Reflection:
We can probably all think of someone we know, or know of, who pursues the life that God has for them wholeheartedly. We only need to look at the legacy they’re leaving behind to see their dedication to God. The late George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilisation, is a man who comes to mind. He never relented in his passion to reach the whole world with the Gospel and put Bibles in their hands. He is responsible for the OM Ships ministry as well as countless OM movements in over 130 countries.
Whilst I lived on board the Logos Hope ship, we’d often chatter about George’s new ‘Gopher’, as he called them, his young mentor who would follow him around the world, running around for him and reading mountains of books and giving a review of each book to George. It was an exciting thing when someone we knew was chosen as the next Gopher. Whenever George visited the ship, he’d come with piles of free books for everyone. I even heard a story of an African man that couldn’t come to church because he didn’t own a suit, so George stripped down to his underwear in the street and handed him the suit off his back. Everywhere he went, he left a tidal wave of newly invigorated Christians behind him. George was one-of-a-kind, and we can’t all expect to wake up and instantly be just like him, but we can look for people like him and chase after them, eagerly learning from them. We can position ourselves in their slipstream and allow it to change us.
Elisha did this with Elijah. God gave Elisha a promise, and he clung to it with all his strength and followed it until the end. In 2 Kings 2:1-7, Elijah told Elisha to ‘stay here’ three separate times but didn’t really put up a fight when Elisha refused. Three times Elisha was told that he was about to lose his master, to which he told them to ‘be quiet’, pushed on and continued to follow. He was given opportunities to leave, but he never did. In the verses we read just now, we see that Elisha sought after the ‘double portion’ of Elijah’s spirit (the inheritance given to first-born sons in Israel).
Opening the Bible together and sharing our journeys go both ways; we must look to those below us to teach, as well as keenly look to those above us to learn. Chase the things of God with all your heart, and benefit from the people that are actively making tidal waves for the Kingdom of God.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, produce opportunities for me to journey with others who will encourage me, mentor me and help me stay excited and passionate about sharing your Word. Please guide my attention to people around me who I should pursue as a mentor and a good influence in my life.