Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait, its Superman!  But Superman is a fictional character created in the late 1930’s, he’s not real.  Yet many people try to live as though they are superhuman.  We live a life that is not what God intended for us because we get so caught up in the “dizziness of busyness.”  We have all allowed technology to convince us that we can do more with less but faster than the next guy.  Is that really God’s plan for His children?  Many times we take on more in attempts to prove to God that He can count on us.  Dr. C. A. W. Clark would often share with young pastors across the nation of the folly of one man doing the work of ten and the wisdom of getting ten men to do the work of ten.  It’s simply called delegation. 

This is precisely what Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, taught him in Exodus 18.  He taught him the art of delegation.  What does it mean to delegate?  Here in the text it means at least two things.  The first is that someone must be sent as a deputy or representative.  But secondly, that person or those persons must be given power to function on behalf of the one who sent them.  This is the portrait of biblical delegation that can be seen in Exodus 18:13-23.  Look at the tenets of Jethro’s argument to Moses and Moses’ exchange with him.

• Verse 14 – Why are you doing all of this alone?
  • The results – Moses and the people are worn out.
  • The implication – Moses’ system is inadequate.
• Verses 15-16 Moses uses four personal pronouns in two verses
  • The results – He sees everything as his personal responsibility and cancels out the possibility of having God and others to help him.
  • The implication – Others are qualified and he isn’t prepared to empower them to help him serve.
• Verse 17 - He receives wise counsel from Jethro
  • Verse 18 - Your system is going to wear you out because this responsibility is too great and you are not able to do it alone.
  • Verse 20 - Train the people in the laws and ordinances of God.
  • Verse 21 - Select qualified men of character and share with them this responsibility according to their abilities.
  • Verse 22 - Empower them to judge the people year around but only bring the tough cases to you.
• The benefits of heeding wise counsel are these:
  • You will be able to endure this work
  • The people will be at peace

My friends, our God is full of grace and mercy and does not intend for us to live in bondage to work to the extent that we have no real quality of life.  He gives us help to accomplish the tasks that He has called us to.  You know, God is not the one driving us to do more, sometimes it’s us.  We push ourselves when God is gently leading us.  Stephen Covey, in his book entitled First Things First, tells of his daughter Maria who after having given birth to her third child found that all of the demands in her life were beginning to overwhelm her.  She shared her dilemma with her father and he shared with her a very important principle that I hope that you will glean from what I share with you, “Be governed by your internal compass and not some clock on the wall.” 

When I put all of my life into perspective I realize that it is a question of compass or clock.  We live in the reality of both internal compass (God, the Holy Spirit) and clock (finitude).  God knows both the compass and the clock for my life and it is up to me to be a good and faithful steward of my time but not to try to conquer the entire world alone.  Do all that you can, while you can, at home with your families, at work as you walk in your vocation, at church as you engage God and His people, and in the world as you have been delegated to go for Him. 

I’d like to share one of my favorite poems with you to help you appreciate the limitations and the great responsibility of time.  How effective we are in every area of our lives will greatly depend on how we managed the assignments we were given in the time He as allowed us.

God’s Minute

I've only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it,
But it's up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give an account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.

By Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

For you see my friends, we only have a limited time on this earth and yes God does require much from us.  The good news is that God is not expecting us to be superhuman, just faithful.