Elisha was plowing the earth when Elijah came upon him and threw his mantle on him. Elisha did not finish plowing the field, but slaughtered the beast of his burden to feed the people and followed Elijah, becoming his servant. When Elijah was taken into heaven Elisha received a double portion of the anointing. Being great has always been being the greatest servant. But there is another point to be made, Elisha walked away from the work he was doing to serve the prophet willingly. Elijah didn’t present a seven part series on his authority or obligate Elisha to serve him. Elisha served Elijah’s anointing, being known as the man who washed the prophet’s hands, by serving the prophet, not out of obligation or obedience but because he was a servant.

While Jesus rested by the well of Jacob a woman came to fill her water pots. Jesus asked for a drink of water, and the woman inquired about His motives. Jesus straight away showed her His motive was to do the will of His Father and offer her living water. Her heart was not ready to receive the greatest servant, so Jesus went right to the heart of the matter. The woman was changed, and she left her labor, the water pots, and went into the city and served the men of the city with her new anointing. The Prophet served the woman and the woman became an anointed servant serving the Prophet by serving (ministering to) the men in the city. The mantle Jesus threw on the woman was His promise and His words cleansed her and she followed Him in ministry and served a city, without physically following Him. Her service was not by obligation or obedience but because a greater servant served her.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). As if that was not encouraging enough, that passage was proceeded by, “For He will abundantly pardon.” When it comes to the Lord’s pardon, grace, His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). What is the wine without price but the blood of the greatest servant, and what is the milk without price if not faith in the works of the greatest servant given to the guilty as innocence obtained through grace? What is the water without price but the living water feely given?

Gehazi was a servant of Elisha, but he served himself taking payment for the service of the prophet. Not being a true servant he could not see that the water Naaman washed in was without price, and the anointing of the prophet without greed. Gehazi could not see the value of the works of God without seeing the physical value, so he became a servant of two talents of silver and two changes of garments. Gehazi did not serve the prophet’s anointing and as such did not serve the prophet, and was not a prophet; not being fertile ground for the seed of the prophet.

Simon the Sorcerer believed when he first heard the gospel, but when he desired the power of the Holy Spirit he wanted to buy the gift of God. Peter told him that he wound die with his money for believing he could purchase the gift of God. Then Peter told him to repent, change his way of thinking, and pray God may forgive the intent of his heart. Simon the Sorcerer could not see the free gift of God given to those who willingly serve Him by serving one another. He only saw the physical value of the priceless gift. He could not see seeking first the kingdom of God to have the physical needs fulfilled and added to the priceless gift. He could not humble himself to serve or to be served by the greatest servant.

The way of the pardon of God is not man’s way. God did not leave salvation up to mankind. But a man needs to believe that God has done these works. It takes faith to see the priceless gift of God, and faith also a gift of God. Faith is the tangible proof of the priceless gift yet unseen. So how do we see what is unseen? The Holy Spirit opens the spiritual eyes of the servant to see what is hidden to the physical. The servant serving the anointing serves without seeing by faith in the Anointed Savior. We who are called of God are called to a greater service to be greater servants, not serving mammon but serving the anointing by serving one another. We do serve in the flesh as taskmasters, but as anointed teachers of grace. Serving not for what we can see, but for what is yet unseen in the physical to be the manifestation of the priceless works of God; serving as Jesus served – loving as He has loved us.

© Copyright 2016 Tim D. Coulter Sr.