Open Heaven Daily Devotional 26 July 2024, Friday Reading Guide
Click HERE for the Previous Open Heaven Devotional
TOPIC: Good Followership (2)
MEMORISE
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. – Exodus 17:12
READ: Exodus 17:8-13
Yesterday, I said that being submissive to a leader and seeking common interests above personal interests are attributes of a good follower. Today, I will discuss more attributes of a good follower.
Leaders are not omnipotent; they need help sometimes. Good followers recognise that their leader needs help and seek to provide it before the leader asks for it. They watch to see which areas they can support the leader in and provide the support as needed.
In today’s Bible reading, Moses did not ask for Aaron and Hur’s help. He did not even explain why he was stretching his hands towards the battlefront. They both saw him stretching his hands and noticed that they were winning as he did so. They also noticed that his hands were getting tired, so they went to him, gave him a stone to sit on, and held up his hands. That is good followership, the kind that will make a leader surmount any mountain that stands in his or her way.
Sometimes, supporting your leader will not be convenient. When Aaron and Hur helped Moses, they were not sitting down, neither was anyone helping to hold their own hands up. They must have gotten tired too, but they stayed like that until the battle was over. Sometimes, when you step in to help your leader’s weakness, others might laugh at you and even call you names. However, you must not fail your leader; you must take whatever comes with helping out.
It is a terrible thing when followers take advantage of their leader’s weaknesses. Some followers, because their leader doesn’t know how to keep track of money, start stealing from the accounts instead of helping to manage them. Some others tell people about their leaders’ weaknesses to discredit them. If there is someone in the Bible that every follower should study, it is David.
Even though he had already been anointed as the next king of Israel in 1 Samuel 16:13 and had done many exploits (1 Samuel 17:48-1 Samuel 18:5-7), even though he had seen Saul’s weaknesses (1 Samuel 16:23), he remained loyal and never discredited the king. While running for his life because Saul was trying to kill him, he got the opportunity to kill Saul but didn’t do it (1 Samuel 24:4-13) – that is a good follower! As a result, he not only fulfilled his destiny, but the King of kings, who is also called the Son of David, came from his lineage (Revelation 22:16).
KEY POINT
Never try to take advantage of your leaders’ weaknesses. Help them instead.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Isaiah 44-46
HYMN 32
TO THE WORK! TO THE WORK! WE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD
1. To the work! to the work!
we are servants of God,
Let us follow the path that our
Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel
our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what
our hands find to do.
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on,
Let us hope, let us watch,
And labour till the Master comes.
2. To the work! to the work!
let the hungry be fed,
To the fountain of life let
the weary be led!
In the cross and its banner
our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings,
“Salvation is free!”
3. To the work! to the work!
there is labour for all,
For the kingdom of darkness
and error shall fall;
And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be,
In the loud-swelling chorus,
“Salvation is free!”
4. To the work! to the work!
in the strength of the Lord,
And a robe and a crown shall
our labour reward,
When the home of the faithful
our dwelling shall be,
And we shout with the ransomed,
“Salvation is free!”
Open Heaven Daily Devotional 26 July 2024 guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.