Working Together

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Xochitl Dixon. I'm looking forward to sharing Joe's story with you in today's Our Daily Bread devotional reading, Working Together. Joe worked more than 12 hours a day, often without taking breaks. Starting a charitable business demanded so much time and energy that he had little left to offer his wife and children. When he got home, after the toll of chronic stress landed Joe in the hospital, a friend offered to organize a team to help him.

Though he dreaded giving up control, Joe knew he couldn't keep up his current pace. He agreed to trust his friend and God as he delegated responsibilities to the group of people they chose together. A year later, Joe admitted that the charity and his family could never have prospered if he'd refused the help God had sent him.

God didn't design people to thrive without the support of a loving community. In Exodus 18, Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness. He tried serving God's people as a teacher, a counselor, and a judge all on his own. When his father-in-law visited, he offered Moses advice. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out, said Jethro in Exodus 18. The work is too heavy for you.

You cannot handle it alone. He encouraged Moses to share the workload with faithful people. Moses accepted help, and the whole community benefited.

When we trust that God works in and through all his people as we work together, we can find true rest. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Exodus chapter 18 verses 13 to 23. Moses answered him, because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and instructions. Moses' father-in-law replied, 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.

Listen now to me, and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Have them 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. If you do this, and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied. Let's pray. Lord Almighty, thanks for reminding us that we can trust you as we learn to work together to serve you by serving others with compassion, generosity, and love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.