Day 23, or January the 23rd. 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 and 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 be 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.