Acts 6

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Both this passage and Exodus 18 give very practical advice about effective delegation.  Whether you are a leader within your home, group of friends, church, workplace, or anywhere else, learning how to delegate responsibilities is an extremely important skill to possess.  God is very clear that He respects and rewards people who are hard workers: “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper” (Proverbs 13:4, NLT).  However, there is a difference between working hard and allowing yourself to be overworked.  God wants us to spend time in rest, in fellowship with others, and to enjoy our lives.  One cannot have peace and joy in life while under the constant stress of being overburdened.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  The Bible is so rich in wisdom, and its timeless words can be applied directly to our everyday lives.  Here are some excellent guidelines to use to prevent ourselves from becoming overwhelmed and exhausted by the responsibilities of life:

1. Admit that working without rest is not healthy for you or your family.  Jethro said to Moses, “What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out.  The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Exodus 18:17-18).  The same is true for the apostles in this passage, and the same is true for us today.  There are only 24 hours in a day, and most of us have much more to do than we can possibly get done in that time period.  Choose the most critical things to do each day, and focus on getting those done.  Set reasonable and attainable daily goals.  Schedule periods of rest into your agenda.  Do not stress yourself out thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow, or this week, or this month.  Trust that God will give you exactly what you need today. “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8).  

2. Understand your unique gifts and calling.  The apostles were gifted at teaching and preaching the Word of God.  They wisely chose to continue pursuing that which they were called to do, rather than trying to manage everything that needed to be done.  We need to learn from their example and offload the things that other people can do, so that we can focus on areas where we are the most skilled.  What are the things in your life that you are uniquely gifted and qualified to do?  What steps can you take to delegate some of the rest?  Remember that the main purpose of our God-given talents and abilities is for the benefit of others, not ourselves: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).  God designed us to serve one another and receive help from each other in various ways, according to our strengths and weaknesses.  In doing so we are following God’s unique design for us, which will lead to the most efficient, abundant and peaceful lives possible.  

3. Select qualified people to assist you.  Jethro told Moses, “…select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain” (Exodus 18:21).  The disciples were instructed by the twelve apostles to choose men who were “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” (verse 3).  Notice that the main focus in both passages is on godly character, not skill.  When selecting people to assist you, it is more important to choose individuals who live their lives according to God’s principles and have strong moral character, as opposed to lots of experience.  Skills can be taught and developed over time, but it is much more difficult to change someone’s character and beliefs.

4. Once you have chosen your helpers, train them properly and then step back and give them responsibility and authority.  Will they make mistakes?  Almost definitely.  This is part of the price you pay when you cannot do something yourself.  Will they do things exactly the way you would have done them?  Not likely.  Your job is to make sure they have the proper tools and training, and then release them to do the best job that they can do.  Be encouraging and available for questions when needed, but resist being a micromanager.  Insisting on being involved in every decision along the way will lead to resentment, and will send the message to the people under your leadership that you do not trust them.  This will ultimately undermine their eagerness to help and their overall independence, as well as defeating the purpose of having assistants in the first place.

5. Only do those things which others cannot do.  Focus on doing the things that you are trained and gifted to do, and then teach other people to do the rest.  If you are feeling overwhelmed and weary, analyze your task list and find someone to help!  This may be your children, friends, family, your spouse, a babysitter, co-workers, or someone else.  You may think that if you let go of some of your responsibilities, that things will not get done properly.  How efficient and peaceful are you when you are stressed out and exhausted?  Actually, in this story described in Acts, proper delegation of tasks led to an increase in the spread of the Word of God, which was the ultimate goal.  What are your goals in life?  How can you use assistance from others to help you achieve those goals?