Don't Ever Try To Lead Alone!

Reference: Numbers 11:10-17 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.  . . . 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” 16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. 

Observation: There is no way to get around it, leadership is a burden. Imagine what it would be like to lead this many people (just after this, Moses tells God that he leads 600,000 foot soldiers alone). Imagine the work of making sure they are fed and cared for, and then they whine on every occasion. How many times do leaders feel like this; “Just kill me now, this is more than I can carry!”? God doesn’t contradict him. He seems to agree that it is more than Moses can carry alone. God’s solution is to give him some who can carry the burden with him. It is instructive to note what kind of people they will be; 

1.    They are already recognized and respected by their peers. If we are looking for leaders who can carry the burden with us, look for those who are already doing the job instead of those we might hope will work into it. Recognize the gifting that God has already made evident. 

2.    God told Moses to bring them before Him. We must follow this example and make sure the leaders we appoint know that they are working for God and not just for us or for a paycheck. They need to have stood before God and received their commission from Him. 

3.    God took the same spirit that was on Moses and put it on them. We need to look for those who have a similar spirit as we do for leading and loving God’s people. If those we choose have a different agenda, philosophy or direction, all it will do is add to the burden rather than lessen it. 

4.    These men were called to carry the burden with Moses. We need to make sure that not only are we choosing leader-helpers who are willing to help take on the burden of leadership (not just do-my-job-and-get-out kind of people) but we have to be willing to give some of that over to them. Our ego or sense of self-sufficiency can get in the way of getting the help and relief we need. 

The most important point here is; God never intended us to carry the burden of leadership alone. His cure for burn-out is to learn early to find like hearted people who will carry it with you. 

Application/Confession: I need to be always aware of my tendency to take on more than God intended for me to bear in leadership. I need to be constantly on the lookout for those He is releasing to me to help bear the load and keep me sane. 

PRAYER: Lord, part of me wants to look like the superman; the pastor dude who can do it all. I know that it is not what You want for me. Teach me, grace me, to stand arm-in-arm with the others You have given to support me in leadership and help me to know how much to give them and help me to let go when I should.