Open Heaven 25 July 2024: Good Followership 1
MEMORISE: 1 Corinthians 11:1
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
READ: 1 Kings 19:19-21,
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.
20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
2 Kings 3:11 (KJV)
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.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
Many people talk about leadership, but you hardly hear them talk about followership. The truth is, no leader can succeed without good followers. Leaders are raised from amongst the followers, so the better the followers, the better the quality of leaders.
Submission is one of the greatest attributes that a follower can have. It is different from cooperation. You cooperate when you agree with a leader’s instructions, but you are submissive when you obey, whether you agree with the instruction or not. Not being submissive indicates that a follower is acting in his or her own interest rather than the interest of the entire group that the leader represents. Some followers steal because they are ready to sacrifice the interest of the entire group to satisfy their personal interests. If this behaviour continues unchecked and the follower eventually becomes a leader, he or she will only care about himself or herself.
Gehazi showed this in (2 Kings 5:20-27). Elisha had collected nothing from Naaman for curing his leprosy, but Gehazi was after his personal interest as opposed to that of the Lord, which his master represented. He proceeded to collect gifts from Naaman and was immediately struck with leprosy. Judas Iscariot was also recorded to have been stealing from the ministry’s purse (John 12:6). This is why he could not be amongst the apostles to carry the gospel around the world after Jesus left. Such a person will never make a good leader because his or her personal interest will be more important than common interests.
Some people may say, “I don’t steal, I just disobey my leader because I don’t like him.” This is, however, just as bad as stealing. In Matthew 25:24-30, the servant who was given one talent to trade with did not steal the talent, he hid it rather than trade with it as instructed because he did not like his master’s leadership style. The master wasn’t annoyed that he did not trade with it as instructed, but that he could have at least put it in the bank to yield some interest. Putting it in the bank would have shown that even though he did not like his master, he was interested in the company’s prosperity. This made his master call him an unfaithful servant. He was more particular about himself, which is a bad trait for any follower or leader.
Beloved, if you want to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower by obeying your leader and putting common interests above yours.
REFLECTION:
Am I a good follower?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 41-43
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Open Heaven 25 July 2024
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