It's interesting who God brings in and out of your life. I remember being a teenager in a church with highly qualified pastors. Some of them were PhD-carrying theologians with experience running large church organizations. Others were people with barely any formal qualifications, but whom radiated the spirit of a servant. The question is... which makes a person more qualified to serve God?
I have always been a supporter of formal education and training, so I don't mean to overlook the importance of 'qualifications for ministry'. At the same time, we can trick ourselves into thinking that a ministry leader, a deacon/elder, or even a pastor is someone who simply "looks the part" of being a strong Christian. The "look" must also be accompanied with the action, specifically the fruits of their actions which says more than their rhetoric.
There is an interesting scene which unfolds when God tells Elijah to find his successor, Elisha. In this scene, we find something unassuming about Elisha's character.
19 Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him. 20 Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?" 21 So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him. (1 Kings 19:19-21)
If we move past the cultural elements of Elijah covering Elisha with his mantle to signify a form of "adoption", what we see is Elisha plowing a field with a ton of oxen. So, what's the big deal? Consider that Elisha had many animals-of-burden (oxen) meaning he was wealthy. Additionally, he had 12 teams, 11 of which were being worked by laborers. This shows that he also carried some authority as he was able to direct others to work his land. All of this means that Elisha was a man of means who didn't have to do anything if he didn't want, but yet he is found plowing his own fields. Elisha is a worker. He doesn't kick-back and relax while his servants work the fields and he isn't simply acting as a manager. Instead, he is getting dirty and performing the hard work needed to make his estate successful. It is this "worker" heart which makes him so suitable to be a replacement for Elijah.
Sometimes I feel like we put a ton of stock into religious leaders and mentors who "look religious" or maybe even "sound religious", but the fruit of their heart looks a little less shiny. Instead of having the heart of a servant, we are happy to have our spiritual leaders appear holy rather than act holy. This leads to religious men and women taking the spotlight who may not necessarily be as spiritually sound as we would have hoped.
So what do we do about this? We can't control who everyone follows or chooses to elevate; however, we can choose who we allow to give us counsel. We can seal our hearts and be diligent to consider the character and fruit of the individuals we look to for guidance. By safeguarding our own hearts, we can ward off false teaching and bad lessons others might quickly embrace. We can look towards the truth instead of ceding our discernment to the mentality that "the holy-looking man said it, so I accepted it."
Stay vigilant and protect your heart. After all, Christ paid a tremendous price to save it.
Comments