9月2日          

標　　題：單獨工作

經　　節：摩西的岳父看見他向百姓所做的一切事，就說：「你向百姓做的是什麼事呢？你為什麼獨自坐著，眾百姓從早到晚都站在你的左右呢？」（出埃及記十八章14節）

當我們熱切地想討好神及拓展祂的國度時，往往會負起神從未要我們去擔的責任。基督徒生活最大的挑戰之一，是決定神不要我們做什麼！我們的本意是值得稱許的：我們愛神，愛祂的百姓，並且在周圍看到許多需要。然而，有時候我們的好意所造成的傷害，比我們能給予的好處還要多。

摩西知道，以色列百姓之間的爭端需要有人仲裁。這些過去是奴隸的百姓，需要學習活出神百姓的樣式，所以他當仁不讓，負起這個重責。於是在摩西的面前，每天站了一大排不快樂的百姓，他們希望自己的案件能夠陳明。日復一日地，摩西把解決同胞問題的重責，扛在肩頭。他的岳父，一個外人，終於看到摩西的所作所為，並向摩西挑戰如此作法是否有智慧。摩西負起超過他所能承擔的重責，試圖扛下非一人所能完成的工作，把自己搞得疲憊不堪。他獨自挑起這個責任的同時，也剝奪了其他人服事主的機會。他幫了同胞的倒忙，否則他們的問題可以早一點被解決。

當你看到需求，不要自然而然地假設神要你去滿足這個需求。開始運行一個事工的唯一理由，是神清楚告訴你這是祂的旨意。當你感到自己被手中的工作壓得無法動彈，你可能做超過神要你做的工。要禱告直到清楚你手上的工是神的旨意，好叫你不致劫奪神在你及其他人身上最美的心意。

Working Alone

So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” (Exodus 18:14)

In our zeal to please God and advance His kingdom, we Christians often take on responsibilities that God never intended us to have. One of the great challenges of the Christian life is determining what God does not want us to do! Our intentions are admirable: We love God, we love His people, and we see many needs around us. But sometimes our good intentions cause more harm than good.

Moses was aware of the need for someone to settle disputes among the Israelites. Someone had to help those former slaves learn how to live together as the people of God, so Moses took it upon himself to meet this need. Long lines of unhappy people, hoping to have their cases heard, stood before Moses each day. Moses spent day after day carrying the weight of his nation’s problems on his shoulders. Finally his father-in-law, an outsider, witnessed what Moses was doing and challenged the wisdom of his actions. Moses was taking on more than he could handle. He was wearing himself out trying to do what was impossible for one person. In doing this service alone, Moses was robbing others of an opportunity to serve the Lord. He was also doing a disservice to his people, who otherwise could have had their issues resolved much sooner.

When you become aware of a need, do not automatically assume God wants you to meet it. The only reason to perform ministry is that God clearly tells you it is His will. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all that you are doing, you are probably doing more than God has asked. Pray carefully about the assignments you take on, so that you don’t rob yourself and others of God’s best.