May 3, 2026 Life Lessons from Moses: Sermon 4

Have you seen that viral social media reel comparing different stages of a teaching career? It shows the brand-new teachers enthusiastically declaring, "I’ll do anything you want me to!" The mid-career teachers offer a slightly more cautious, "I’ll do nearly anything." But the veteran teachers? They channel their inner Hall & Oates: "I can’t go for that... no can do." While it’s a funny clip, it hits on a painfully real truth that stretches far beyond the classroom. Many of us suffer from a chronic inability to say "no," taking on far too much until we are running ourselves ragged.

We see this exact problem play out in Exodus 18:13–26. Moses, a godly and chosen leader, was trying to act as the sole judge, jury, counselor, and spiritual advisor for an entire nation of two million people. He sat at his makeshift DMV counter from sunup to sundown, listening to every single dispute alone. He thought he was being responsible and deeply spiritual, but when his father-in-law, Jethro, showed up and watched the chaos, he offered some blunt, humbling in-law advice: "What you are doing is not good. You will certainly wear yourself out... You are not able to do it alone."

Jethro was exposing the dangerous trap of the "Solo Saint." In our modern lives and churches, we often glorify exhaustion, treating chronic busyness as a badge of honor. We don't call it pride; we call it dedication or "just doing what needs to be done." But beneath the surface, there is often a quiet whisper of pride telling us that if we don't do it, it won't get done right. As one pastor wisely noted, some people don't want help because they think God Himself is impressed with how tired they are. The truth is, exhaustion is not a fruit of the Spirit, and burnout isn't spiritual—it is a warning sign that we are trying to play God.

Thankfully, Jethro didn’t just criticize Moses; he handed him a brilliant, scalable strategy that mirrors how the body of Christ is supposed to function. He told Moses to train trustworthy, capable leaders and divide the nation into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. The new leaders would handle the smaller matters, and Moses would only step in for the heaviest cases. Long before the Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual gifts, God was already teaching His people that ministry is a team sport. When we refuse to share the load, our patience wears thin, our joy dries up, and we limit what God can do through the community.

Imagine buying a brand-new, high-powered pickup truck, but instead of using it to haul your cargo, you pile everything into a flimsy little two-wheel handcart and drag it down the road by hand just because you "don't want to bother the truck." That is exactly how we treat the capable, gifted people God has placed right beside us when we refuse to delegate. Trying to do everything ourselves inevitably leads to doing nothing well. We all desperately need to surround ourselves with "Jethros"—people who love us enough to tell us the truth, help us set boundaries, and remind us to use the truck.

As you head into this week, challenge yourself with three practical questions: What are you doing that someone else could handle? Who around you has gifts that you aren't letting them use because you won't let go of control? And finally, who is your Jethro? Stop trying to chop wood with a dull axe just because you're "too busy" to stop and sharpen it. Lay down the myth of the solo saint, listen to wise counsel, and share the burden. You cannot fulfill God's calling on your life if you insist on doing it alone.