Delegation

An interesting passage about delegation.  Delegation is hard for control freaks like myself.  The thing is, you are much more productive when you delegate and focus your efforts on the best use of your talents.  Read the Scripture and then I will pick it up on the other side. 

Acts 6:1-4(NKJV)

Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 

Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 

Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 

but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

I had a mentor years ago who evaluated my financial planning practice.  One of the things he said was "You have to stop washing windows.".  What he meant by that was I had no business doing the things that I could pay someone else $10/hr to do, so that I spent more of my time doing the things that generated $100+/hr for my firm.   

I had never noticed before how close that analogy was to the way the disciples said it.  “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. "

Does that mean the disciples thought they were too good to wait tables?  Were they refusing to follow Jesus' example of servanthood leadership? 

Not at all.  They were simply looking at how to best use each person's skills to further the Kingdom of God.  The fact is that there were many good God fearing people who could do the work with the widows.  On the other hand there are a lot fewer people who are comfortable and effective evangelizing.  The disciples time was better spent winning people over for Jesus.   

As Scripture tells us, God gave us all different gifts.  That would indicate that He expected us to do different things in accordance to the gifts He gave us wouldn't it?