Elisha's call, 1 Kings 19

The Calling of Elisha, Masters of Otto van Moerdrecht, c 1430, North Netherlands

"He found him, not in the schools of the prophets, but in the field, not reading, nor praying, nor sacrificing, but ploughing...Idleness is no man's honour, nor is husbandry any man's disgrace. An honest calling in the world does not at all put us out of the way of our heavenly calling, any more than it did Elisha, who was taken from following the plough the feed Israel and to sow the seed of the word, as the apostles were taken from fishing to catch men."  -Matthew Henry

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"The voice in the cave of Horeb said many things; but it said one thing which, to my mind, was specially helpful to the future development of Elijah—it directed him where to find a human friend. If there was one thing Elijah needed to mellow him it was that. He seems never to have felt the influence of home ties. His life throughout had been one of war, of public commotion, of political and religious strife. Superiors he had, inferiors he had, but he had hitherto possessed no equal. There had been none to take his hand and say, “We are brothers.” A man in such a position is in want of one half of life’s music. When the voice sent him to Elisha, it sent him to a new school. --George Matheson, BI

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"Of all subjects none can be more important than that everyone who ministers in holy things should see to it that his call is clear. Most awful it is to rush into the ministry unsent; and most awful in the end will be that solemn question, Who hath required this at your hands?"  -Robert Hawker

"The Lord gives grace to follow his call, notwithstanding both the unexpectedness of the call, and our unpreparedness to receive it; and yet more, all our undeservings; and though the whole life of grace as much exceeds all we can ask or think, as his thoughts exceed our thoughts, or his ways our ways."  -Robert Hawker