Over the past several weeks, I have been studying the life of the Biblical Prophet Elisha. It has been a study of faith and wonder. Elisha was a prophet for God; he was a great man of God who used his influence to lead Israel. In the following story, I would like to share a few leadership principles I discovered in what seems to be a relatively obscure story of the Bible.
2 Kings 6:1-7 (NLT)
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. 2 Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.” “All right,” he (Elisha) told them, “go ahead.”
3 “Please come with us,” someone suggested. “I will,” he said.
4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees.
5 But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”
6 “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. 7 “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.
3 Lessons of Leadership
When you first read this story you might think (as I did); “well, that was a clever story but there’s not much there for life lessons.” Let’s face it: I grew up in the church, and many of you (if you are still reading) probably grew up in the church as well. We’ve heard this story before; Elisha does a miracle and saves the day. Application: nothing is too hard for God; Just have more faith. Believe it, and you can do it.
Those are all nice thoughts, but we need to slow down and consider the story from several other angles. Slow down and look at the back story. Please go back up and read the passage one more time, this time slowing down as you read.
Hey there! Are you ready to learn some valuable leadership lessons? Well, look no further because I’ve got three key takeaways from a story that I think you’ll find really insightful. So, let’s dive in and see what we can learn!
Lesson 1 – Be Responsible Where You Are
2 Kings 6:1 (NLT)
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small.
In this story, a group of men are attending a school of prophets led by Elisha. As Elisha’s reputation grows, more men want to join the school and learn from him. However, they soon realize that they need more space to accommodate the growing group. Instead of waiting for Elisha to take action, they take responsibility for the situation and approach him with the idea to build a new space. This principle of taking initiative and being responsible for the areas around us is applicable in various aspects of life, including the workplace, home, and church. We can all be leaders by being observant of our surroundings and addressing any needs we see.
Lesson 2 – Work Hard Together
2 Kings 6:2-4 (NLT)
Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.”
“all right,” he (Elisha) told them, “go ahead.”
“Please come with us,” someone suggested. “I will,” he said. So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees.
This is a really simple principle, yet we miss it so many times. Do good work together, be creative together, and solve problems together. I love the attitude of these guys; they see a problem (not enough room), they are creative in solving their problem (let’s build a new meeting place), and they ask their leader to help. Anyone can do hard work alone; it takes cooperation, patience, and wisdom to work hard together toward a common goal.
These guys are taking on a great task to build a building together; to build a useful space for training, to build a space for learning.
Lesson 3 – Be Responsible With Your Stuff
2 Kings 6:1-2 (NLT)
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.” “All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”
2 Kings 6:5 (NLT)
But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”
These guys showed their maturity in two ways. First, they were responsible for their school; the space needed to be bigger. They didn’t wait till “leadership/management” came along to give them the go-ahead or come up with the idea to build and develop. They saw the need, and they went to leadership to ask permission (I am glad that Elisha agreed and gave them the go-ahead).
The second area where they showed maturity is with the management of their tools; specifically, the tools they had to borrow. These guys are in Bible College, and they don’t have a lot of money. They had to borrow the tools to do the job, and they knew they needed to take responsibility for the stuff they borrowed.
Consider Proverbs 22:1: “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth…”
How do you get a “good name”? By becoming a person that is responsible, responsible for our stuff, responsible in our work, and responsible where we are in life. Anyone can TALK a good TALK but a person of character is responsible in multiple areas of life. So, it doesn’t matter if you are a recognized “leader” or not – we are all leaders, and we can all lead through being responsible.
Building a reputation of trust and integrity is essential for fostering meaningful relationships and achieving success in both personal and professional realms. As Warren Buffett, the renowned investor and philanthropist, once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Trust is the foundation upon which relationships are built, and it is earned through consistent actions and behaviors aligned with one’s values and principles. By demonstrating honesty, reliability, and transparency in all interactions, individuals can cultivate a reputation of trustworthiness that inspires confidence and respect from others. As Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” aptly noted, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Whether in business or personal matters, investing in building trust with others is a valuable asset that pays dividends in the form of enduring relationships, opportunities, and success.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this story. If you enjoyed it, please share it with others!
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