The challenge to great leadership...
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The challenge to great leadership is choosing a successor to faithfully lead God's people. Moses elected Joshua. David chose Solomon. Paul, almost by default, took up the mantle of leadership to fill the void years after the death of Jesus. Elijah was commissioned by God to choose Elisha, who would prophesy with the same intensity of his predecessor. But finding the most likely to succeed is often a difficult task. The successor may not always possess the same gifts, charisma and ability to move the people to greater heights, and the leader may be hard pressed to choose someone to follow his or her legacy. In modern times, this is particularly true in the Civil Rights movement. Many people expected Ralph Abernathy to replace Martin Luther King, Jr. While Ralph was a man of enormous gifts, he was not the man chosen by God to follow in King's footsteps. King did not choose a successor but had he done so, the movement may have continued its momentum after his death. It is important that anointed leaders of God initiate an appointment process, to find those most capable of continuing the Lord's work. They will not always be told by God, like Elijah, as to who the successor might be, but it is important to keep watch and pray so as to identify the person most capable of moving the people into the future. -- Stewart
