Day 23, or January 23. A problem shared is a problem halved. Our thoughts today are rooted
in Exodus chapter 18 verse 25. He chose capable men from all Israel, and made them leaders
of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
The big picture surrounding this verse. As their journey continues, so does their moaning.
It was quickly becoming one of those situations where everyone should have known the right
thing to do, but moaning and groaning seemed too much like fun. God arranges for the world's
first takeaway, and it consists of fresh quail meat in unique bread which was named manna.
The moaning stopped, but not for long. No sooner had the food issues been resolved
than there was a cry for water. God solved this too by getting Moses to strike a rock
face which produced a flow of water for the people. About this time Moses was beginning
to realize that his call from God to lead the children of Israel was one that demanded
a team approach. His father-in-law Jethro suggested that Moses choose good quality men
who can be trusted, and then they will be able to share the load of leadership. Moses
thought this was a great idea and appointed suitably able men who judged the people and
only brought particularly difficult cases to Moses.
And our action step for today. Despite the clear message from Jesus when he appointed
apostles to share the load of ministry with him, the church has for centuries tended to
me one-man-band minded. I think the main problem with team leadership is that no one gets the
thrill of making all the decisions—and all the mistakes, too. If you have a team of leaders,
you must allow others to make mistakes, bearing in mind mistakes are usually your description
of how you wouldn't have done something. Learning from your own and other people's
mistakes can double your learning. We really don't have time to make every mistake ourselves.
Remember, God can use gifted people even when they are not you.