"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise" - Proverbs 19:20 (NIV).
When people talk of work- life balance, you could think the idea all started yesterday. But let me take you back. A long time ago "Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel" (Exodus 8:1). So, he decided to pay him a visit. Although he had alerted him it was not easy for Jethro to find time with his son- in- law because he was scarce of time.
Moses was a micro manager with a long queue of cases brought to him from morning till evening to adjucate. Concerned, Jethro pointed out, "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" (vv 17-18).
Jethro then asked Moses to listen to a good advice. He suggested he finds officials "to serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. f you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied" (vv 22-23).
Moses accepted the unsolicited advice, and from there on he became a delegator. This freed up time for him to attend to important visitors like Jethro, if they called by. We can also say he added a few more years on to his life with better work-related family balance. In retrospect we can all ask why had Moses not sought out his father-in- law before! But never mind; once he was given some advice he did not begrudge.
It has been pointed out " Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3), and here we see why. There are still "Jethros" all around us and yet some of us because of ego ignore them and continue to plunge into costly mistakes. But these Jethros because of their experience can lighten our load, if only we could be humble to seek their advice and listen.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for the "Jethros" in my life and may I be humble to seek and listen to their advice, to avoid unnecessary mistakes, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
-
24/04/2024 - 25/04/2024 All day“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4)
Premier Joseph and King David have a particular common characteristics: two individuals who were blessed with success, in their work. When Joseph was taken into the household of Potiphar, “The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant” ( Gen 39:2-4).
Even when he was imprisoned later, on false accusations, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (vv 21-22). Later in his life he is made second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh. “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40).
For David, after he disposed off Goliath, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (1 Samuel 18:5). His success on the battle field would soon cause trouble for him when the troops started singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (vv 7).
In spite of Saul’s anger at the comparison and even trying to kill him, for David “in everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns” (vv 14-16). Eventually, the throne would pass on to David.
Success in life is one of the blessings the Lord has marked out for believers. These individuals were successful because the Lord was with them. The only one who does not wish to see success of us, is the enemy Satan, who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). May we pray that our lives are characterized with the anointing of success, because the Lord is with us!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that I bask in your success, in all that I do, because as was with your servants Joseph, David, Daniel and others, you are with me, and this I pray in Jesus’ name.
