The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have a Bible Edge
II Kings 3:11
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
Great leaders are first of all great followers. Elisha was. He poured water on the hands of Elijah, and others knew it. Of all the “sons of the prophets” as they were called in II Kings 2, Elisha was the only one that stuck to Elijah. He was such a faithful servant to Elijah that even when he was told by that great prophet to stay in Gilgal, Elisha, the faithful follower, would have none of it. He stated in II Kings 2:2 …As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Probably all of the sons of the prophets could have done the same, but they didn’t. None of the others … poured water on the hands of Elijah.
Followship is the training for leadership. Joshua was a follower of Moses and he became a great leader. Joseph followed his father, then Potiphar, then the jailer and he became a great leader. Peter followed Jesus and became a great leader. The same could be said of many others throughout the Scriptures.
So what? That may be the thought of some that read this devotion. So what? What does this have to do with me today? That’s a question that can be easily answered by a question. Who are you following today? If there is any desire to be an Elisha, who is your Elijah? Who will you stoop down to in order to wash their hands? Who will you say of… As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Is there one?
Someone may reply, “I’ve already been a follower, now I’m a leader.” This is where many leaders begin their descent into mediocrity as a leader. They fail to know one central truth: Everybody has a leader they should serve. Great followers become great leaders because they are always a follower. It is just that the person they serve, that they follow after, changes. Consider a pastor. Humanly speaking there is no one to lead them, they are leaders by design of God. But they too, at least the great ones, have someone to follow and to serve. That is the Lord God of Heaven. All great pastors are great followers of our Lord and Savior.
Moses served the Lord, Joshua served Moses until Moses was gone, then Joshua served the Lord. Elijah served the Lord and Elisha served him until he was gone, then Elisha transferred his servitude to the same Lord that Elijah had served. In the work of the Lord this is how it is. Also, this is the way it should be in the business world too. CEO’s may be leaders, but the great ones will also be servants. Servants to the Lord. Proof? Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;. The way to follow the Lord when promoted to leadership is to understand that in the realm of serving a boss you are actually serving the Lord. If this philosophy of life is adopted and lived as a follower it will be lived as a leader. Elisha did. Now, that’s an edge, a Bible Edge.
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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