When our grandchildren were younger, they would fall and hurt themselves as children will do. If I was near, I would tell them to come to Pops and let me hold them. I would jokingly say, “Come to Doctor Pops.” As our granddaughter got a little older, she would roll her eyes at me, and once she piped up and said, “Pops, you’re not a doctor, you are a preacher!” Then she said, “Stick to what you know, Pops.”
I’ve thought about that childlike admonition numerous times. It really is sage advice for those of us who preach. It is possible that one of the reasons we struggle so much in our work, is because we attempt to do things that are not in our area of expertise, and they are not really part of the work that has been assigned to us.
Sometimes, we try to do the work of elders because we feel they aren’t doing their work. We may become frustrated because they aren’t handling a situation in the way we think they should.
Perhaps, we see a job not being done by some deacon or some member that has been assigned to them. Rather than going through the ordeal of trying to get them to do it, we just do it ourselves.
Or, we don’t like the way some brother teaches a Bible class, so we stop asking them and we teach all of the classes.
If we aren’t careful, we can burn ourselves out doing the good work of the Lord by trying to do everything. It sometimes seems easier to do the work of others than to encourage them to do their work.
Brothers, our job is the preach the Word of God and minister to those whom God has entrusted to us. May God help us to busy ourselves about this work. As well, we will be less likely to become frustrated and burned out in the work of the Lord. In other words, stick to what we know!
