 00:00:24.449 --> 00:00:27.789 kinds of things, maybe some things that he shouldn't 00:00:27.789 --> 00:00:32.000 have been doing. How does Moses teach us? how 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.659 to make better use of our time and empower other 00:00:34.659 --> 00:00:42.500 leaders all around us. This reading is from Exodus 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:47.979 18. Jethro, Moses' father -in -law, together 00:00:47.979 --> 00:00:51.719 with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:53.799 wilderness where he was camped near the mountain 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:57.399 of God. So Moses went out to meet his father 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:01.289 -in -law and bowed down and kissed him. they 00:01:01.289 --> 00:01:04.209 greeted each other and then went into the tent 00:01:04.209 --> 00:01:07.909 the next day moses took his seat to serve as 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:10.909 judge for the people and they stood around him 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:14.250 from morning till evening when his father -in 00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:16.950 -law saw all that moses was doing for the people 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:20.090 he said what is this you are doing for the people 00:01:20.090 --> 00:01:24.170 why do you alone sit as judge while all these 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:27.069 people stand around you from morning till evening 00:01:27.069 --> 00:01:31.819 moses answered him because the people come to 00:01:31.819 --> 00:01:35.500 me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, 00:01:35.700 --> 00:01:38.620 it is brought to me, and I decide between the 00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:41.599 parties and inform them of God's decrees and 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.439 instructions. Moses' father -in -law replied, 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:49.340 What you're doing is not good. You and these 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:51.780 people who come to you will only wear yourselves 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:55.920 out. The work is too heavy for you. You cannot 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:59.900 handle it alone. listen now to me and i will 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.620 give you some advice and may god be with you 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:06.159 you must be the people's representative before 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:10.479 god and bring their disputes to him teach them 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.560 his decrees and instructions and show them the 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:15.759 way they are to live and how they are to behave 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:21.159 but select capable men from all the people men 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:24.800 who fear god trustworthy men who hate dishonest 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:28.349 gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, 00:02:28.849 --> 00:02:33.870 hundreds, fifties, and tens. Have them serve 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:38.069 as judges for the people at all times. But have 00:02:38.069 --> 00:02:42.430 them bring every difficult case to you, the simple 00:02:42.430 --> 00:02:46.969 cases they can decide themselves. That will make 00:02:46.969 --> 00:02:49.229 your load lighter because they will share it 00:02:49.229 --> 00:02:53.060 with you. If you do this, and God so commands, 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:56.340 you will be able to stand the strain, and all 00:02:56.340 --> 00:03:00.699 these people will go home satisfied. Moses listened 00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:02.979 to his father -in -law and did everything he 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:07.120 said. He chose capable men from all Israel and 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:10.740 made them leaders of the people, officials over 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:15.340 thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They 00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:18.379 served as judges for the people at all times. 00:03:19.210 --> 00:03:22.289 The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:26.310 the simple ones they decided themselves. Then 00:03:26.310 --> 00:03:30.150 Moses sent his father -in -law on his way, and 00:03:30.150 --> 00:03:34.069 Jethro returned to his own country. The Word 00:03:34.069 --> 00:03:36.780 of the Lord. You'll remember a few weeks ago, 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:40.900 we read in Psalm 90, this prayer, God teach us 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:44.659 to number our days so that we may gain a heart 00:03:44.659 --> 00:03:47.979 of wisdom. And so what we've been talking about 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:50.379 is we've been talking about A, how little time 00:03:50.379 --> 00:03:53.560 that we have, B, kind of how our priorities are 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.099 so important about how we spend our time, and 00:03:56.099 --> 00:03:59.240 C, you know, how easy it is to spend our time 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.719 chasing after all the wrong things. Now today, 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:04.199 though, we're going to do something that's just 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.500 a little bit different we're going to talk about 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:11.479 how time relates to leadership And some of you 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:13.819 might say, well, that kind of doesn't apply to 00:04:13.819 --> 00:04:17.199 me. I'm not a leader. And so maybe I can just 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:19.879 tune out for the next 20 minutes or so. But I 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:22.540 wanted to say, just hold on. There are many, 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:25.560 many places where we are all called to exercise 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.180 the gift of leadership, whether that's the workplace, 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.300 whether it's our home, our school, our families, 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.459 right? Definitely our church here at Trinity. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:37.540 Leadership is so, so, so important. And leadership 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:40.959 is also really important to God. Some of you 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.240 may know that a few years ago, I did some doctoral 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.959 research on the topic of leadership development. 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:48.339 So I'm kind of interested in this, but I have 00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:51.079 to tell you, most of my learning about leadership 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:54.100 didn't happen there. It happened the hard way 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:57.620 when I made some pretty classic leadership mistakes, 00:04:57.879 --> 00:05:00.980 especially in my early days of being a minister. 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:04.540 You see, when I began this gig, you know, 22 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:08.920 years ago, I bought into a very big myth. And 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:14.300 that myth was the myth of the well -rounded leader. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:16.600 The well -rounded leader. You probably heard 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:20.500 that phrase before. And the reason I bought into 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:22.639 that is because the very first church I was at, 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:26.500 I was really like the only... you know, paid 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:29.740 staff person there, but I was okay because I 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:33.220 was going to be a well -rounded leader. And so 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:36.240 as a result, of course, I did the preaching and 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:40.639 the teaching. I also led Bible studies. I did 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.079 the pastoral care. I did the home visits, the 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:46.040 home communions. I did the hospital visits, right? 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:49.819 Because I was a very well -rounded leader. I 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:53.399 led committees. I led board meetings. I was in 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:56.029 charge of fundraising. I was in charge of property 00:05:56.029 --> 00:05:58.189 issues. If there were contractors that came to 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:00.709 the church, I talked to them. Why? Because I 00:06:00.709 --> 00:06:03.329 was a well -rounded leader. And when there were 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:06.029 legal things going on and lawyers, I would talk 00:06:06.029 --> 00:06:08.589 to the lawyers. Why? Because I was a well -rounded 00:06:08.589 --> 00:06:12.250 leader, of course. I was also the IT guy, right? 00:06:12.310 --> 00:06:15.589 So if the printer jammed, you called me, right? 00:06:15.670 --> 00:06:18.730 If there was, you know, a property with a problem 00:06:18.730 --> 00:06:21.149 with the computer, if it wouldn't load or something, 00:06:21.250 --> 00:06:26.680 you give me a call. the website And I also did 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:30.060 all the social media. See how well -rounded I 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:34.600 was, right? I also, we had a new AV system installed 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:37.379 in that church when I got there. And for some 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:38.959 reason, it seemed like I was the only person 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:41.800 who really knew how to use it. So kind of, I 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:43.500 was the one who was kind of in charge of that 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:47.699 too. You know, every week, I also led the youth 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:51.019 group. And every two weeks, we would have these 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:55.730 youth outreach dances. I was helping to lead 00:06:55.730 --> 00:06:58.029 those two. Heck, I was just leading them. And 00:06:58.029 --> 00:07:01.769 every Sunday at church, I would do like a children's 00:07:01.769 --> 00:07:07.389 time. And also I picked all the music. And you 00:07:07.389 --> 00:07:11.170 might not believe this, but actually I played, 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:15.009 I helped lead worship from time to time when 00:07:15.009 --> 00:07:17.970 I was there. And see if I can still remember 00:07:17.970 --> 00:07:24.079 a few of these little. See? Lord, I lift your 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:29.480 name on high. Yeah, there it is. So, frankly, 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:33.800 let's be quite honest here. I don't know how 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:38.439 I survived those years. Thanks, Libby. Aren't 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:44.779 you glad God made Libby? I don't know how the 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:46.839 church survived those years. And actually, the 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:49.600 truth is I didn't just do these things. I actually 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:53.360 thought I was good at doing these things. But 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.819 it was all a myth. It was all a myth. And over 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:58.579 time, I discovered that there is no such thing 00:07:58.579 --> 00:08:02.600 as a well -rounded leader. There are gifted leaders. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:05.279 There are faithful leaders. There are very wise 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:10.139 leaders. But nobody is good at everything. And 00:08:10.139 --> 00:08:13.660 in fact, great leaders are rarely great. because 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.139 they're great at everything, right? We usually 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:21.100 have, all of us, just a few areas of real strength, 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:23.420 and most of the other things, we're kind of mediocre, 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:27.240 or let's be honest, we're not very good at those 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.040 things. Now, here at Trinity, man, oh, man, we 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:32.899 are so blessed. We have so many wonderful leaders. 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:34.580 I'm just, you know, looking around this morning. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.360 We've got Peter back there on the soundboard, 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:38.480 you know, leading that. We've got Kathy, who 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:40.960 leads our chancel group. I see, you know, the 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:43.080 Brandons and the Wilsons are helping to lead 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:46.799 our Alpha ministry. Many of you lead life groups. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:49.659 And on staff, too. I mean, I've got to tell you, 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:52.740 Alex is a brainiac when it comes to media stuff 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:55.100 in a way I could never get my head around. Same 00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:57.480 with Natalie. Natalie loves numbers and finance. 00:08:57.610 --> 00:09:00.950 I can never understand it. Liz Leak pays so much 00:09:00.950 --> 00:09:04.149 attention to detail. It drives me crazy. I could 00:09:04.149 --> 00:09:07.929 never do that. But you know, none of us are well 00:09:07.929 --> 00:09:10.149 -rounded leaders. But when we're all together, 00:09:10.509 --> 00:09:12.889 we're kind of a well -rounded team. None of us 00:09:12.889 --> 00:09:16.230 are good at everything, but actually we're pretty 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.610 darn great when we're all working together. And 00:09:19.610 --> 00:09:21.389 that is because God never designed leadership 00:09:21.389 --> 00:09:25.269 to be this solo act. It would be a waste of time. 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:29.399 For all of us to try to keep finding more and 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:31.320 more ways to be good leaders, to be more and 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.860 more well -rounded. We would all suffer. And 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:37.720 the people would suffer. The world would suffer. 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:41.750 And that's what brings us to Moses. Because in 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:44.169 the reading that we just read in Exodus 18, we 00:09:44.169 --> 00:09:47.889 find Moses and he's trying to do everything himself. 00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:51.549 And it is crushing him. It is crushing the people. 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:55.009 And everyone is suffering. And Moses is going 00:09:55.009 --> 00:09:57.870 to learn the same lesson that I had to learn 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:01.269 and that we all need to learn, which is that 00:10:01.269 --> 00:10:04.090 the greatest leaders are not people who spend 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:09.419 their time doing. everything themselves. I've 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:11.679 given you some sermon notes. You can follow along. 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.159 We're going to basically go through the story. 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:15.480 We're going to go through the whole story that 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:17.460 we just read there. But before we get to Exodus 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.779 18, let's just pause and remember, how did Moses 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:25.200 get himself into this situation? Moses was Israel's 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:26.940 leader, but I have to tell you, he didn't go 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.259 through a job application process. There was 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:31.039 no search committee. There was no job description. 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:36.340 There was no HR manual for this job. Moses got 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:38.899 this leadership job basically because God came 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:41.100 to him and said, Moses, I have heard the cry 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:43.480 of my people in bondage in Egypt, and I want 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:47.179 you to go set them free. And Moses said, literally, 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:51.299 God, choose anybody else but me. But anyways, 00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:55.139 God sent Moses, and Moses went and said, Pharaoh, 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.799 let my people go. And Pharaoh wouldn't let them 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.960 go, and the plagues came. And then finally they 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:03.600 were released. And then, of course, there was 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:07.220 going through the Red Sea. And now they were 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:11.009 free. And now Moses finds himself leading this 00:11:11.009 --> 00:11:13.570 group of people. And I dare say, could have been 00:11:13.570 --> 00:11:16.450 in the millions of people wandering through the 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:18.769 wilderness. They have no constitution. They have 00:11:18.769 --> 00:11:20.669 no courthouse. They have no police department. 00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:25.950 They just have Moses. And when your whole organizational 00:11:25.950 --> 00:11:29.590 chart comes down to one guy, guess where every 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:34.590 problem goes? To that guy, right? And so today's 00:11:34.590 --> 00:11:40.269 story begins. When Jethro arrives, so that's 00:11:40.269 --> 00:11:43.230 Moses' father -in -law. Moses' father -in -law. 00:11:43.289 --> 00:11:44.850 So apparently what had happened is when Moses 00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:47.149 went off to do this whole like saving Egypt thing, 00:11:47.250 --> 00:11:49.950 he left his wife and his kids with his father 00:11:49.950 --> 00:11:52.370 -in -law. And now that he's done that and they've 00:11:52.370 --> 00:11:55.909 escaped, they're all being reunited again. And 00:11:55.909 --> 00:11:58.529 so now Jethro is bringing the kids and bringing 00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:01.029 Moses' wife, Jethro's daughter, back to Moses. 00:12:01.470 --> 00:12:03.950 And, you know, that's pretty intimidating. I 00:12:03.950 --> 00:12:06.129 don't know how many degrees you have or how successful. 00:12:06.190 --> 00:12:07.909 successful you are but I'd say when your father 00:12:07.909 --> 00:12:10.850 -in -law shows up to your workplace you always 00:12:10.850 --> 00:12:14.309 sit up a little bit straighter because here's 00:12:14.309 --> 00:12:17.509 my father -in -law and and Moses goes out to 00:12:17.509 --> 00:12:19.610 meet his father -in -law and this is how you 00:12:19.610 --> 00:12:21.269 know we're dealing with a very different culture 00:12:21.269 --> 00:12:26.169 he he goes and he bows down and kisses his feet 00:12:26.990 --> 00:12:29.730 And I got to tell you, I mean, I love my father 00:12:29.730 --> 00:12:33.149 -in -law. But when he comes for a visit, I do 00:12:33.149 --> 00:12:36.990 not go out and bow down and kiss his feet. If 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.769 I did that, that would make for a very awkward 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:43.230 Christmas dinner, I think. But in Moses' culture, 00:12:43.370 --> 00:12:45.710 this was a sign of honor and it was a sign of 00:12:45.710 --> 00:12:47.409 respect. And that is actually really important 00:12:47.409 --> 00:12:49.350 to keep in mind in this story. Moses actually 00:12:49.350 --> 00:12:52.269 respected his father -in -law because later on... 00:12:52.590 --> 00:12:53.870 his father -in -law is going to give him some 00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:55.629 advice. And Moses is actually going to listen 00:12:55.629 --> 00:12:57.669 to that advice, which is actually hard for a 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:01.830 lot of leaders to do. But anyways, when he arrives, 00:13:01.830 --> 00:13:05.330 we're told that they went into the tent and they 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:08.110 started talking about everything that the Lord 00:13:08.110 --> 00:13:11.029 had done. And so Moses is like, hey, Jethro, 00:13:11.029 --> 00:13:13.269 you'll never guess, you know, I went into Egypt 00:13:13.269 --> 00:13:16.460 and I said, let my... people go and he said no 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:18.340 and then there were gnats and there were flies 00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:21.279 and the nile turned to blood and then then there 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:24.080 was like the passover and then finally let us 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.899 go and then pharaoh changed his mind he chased 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:28.840 after us and then we were trapped by the red 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:31.379 sea and then actually got part of the waters 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:34.179 of the red sea it's just he's catching he's catching 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:36.620 him up on all the stuff that had just happened 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:40.720 and jethro you know we read was delighted to 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:44.480 hear all the things that the lord had done for 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.259 Israel. And, you know, it is lovely, you know, 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:48.960 because here you have your father -in -law Jethro 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:53.220 celebrating his son -in -law and everything his 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:56.399 son -in -law has done. That's perfect. That's 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:58.299 wonderful. It's what every son -in -law wants 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:01.080 is to earn his father -in -law's respect. But 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:05.279 then the next day comes. And Moses, of course, 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:07.799 has to go back to work. And this is where things 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:12.019 get interesting. So Moses took his seat. To serve 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:14.799 as judge for the people. And they stood around 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:19.700 him from morning until evening. Now Jethro comes 00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:22.440 along at this point. And this is maybe like the 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:24.919 first annual bring your father -in -law to work 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:28.799 day. I don't know. But Jethro, what he sees is 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:32.600 unbelievable to him. So Moses has the job of 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:35.080 being the judge. Of all these people. And people 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:37.580 are lining up from morning to evening. They're 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:39.919 coming to Moses and they're saying, hey Moses, 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:42.980 this person stole my goat. Or Moses, this person 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:45.919 parked his camel too close to my tent. Or hey 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.820 Moses, this guy's kids are too loud at night. 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:51.059 Or Moses, she keeps lighting a fire and all the 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:54.039 smoke is burning and blowing into my tent. What 00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:55.740 are you going to do about it? Moses, sort it 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:57.620 out. Moses, sort it out. Moses, sort it out. 00:14:57.659 --> 00:15:00.379 And Moses is probably feeling really, really 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:03.080 important. Sitting there, this huge line of people. 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:05.840 kind of coming to see him. And he's waving over 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.200 at his father -in -law. He's saying, this is 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:13.519 leadership. And Jethro is watching, saying, this 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.559 is crazy is what this is. Jethro, I think, goes 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:20.500 over to Moses and says, Moses, hey, listen, can 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:22.480 I just talk to you for a minute? Can we just 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:25.080 have a little conversation? And they come on 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:29.100 over. And Jethro says, listen. What are you doing 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.399 here? What is it you're doing for these people? 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:36.799 Why are you sitting alone as the judge here while 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:40.080 all these people stand around you from morning 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:44.120 until evening? This is such a classic father 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:46.840 -in -law question. You know, it's not like, wow, 00:15:47.100 --> 00:15:49.720 Moses, look at how important you are. Wow, look 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.519 at the size of that lineup. Well done. My daughter 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.940 married well. No, no, this is, what are you doing? 00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:01.789 Why are you alone doing all this? And Moses gives 00:16:01.789 --> 00:16:03.929 the answer, I think, that just about every overwhelmed 00:16:03.929 --> 00:16:06.789 leader gives in a situation like this. He says, 00:16:06.850 --> 00:16:11.029 because they keep coming to me. Whenever they 00:16:11.029 --> 00:16:14.230 have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide 00:16:14.230 --> 00:16:17.549 between the parties, and I inform of God's decrees 00:16:17.549 --> 00:16:21.600 and instructions. To be fair, this is really 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.000 important stuff that Moses is doing, right? He 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.759 is helping people. He's resolving disputes. He's 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.860 trying to bring justice. The problem is not that 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:34.019 he is doing bad things. The problem is, is that 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:38.580 he is doing too many things. And that, I think, 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:41.600 is one of the first traps of leadership, which 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.679 is spending time doing things that distract you 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:48.990 from your true calling. Moses was giving his 00:16:48.990 --> 00:16:51.370 time to good things, even spiritual things that 00:16:51.370 --> 00:16:54.730 he was doing here. But just because they're good 00:16:54.730 --> 00:16:58.090 things doesn't mean they're our things. Doesn't 00:16:58.090 --> 00:17:01.309 mean that it's your thing to do. And one of the 00:17:01.309 --> 00:17:03.330 hardest leadership lessons to learn and one of 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:05.529 the hardest ones that I had to learn was that 00:17:05.529 --> 00:17:08.950 just because something needs to be done does 00:17:08.950 --> 00:17:13.880 not mean it needs to be done by you. And then 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:15.859 Jethro just comes out and says it plainly. What 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:19.740 you are doing is not good. Not that you've made 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:21.980 bad choices. Not that your motives are wrong. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.119 Or not that this is like evil or anything like 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.579 that. It's just not good, Moses. It's just not 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:29.619 sustainable. It's just not healthy. It's not 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:36.140 a wise use of your time as a leader. You and 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:38.599 these people, he goes on to say, are only going 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:42.220 to wear yourselves out. This work is too heavy 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:47.900 for you. You cannot handle it alone. So remember, 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:50.380 let's just go back two weeks where this all started. 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:54.819 Part of what it means to learn to number our 00:17:54.819 --> 00:17:59.700 days is recognizing, hey, my time is limited. 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:03.670 My energy is limited. And if I try to be this 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:06.210 well -rounded leader and I try to do everything 00:18:06.210 --> 00:18:09.349 really, really good, if I try to be the limitless 00:18:09.349 --> 00:18:13.190 leader, I am going to get worn out. The people 00:18:13.190 --> 00:18:15.930 themselves are going to get worn out. And actually 00:18:15.930 --> 00:18:19.210 in the whole process, the whole mission is going 00:18:19.210 --> 00:18:23.190 to suffer. And that I think is related to this 00:18:23.190 --> 00:18:26.869 second trap of leadership. And I know I fell 00:18:26.869 --> 00:18:28.809 for this one, was believing that if it's going 00:18:28.809 --> 00:18:32.269 to be done right, You've got to do it yourself. 00:18:33.390 --> 00:18:35.829 Moses probably believed, well, hey, if I don't 00:18:35.829 --> 00:18:38.769 do it, how's it going to get done? Who else is 00:18:38.769 --> 00:18:41.750 going to do it? Or if someone else does it, it 00:18:41.750 --> 00:18:43.890 won't be done right. You know, if you want something 00:18:43.890 --> 00:18:46.470 done, ask a busy person. It's just easier if 00:18:46.470 --> 00:18:48.589 I do it myself, blah, blah, blah. We've all heard 00:18:48.589 --> 00:18:51.549 that before. And sure, it may be faster to do 00:18:51.549 --> 00:18:55.750 it yourself. But over time, that kind of leadership 00:18:55.750 --> 00:19:00.839 will create exhaustion in you. And it will create 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:06.680 immaturity in everyone else. Because if the leader 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.539 does everything, then nobody else gets to grow. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:15.400 Jethro, he's seeing something here that Moses 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:18.039 is not seeing. It's like Jethro is the first 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.420 ever leadership. consultant. And leaders need 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:24.599 people like that in their lives. They need people 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:26.500 who will tell them the truth, not just people 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:29.660 who say, oh, great job, Moses, wonderful, long 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:32.420 line this morning, really impressive, right? 00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:36.920 But people who will say, what you're doing is 00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:42.150 not good. So Jethro, he puts on his consultant 00:19:42.150 --> 00:19:44.750 hat and he says, okay, please just hear me out. 00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:47.589 And you know, I love this. May God be with you. 00:19:47.609 --> 00:19:49.990 In other words, I hope you will listen to what 00:19:49.990 --> 00:19:52.130 I'm about to say. I'm going to give you some 00:19:52.130 --> 00:19:54.440 advice. I've been watching. And this is what 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:57.420 I want to say to you. You must be the people's 00:19:57.420 --> 00:20:00.319 representative before God. That is clearly something 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:04.660 you must do. That is your unique role, right? 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:07.720 You're not supposed to be working the complaint 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.359 department here, Moses. You've got a different 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:13.000 calling, something that only you can do. Only 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:18.579 you can stand before God on behalf of these people. 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:21.460 Only you can pray to God on behalf of these people, 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:23.420 intercede to God on behalf of these people. people 00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:27.339 and and teach them right his decrees and instructions 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:31.539 and show them the way that they are to behave 00:20:31.539 --> 00:20:35.119 in other words moses this is what you need to 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:36.680 be doing this is where you need to be investing 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.359 your time because only you can do these things 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.259 only you can represent the people before god 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.160 only you can teach them only you can give the 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:44.920 spiritual direction that they need to the whole 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:47.819 community that's your role right that's your 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:52.549 lane that's what you were made to do And that 00:20:52.549 --> 00:20:56.970 is, again, another secret of leadership that 00:20:56.970 --> 00:21:02.680 only do what only you can do. Now, at first, 00:21:02.680 --> 00:21:05.039 this sounds very selfish. I admit it sounds like, 00:21:05.140 --> 00:21:08.119 oh, I'm too important to do other tasks or I'm 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:09.920 too important to do the menial things. But that's 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.799 not what this is saying at all. This is not about 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:17.220 your ego. It's about stewardship. It's about 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:20.779 saying, hey, you've got limited time. You've 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:24.240 got limited energy. And if you spend your life 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:27.019 doing things that other people could do or other 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:30.099 people should do or other people will do even 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:35.140 better than you, do then you may end up neglecting 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:39.140 the very unique thing that god has called you 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:43.119 to do and only you to do So Jethro is not saying, 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:45.160 oh, Moses, I want you to stop serving the people. 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:48.660 He's saying, you got to serve in the way that 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:51.339 God has called you to serve. And that is a very, 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:53.440 very important distinction. It's like saying, 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:56.980 Rob, get off the guitar and let Libby lead the 00:21:56.980 --> 00:22:00.039 worship. That is not what God equipped or called 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.799 you to do. And that is really, really hard for 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:05.700 leaders. And I will again be the very first to 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:07.940 admit it's hard for volunteers. It might even 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:11.539 be hard for you too, because we all care so deeply 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:15.079 and we want to see things get done. But wisdom, 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:18.460 according to Psalm 90, means recognizing the 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:20.920 difference between something that needs to get 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:24.319 done and something that needs to get done by 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:31.969 me. And they are often not the same thing. And 00:22:31.969 --> 00:22:34.490 so then Jethro is now his leadership consultant 00:22:34.490 --> 00:22:37.349 hat still on. He's going to get all practical 00:22:37.349 --> 00:22:39.150 and he's going to say, okay, I'm going to give 00:22:39.150 --> 00:22:41.430 you a plan. What you got to do, Moses, is you 00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:43.450 got to select capable men from all the people, 00:22:43.490 --> 00:22:45.609 appoint them as officials over hundreds and thousands 00:22:45.609 --> 00:22:49.369 and tens and whatever. And if I were Moses and 00:22:49.369 --> 00:22:52.069 my father -in -law were telling me all of this 00:22:52.069 --> 00:22:54.589 stuff, I would be like, oh my gosh, like, first 00:22:54.589 --> 00:22:58.069 of all. what do you even know right when was 00:22:58.069 --> 00:22:59.630 the last time you were in charge of a million 00:22:59.630 --> 00:23:01.109 people that would probably be the first thing 00:23:01.109 --> 00:23:02.809 i would say but then the second thing i would 00:23:02.809 --> 00:23:05.329 say is this sounds like a lot of work you want 00:23:05.329 --> 00:23:07.609 me to select a whole bunch of people you know 00:23:07.609 --> 00:23:09.890 identify them for their giftedness then you want 00:23:09.890 --> 00:23:11.769 me to train them and you want me to equip them 00:23:11.769 --> 00:23:13.650 and then you want me to organize them and create 00:23:13.650 --> 00:23:16.130 this whole like organizational leadership structure 00:23:16.130 --> 00:23:19.529 and and while that's happening i got this whole 00:23:19.529 --> 00:23:22.309 line of people that are still lining up to get 00:23:22.309 --> 00:23:25.369 all their questions answered And Jethro, I think, 00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:27.750 is probably fully aware of this. And he's like 00:23:27.750 --> 00:23:30.890 saying, yes, I know it will take time for you 00:23:30.890 --> 00:23:34.309 to develop leaders. But it will actually save 00:23:34.309 --> 00:23:38.670 time for you in the long run. And I believe that 00:23:38.670 --> 00:23:41.329 this is one of the great paradoxes of leadership. 00:23:41.750 --> 00:23:45.940 And that is that it takes... time to save time. 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:48.960 It takes time to train someone. It takes time 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:53.140 to mentor someone. It takes time. It takes days. 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:56.380 It might take weeks for you to train someone 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:58.500 to do something that you could do yourself in 00:23:58.500 --> 00:24:04.059 just 10 minutes. But if you never take that time, 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:06.019 then you will always be the only one who knows 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:10.990 how to do that thing. And that is not good. What 00:24:10.990 --> 00:24:12.950 we're talking about here is not just delegation. 00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:17.569 What we're talking about here is leadership development. 00:24:18.549 --> 00:24:20.890 Leadership development. And those are very different 00:24:20.890 --> 00:24:24.430 things. And then he goes on. He says, have them 00:24:24.430 --> 00:24:27.890 serve as judges for the people at all times, 00:24:27.930 --> 00:24:30.190 but have them bring every difficult case to you. 00:24:30.309 --> 00:24:31.890 In other words, you're still going to have a 00:24:31.890 --> 00:24:34.390 part to play in this, Moses, right? There's still 00:24:34.390 --> 00:24:37.109 be moments when we're going to need your leadership. 00:24:38.009 --> 00:24:40.730 But not every time there's a problem with a goat 00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:43.150 or every time there's a dispute over a camel. 00:24:43.309 --> 00:24:47.730 That is not a Moses level intervention that you 00:24:47.730 --> 00:24:52.609 need to be involved in. And here's the second 00:24:52.609 --> 00:24:54.950 part of the secret that's buried in all this, 00:24:54.990 --> 00:24:58.789 and that is, frankly, God never actually intended 00:24:58.789 --> 00:25:03.910 you or me or Moses to do everything. God has 00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:06.849 plans, not just for your life or my life or Moses' 00:25:06.990 --> 00:25:09.390 life. He has plans for everyone's life. He has 00:25:09.390 --> 00:25:12.970 plans for, like, Melissa and Shireen, who are 00:25:12.970 --> 00:25:15.869 leading our kitchen hospitality program right 00:25:15.869 --> 00:25:19.009 now, coffee hour, right? He has plans for Alex. 00:25:19.109 --> 00:25:21.779 He has plans for Peter. He has plans. for you. 00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:25.359 God didn't just, isn't only interested in Moses 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:29.359 or Rob, right? He has got a plan for everyone. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:34.519 God wants all of us to develop as leaders and 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:38.660 to share leadership. And I love that phrase, 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:42.359 shared leadership, right? There it is. Share 00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:47.099 leadership with each other. Leaders who do everything 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:51.950 themselves, they don't just burn out. they block 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:57.930 out the gifts of other people. So sharing leadership 00:25:57.930 --> 00:26:01.900 actually helps other people. become stronger 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:04.759 leaders themselves. Which means, you know what? 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:09.180 Everybody wins when we do this. Moses, in this 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:12.279 case, he becomes healthier. Look, he can stand 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:16.259 the strain, right? The people are better served. 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:19.220 Everyone's going home satisfied. And on top of 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:22.099 that, new leaders are being developed. And the 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:25.259 mission is going to move forward in such a more 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:29.680 powerful way. But it all begins by discerning 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:32.279 what God wants. God has uniquely called you to 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:36.019 do, and then helping others step into the places 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:38.240 where they understand what God has called them 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:42.099 to do. And what a great lesson. I wish 20 years 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:46.579 ago, Jethro had come knocking on my door to teach 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:51.039 me some of these lessons. And I think this is 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:52.799 probably the most amazing part of the whole story. 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:57.160 Moses listened to his father -in -law and did 00:26:57.160 --> 00:27:00.039 everything he said. You know, that's got to be 00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:02.140 the greatest miracle. I mean, parting the waters 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:06.759 of the Red Sea was impressive, but a leader receiving 00:27:06.759 --> 00:27:09.460 unsolicited advice from his father -in -law and 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:15.200 actually doing it is supernatural, I think. So 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:19.259 let's end by just summarizing again the gift. 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:22.859 of leadership because yes leadership at times 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:25.900 can feel like a burden it can feel like pressure 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:27.720 it can feel like a lot of things on your to -do 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:30.319 list a lot of decisions and meetings people coming 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.480 to you with their problems with their goats and 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:35.640 donkeys and camels but but when leadership is 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:38.940 shared it becomes a gift and it becomes a gift 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:43.500 in those three directions first shared leadership 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:48.339 is a gift to you Jethro says to Moses, it will 00:27:48.339 --> 00:27:53.670 make your load lighter. Okay? And this is true 00:27:53.670 --> 00:27:55.809 in church. And this is true in your workplace. 00:27:56.210 --> 00:27:59.150 And it's true in your family or your school, 00:27:59.450 --> 00:28:02.210 wherever you find yourself. When leadership is 00:28:02.210 --> 00:28:06.069 shared, the load becomes lighter. And some of 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:08.930 us need to hear that because some of us today 00:28:08.930 --> 00:28:13.789 are carrying things, carrying roles or jobs or 00:28:13.789 --> 00:28:18.150 tasks or leadership that we were never asked 00:28:18.150 --> 00:28:22.500 to carry. And sharing that with others is going 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:24.279 to be an essential thing to do. And that will 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:27.019 be a gift to you. Okay, so shared leadership 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:31.180 is a gift to you. But secondly, empowered leadership 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:36.059 is actually a gift to others. Because when Moses 00:28:36.059 --> 00:28:38.000 finally stops doing everything himself, other 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:41.140 people get to step up. And other people get to 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:42.900 use their gifts. And other people get to grow. 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:44.500 And other people get to discover that, you know 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:48.049 what, God can work through me too. Sometimes 00:28:48.049 --> 00:28:49.849 we think we're really helping people when we 00:28:49.849 --> 00:28:52.599 do everything for them. But the more loving thing 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:55.200 to do is to trust them and to train them and 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.500 let them lead. And yes, they may not do things 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:59.400 the way you would have done them and it may not 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:02.359 be as efficient at first, but the goal is not 00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:06.220 to create a church full of mini Moseses or mini 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:10.400 Robs or mini yous. The goal is to create a church 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:13.220 of people all using the gifts that God has given 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:15.759 them. There are different kinds of gifts, but 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:17.319 there's the same spirit that distributes them. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.079 There are different kinds of service, but the 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:23.500 same Lord. So empowered leadership is a gift 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:28.200 to others. But then finally, released leadership 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:32.180 is a gift to the world. right? When people are 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:34.920 released into their gifts, when the mission expands, 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:38.920 then the impact of the church or whatever it 00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:41.420 is increases. That's what we see happening in 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:44.359 Exodus 18, right? All these people, they went 00:29:44.359 --> 00:29:46.440 home satisfied. In other words, the people were 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:50.500 better served when the leadership was shared. 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:54.779 And a church where only a few people are involved 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:57.900 in leadership will always be a church with limited 00:29:57.900 --> 00:30:01.109 impact. But a church where everyone is equipped 00:30:01.109 --> 00:30:03.630 and everyone's empowered and released, that kind 00:30:03.630 --> 00:30:07.049 of church becomes a gift to the world because 00:30:07.049 --> 00:30:09.250 suddenly ministry is not something that one or 00:30:09.250 --> 00:30:11.890 two or a group of people can do. It's now what's 00:30:11.890 --> 00:30:13.750 happening everywhere. It's happening in classrooms 00:30:13.750 --> 00:30:16.670 and workplaces and offices and homes and hospitals 00:30:16.670 --> 00:30:19.589 and neighborhoods because the people of God have 00:30:19.589 --> 00:30:23.970 been released to lead and released to serve wherever 00:30:23.970 --> 00:30:28.690 God has placed them. So the healthier the leaders, 00:30:29.339 --> 00:30:33.519 the stronger the people and the greater the blessing 00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:38.880 to the world around us. So when I look back at 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:42.059 all those years of early years of ministry, I 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:44.759 can laugh. I can laugh now about, you know, being 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:47.359 the AV guy and doing the website and the sound 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:50.140 system. I can even laugh at my very forgettable 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:53.640 career as a worship leader. But underneath it 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:56.500 all, there is a real lesson for me to learn and 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:59.470 I think one for us all to learn. And that is 00:30:59.470 --> 00:31:03.569 about time. How are you going to use your time 00:31:03.569 --> 00:31:06.470 in the best possible way? God never asked me 00:31:06.470 --> 00:31:11.529 or you to be everything. But he did ask us to 00:31:11.529 --> 00:31:15.809 be faithful. To use the gifts and the time that 00:31:15.809 --> 00:31:20.089 he has given us wisely. And because we always, 00:31:20.250 --> 00:31:24.150 it's always important to end on Jesus. Jesus 00:31:24.150 --> 00:31:27.410 knew this. Lesson, very well. Everyone wanted 00:31:27.410 --> 00:31:30.250 a piece of Jesus' time, right? You think Moses 00:31:30.250 --> 00:31:33.970 had a long lineup? Jesus had lineups every day. 00:31:34.069 --> 00:31:36.150 People wanted healing. People wanted teaching. 00:31:36.329 --> 00:31:38.890 People wanted miracles. One morning, Jesus snuck 00:31:38.890 --> 00:31:41.690 out early to pray, and within a few minutes, 00:31:41.869 --> 00:31:44.309 right, everyone's like, hey, Jesus, there you 00:31:44.309 --> 00:31:47.869 are. Everyone is looking for you. That's the 00:31:47.869 --> 00:31:52.069 kind of sentence where it can totally hijack 00:31:52.069 --> 00:31:56.819 a leader's intentions. Everyone wants you. Everyone's 00:31:56.819 --> 00:31:58.720 looking for you. But what does Jesus say? He 00:31:58.720 --> 00:32:00.259 says, hey, you know what? We got to go somewhere 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:04.240 else. To the nearby villages. Why? So I can preach 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:08.059 there also. Why? Because that is why I have come. 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:11.480 Jesus has a very focused idea of how to spend 00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:14.099 his time. It's not uncaring. It's not undifferent. 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:18.640 But he knows why he has come. He knows his mission 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:21.920 and he knows his time is limited. That's the 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:25.430 invitation. for us to not to become selfish with 00:32:25.430 --> 00:32:28.170 our time, but to become faithful with our time. 00:32:28.470 --> 00:32:32.470 You will never be a well -rounded leader. So 00:32:32.470 --> 00:32:34.710 don't spend your time trying to like shore up 00:32:34.710 --> 00:32:38.150 all your weaknesses in that way. Instead, use 00:32:38.150 --> 00:32:41.289 the gifts God's given you, right? Make room for 00:32:41.289 --> 00:32:44.690 the gifts that God has given other leaders. And 00:32:44.690 --> 00:32:48.569 together, let's become that kind of church that 00:32:48.569 --> 00:32:52.089 just makes an even greater impact in the world. 00:32:54.569 --> 00:32:59.650 Thanks be to God. Amen. Thanks for tuning in 00:32:59.650 --> 00:33:02.509 to this week's episode of Trinity Sermons. This 00:33:02.509 --> 00:33:05.150 sermon was recorded at Trinity Church Streetsville 00:33:05.150 --> 00:33:09.650 in Mississauga, Ontario on May 17, 2026.