Successors

Dream Team Staff

Steve Blair

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Amy Leigh Bamberg

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Amy Jones

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In 1 Kings 19:19-21, we read,

So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders…. Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

So what was the deal with the cloak? It was a symbol of anointing, the calling, power, authority. It was the mantle. Just as Moses’ rod symbolized God-given authority, Elijah’s cloak was a symbol of his.

Elisha didn’t ask for the cloak. He was simply plowing in the field, doing all that he had ever known. But, Elijah saw something special in him and anointed him as a great Kingdom shaker. Can you imagine the honor and ego boost that Elisha experienced after Elijah (the world-renown prophet and stud-man-of-God) tapped him? But, it was only after being with Elijah and experiencing life together that Elisha grew in the confidence of his calling and purpose. With this realization, Elisha pleaded, “…let a double portion of your spirit be upon me…”

Elisha sacrificed all that he had. He left his home, vocation, property -- everything that was comfortable and familiar. He left because he knew the authority and integrity of the one who called him.

Think about the anointing and authority that you possess, given you by God. Envision yourself as Elijah, walking through the fields and seeking out those diligent, humble servants such as Elisha. It is our responsibility to seek and to tap our successors. It is our honor to train them up in their calling.

Reflect:
In our ministry, are we developing a successor like Elijah?
Do we worship our ministry and fear losing it more than we worship God and fear Him?
Are we honoring God by honoring our people in tangible ways?