“The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 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. (Genesis 18: 13-17 NIV)
The above verses are part of the text that is used by leaders teaching other leaders about delegation. It is also a passage that speaks to integrity, taking the risks to express your view even if it is unpopular, unusual, and possibly unwanted.
There is more to be found about the text in context, but this Saturday morning, I want to speak on the subject of enabling. As you see from the verses above, Jethro told Moses, who was trying to do it all by himself, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses listened to his father-in-law and assigned some of his work to others. Jethro did not merely standby and let an issue escalate or allow a problem to be exacerbated versus being extinguished. So you see, Jethro’s decision not to enable Moses in what he was doing would benefit Moses, help the people he was leading, and aid generations to come. Think about that for a minute.
Now look at today’s times. Young people, and older people too, have a smorgasbord of negative enticements and temptations set out before them. This should signal that we need to watch out for the enemy of enabling. Let me say it in a more direct way. We need to stop enabling our young people, and our older peers, by not saying anything when the thing they are doing is not good. If there is any time in my lifetime where we have to confront the enemy of enabling, it is definitely now. The signs are so obvious: increased violence, valuing working over worshipping in the assembly of the saints, choosing to be dependent instead of independent, partying is okay but participating as part of the workforce is not so okay, disrespect for authority, oblivious to the laws of the land, obtaining by hook, crook, scheming, and sneaking is on the increase, and much more.
We no longer set back and say, “They will learn sooner or later.” We must face the enemy of enabling and say, “What you are doing is not good.” No longer can we say, “It’s up to you.” Shouldn’t it be up to the Lord? Shouldn’t we be saying, “What you are doing is not good.”? Daddies being babies’ daddies and disappearing the chance of another conquest. Women and men looking for the next best thing as opposed to one whom they can be equally yoked. Shouldn’t we be saying, “What you are doing is not good.”” Drinking, drugging, and dragging around the sins that so easily entangles us. Shouldn’t we be saying, “What you are doing is not good.”? Profanity is permitted more than proper English. Shouldn’t we be saying, “What you are doing is not good.”? Straying from the church gradually and because we say nothing straying away from church evolves into staying away from church, eventually. Shouldn’t we be saying, “What you are doing is not good,””
Alright I will let you get on your way this Saturday, but first I admonish you to even consider your own ways. If they are not right, I must say to you, “What you are doing is not good.” If you have the faintest thought about not going to worship God at your church tomorrow, praising Him for all He has done for you and listening as He will lead you to better, I must say to you, “What you are doing is not good.” Now don’t just read this, but react to it and rebut the enemy named enabling.
Is there any good form of enabling? Yes! Enable people to achieve in life and reach for success, staying within the boundary called the will of God is a good form of enabling. Have a great day! Be blessed!
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.” (Quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King