A Good Thing Can Become A Bad Thing

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Exodus 18:13-20 (KJV)

Israel’s leader, Moses, was hearing and deciding cases for Israel so that people would get a fair trial and things were done right. The problem was that Moses was the only one judging- all day long- by himself. He was doing a good thing but it was bad for his health. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, said to him, “The thing you do is not good.” Why did he say that? After all, isn’t it a good thing to give people justice? Jethro told Moses that he would wear away- that the work was too heavy for him to do alone.

My friend, no matter how good a thing is, it isn’t good if it wears you out. So, Jethro gave Moses some good adivce and he took it. He trained others to do what he was doing and he delegated some of his work to them. In the long run, it saved Moses’ life.

I recall a job that I had that was hard on my health. It was a good job, but it was hard on me physically. God provided a way for me to leave that job and my health improved. A good thing had become a bad thing for me and I had to walk away from it.

Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? Ecclesiastes 7:16 (KJV)

Moses was being righteous over much and making himself over-wise, and in the process he was destroying himself with overwork. God wants us to work and be good at what we do, but not to the point that it kills us.

You can help people, but when it comes to a point of being harmful to you or your family, it’s not worth it. Make sure that a good thing doesn’t become a bad thing. If you cannot do something as reasonable service to the Lord, it’s time to let it go or get some help like Moses did. God didn’t call you to do everything- just your part.

So, keep a good thing from becoming a bad thing. Seek and listen to good judgment and wise counsel- everyone will be better off in the long run. After all, you should do something until God says you’re finished with it, not until it finishes you off. So, do your part, and trust God and others to do theirs.