Choosing to Follow

January 03|Resolve Series

< Back

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 1 Kings 19:19

Read: 1 Kings 19:19-21
Listen: 1 Kings 19

TODAY’S MESSAGE

God doesn’t always do things the way people expect. Elisha is out farming when he receives an unexpected invitation. He is doing his job and leading his team in the field. Suddenly, the prophet Elijah approaches and throws his cloak on him. What seems like a strange interaction is a life-changing moment for Elisha. The direction of his life monumentally shifts. Instead of taking over the family farming operation, Elisha is now Elijah’s apprentice. God has called him, and he accepts the call. Elisha makes one major decision to follow Elijah and doesn’t turn back. Then every day for the next 18 years, he wakes up to serve as Elijah’s assistant. It was one big decision followed by hundreds of small decisions.

We’ve probably never experienced something so outwardly significant (or bizarre) as Elijah throwing his cloak on Elisha. But, when we accept God’s gift of life through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we undergo something far more significant. Our sins are forgiven. Following Jesus and becoming his disciple (apprentice) changes our lives. It reorients everything. It’s a submission of our desires to God’s plan. Just like Elisha follows Elijah to learn how to live, we follow Jesus to see how he lived and develop his character.

TODAY: Choose to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is similar to how Elisha makes one decision to follow Elijah and then daily choices to learn from him and grow. If you haven’t decided to follow Jesus, take that step today. If you have questions, we’d love to talk with you. Email us at btw@adabible.org. If you have decided to follow Jesus, decide today to follow him in every part of your life, both big and small.