FBT Daily Devotional: Exodus 18

FBT Daily Devotional

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

So today we'll be coming out of Exodus 18. And I wanted to title this Better Together, Building Leaders with Intentionalities, Lessons from Moses and Jeff. This is the transformational life, faith beyond trauma. So as I was looking at this chapter, I'm like, this is like kind of random, you know, especially the history between Moses and God, right? And we know over time that they are really close. And we know that there's not a lot of people besides Abraham, Enoch, and Jesus. It's kind of like we close with God face to face, talking to God. And so at the same time, you got this chapter here where Moses getting advice from someone else that is not even a Hebrew, right? Hmm. I was like, oh, let me slide, tell you about this and pause, and let me just really take and dive into what God is trying to tell us on this day. So let's begin in verse 1. Moses father, uh, Moses, father-in-law, Jethro, Jethro, the priest of Median, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He especially heard about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt. So just the uh pause here. So I just want to give you a little quick background about Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, right? He was a Medianite, which were descendants of Abraham through Katur, his wife, whom he married after Sarah died. And that's found in Genesis 25. So here we have Jethro who came to visit Moses and returned his family back to him, right? Moses' wife and his children, right? Which we do not hear. Well, the last time we heard from them was Exodus 4. Um, so he's here to return the family back. And what I love about God is he consistently says, Moses, father-in-law Jethro. So he wants us to get a picture of Moses' father-in-law Jethro. And so in verse 7, it says, So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed low and kissed him. And they asked each other, they chopped it up and went over each other where friends see how they was each other was done, and they went into his tent. Kind of like paraphrases for time. And so we know that Moses served, well, Moses served his father-in-law for about almost 40 years when he left Egypt. He was about 40, so give or take, and and so now Moses holds a leadership position, right, among the people, right? And he doesn't work for his father anymore. But we see the humility and the reverence of Moses that he shows this man by still bowing low and kissing him. I said, Wow, no wonder, God, you said that in Numbers 20, 12, 3, that Moses, um, the man Moses is very humble, right? Right. Moses had this meek spirit, this humility about himself. Um, that's a true quality of a leader, right? Jesus is our total example of being uh humble, right? This is a man, Jesus, who came, was up on the throne, sitting next to God, right? He came down for us, right? Humility to make itself so low, to make itself, you know, with us, a man walking this earth, right? We know he was humble when he got on the cross for me and you. That's why we're celebrating this Good Friday, right? We know also in John 13, it tells us that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. That was humility, right? Because that then I was still one of the lowest forms a servant could do, right? To wash a person's feet. So we know that you know he set an example for us. He tells us, like, truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. So we know that Jesus wants us to be a humble servant, right? And so Moses displayed such a humility towards his father-in-law. And so, in verse 8, Moses told his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done with Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about the hardship they experienced along the way, but through it also, all the trouble, all the trials and tribulations, God saw them through and carried them out of everything. And then Jethro, Jethro, he rejoiced when he heard how the Lord rescued Israel from Egypt. He praised God, right? Declaring that the God, the Lord is greater than all our other gods. And then he offers a sacrifice to God, and Aaron and all the elders joined them in the middle, right? And I said, Oh my God. Now, you know what? It's one thing to hear from the naysayers, right? But he heard it straight from the, you know, the mouth of Moses, what the Lord had done. I said, God, you are something else. This is a Medianite. He went on to praise God and worship him because he's been worshiping probably the false God. So that's what the Medianites did in those times. So, but now he's praising our God, right? Our Abba God, what it is so amazing. What is so good to tell a testimony, right? That leads someone to Jesus. And I love God because God is a twofold God, right? He pulled this thing in full circle, right? He blessed Jethro with with allowing him to offer sacrifice and lead him to me. I'm just saying, lead him to the Lord, right? But also, right, he turns around a twofold, and now he allows Jethro to pour into Moses. God is so good. Let's just take a moment, right? And and just to look at the growth of Moses in itself, right? Here is Moses, right? He's the Moses, same Moses back in Exodus 4, who said, God, I'm not speaking in front of all these people. I can't speak. My words is not very good, right? I get tongue-twisted, I get tied up with all my words, right? I'm not eloquent, you know, I'm just paraphrasing, right? I said, God, you are so good. And this is one of those pause moments, right? Good leadership sees potential and it allows it to grow or even pours into the growth, right? This is what we're doing here, faith beyond trauma. And I just said, Oh, thank you, Pastor Reggie, for allowing us to grow, right? And Minister Tony for allowing us to grow, right? Seeing our potential, right? And allow us to speak on these times, right? And so in verse 13, it says, Um, so it was on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses' father-in-law saw this that he was doing, he said, uh-uh, what is this thing that you're doing, right? For the people, why do you alone sit all the people you sit and all the people stand before you morning until evening? Now we know Jeffel is not no hater, right? He is not trying to get into a position, right? Because at the end of the chapters, you know, I'm spoiled alert. He says, right, he went back to his own land. So he is just trying to give him wisdom, right? From from his own um uh uh teachable skills that he already had, because he is actually a priest as well, and his right, um, and his media nice his tribe. So when people is given advice, a good leader used discernment, right? Not trying to blow people off because you're thinking that you're maybe higher position or whatever may be, right? And so Moses goes on to uh um the to uh to his father in law. He said, Because the people come to me to inquire of God when they have difficult situations, and and they come to me and I judge between one and another and make known the statutes of God. So Moses Father-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good. Both you and the people are gonna wear yourself out, right? This is not good. He said, Listen now to my voice, I will give you counsel, and God will be with you, stand before you, God for the people, so that you may bring difficulty difficulties to God, and you may shall teach them statutes and laws and show them the way in which they must walk and they work they must do, right? And so he goes on and tells them him how he must do it, and and how he picked people, uh uh uh uh um select more men who who are men of truth, you know, they hate covenants, they fear God, and and and place them in positions of rulers of thousands, hundreds and fifty and tens, right? And so he goes on explaining him, give him wisdom so it'll be easier and lighter for him to bear the burden, right? They can bear it with them, it's better together, right? So Moses, it said Moses in 24 says, so Moses heeded the voice of the Lord, I mean, of the voice of his father law, and did all that he said. So Moses heeded the child in law instruction. I I said, Come on, Jesus, you are using a new believer text to to to you know to pour into somebody. I just love that, right? So another question, well, question I have asked how might God be using others like Jeffel to bring wisdom, support, or relief into your life right now. Are you open to receiving it, right? Are you open to receiving somebody's according to your life? So, in closing, Exodus 18 teaches us that God works is not meant to be carried along. Wise leadership includes delegation, support, and balance. Moses has never meant to carry all of this, right? He was never meant to carry it all along, right? And neither are we. God gave him strategies, and the same strategies that he gave him, he's given us today, right? As believers, my baby girl Brandy said this in the breakout room, and this was so good. She said, we know how to carry our burdens onto God, but many people don't do it, right? So many people don't who are non-believers, so they place their pain on us because we may be the closest reflection of Christ that they see. But we can be overwhelmed by this, and we're not meant to carry it alone. We are meant to give it back to Jesus. So I want to leave an acronym with you guys. It says lead, L-E-A-D, because everyone is a leader, but some it takes a special person to lead, right? So lead the first L is listen to God and wise counsel, right? We should listen to God and wise counsel, meaning seek God before leading people. I love how Jesus said, I only do what the Father tells me to do. Moses listened to Jethro, right? He jethro had skills. Jethro may be in a baby Christian, but he had priestly skills. So he listened to it, right? And also the Holy Spirit is our ultimate guide, right? John 16, 313 tells us the spirit of truth comes and he will guide us into all truth, right? And we know he's here and he lives inside of us. And then healthy leaders stay teachable, right? Not isolated. We know that Moses, it was over 600,000 men alone. We're not even including the babies and the key and the women, right? So we have to remain teachable, right? And so this could, you know. So let me hold on, go keep going. So he is equipped and empower others. Uh um, so raise up capables of trustworthy leaders. Leadership should be multiplication, not control. Don't carry what others meant to carry. Miles Moreau said it this way: he said, leaders who train others will eventually be trapped, leaders who don't train others will be eventually a trap in their own success, right? A true leader does not create followers, a true leader creates more leaders. If there, if you're the only one leading, you're limiting your growth. And so, A, acknowledge limitation and void isolation. We are meant to do this life alone. We're not meant to be burnt out, we're not meant to be exhausted because exhaustion leads to poor decision, decision making, trying to do it all along, right? God that God never designed us to carry everything along. And D, develop, um, delegate and develop leaders. This can be challenging. I know for must, our women on this call, we like to do everything ourselves, right? But we got to delegate, right? Delegation creates sustainable systems, shared leadership, strength, and impacts, right? We it creates us, allows us the time to rest and time with our families and other things that God wants us to do. So, my question in closing is what is one area in your life where you may need to ask for help to delegate or set set healthy boundaries? And closing it is it thank you.