Craig Clouston

 A Great Follower

Come, follow me.

Matthew 4:19

Jesse was in his senior year of high school and still hadn’t gained acceptance to one of the three major colleges on his wish list. He’d sent applications to two of the three but had been denied admittance due to what they stated was “a lack of leadership quality.”

Deciding to try a different approach with the third school, he wrote on his application that he was quite sure they were looking for students who were great leaders. “Eventually I hope to become a great leader. However,” he wrote, “I am a great follower.” Depositing the envelope in the mailbox, he began the tedious wait for their response.

Three weeks later, his father handed him a letter that had arrived that morning. It was his response from the third school. Looking at it with apprehension, he felt this was his last opportunity for acceptance into an Ivy League college. Slowly, he opened the envelope, pulled the letter from it, and read his fate. “We are happy to announce that we have several openings for followers. We were inundated this year with applications from great leaders and needed to fill the requirements for each category. We congratulate you on your acceptance for enrollment.”

Jesse smiled at the amusing response his comment had elicited.

†

Jesus wasn’t looking for great leaders when he called the Twelve. And it’s a good thing for us they didn’t need to be. They were ordinary men with their own faults, yet they each had something that Jesus saw and intended to nurture.

If leadership skills were a requirement, then most likely none of them would have qualified for the position of apostle.

What a lesson for us! These ordinary men couldn’t lead anyone anywhere when Jesus first asked them to leave everything behind and follow him. Yet each one of them dropped everything, deciding to see what this Man could show them.

They were the epitome of the term follower. And over the next three years, they were transformed into great leaders who changed the world.

Before we can become great leaders, we must learn to be great followers.

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, take my hand and lead me. I want to be a great follower. Amen.”