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"So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. . . . Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant." |
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—1 Kings 19:21 |
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When Elijah threw his mantle, or his outer garment, on Elisha, it was a symbolic gesture that said, "I'm passing on my calling to you."
From the account we find in 1 Kings 19, we discover a few things about Elisha. First, we know that he was a relatively wealthy man and came from an affluent home.
How do we know that? Because the Bible says that he had 12 yoke of oxen. Back in those days, owning one pair of oxen meant that you were pretty well off. To have 12 would mean that you had a considerable acreage.
For Elisha to follow Elijah was not an easy life.
Elijah's invitation was not to a leisurely life on easy street. Elijah's life was a hard one. He had many enemies. He had people who hated him, most notably, Queen Jezebel. For Elisha to follow Elijah would mean that he would have the same enemies. The same people who hated Elijah would now hate him.
Many people are surprised to find that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. The day that you decide to follow Jesus Christ, you begin to face opposition from the devil. He doesn't want you to grow spiritually. He doesn't want you to move forward. So he will use every trick up his sleeve to try and pull you back.
We must recognize that to follow Christ means there is a price to pay. We may lose some friends. We may have to give up a few things. It may be difficult at times. But certainly, it is worth it.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2008 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
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"So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. . . . Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and walked away again." |
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—1 Kings 19:19 |
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What was Elisha doing when Elijah called him into the Lord's service? Was he walking around saying, "I wonder if God ever will do anything in my life?"
No. He was busy. He was plowing a field.
You will find this pattern throughout Scripture. The people God uses are people who are faithful with what He has put before them. The people God uses in big things are people who are faithful in little things.
A lot of people of think that, one day, they would like to perhaps dedicate their lives to Christian service. They say, "I would like to go to another country and maybe become a missionary."
That is great, but how about serving the Lord where you are right now? Do you think that some mystical thing will happen the moment you step onto foreign soil? Seize the opportunities around you today.
If you want to go to a foreign land where people speak a different language, I know of such a place. The people indigenous to this region are small of stature and hard to understand. They try your patience. They are called kids, and the mission field is called Sunday School.
When we are busy looking for distant opportunities, we might miss the ones that are right in front of us.
Are you serving the Lord right now with what He has called you to do? If so, be faithful in that. Hang in there. Do it well. Do it as unto the Lord. He sees you, and He will one day reward you openly.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2008 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. . . . " |
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—Romans 12:6 |
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What are the best spiritual gifts for a believer to have? It all depends.
If I am having a difficult time sharing my faith with someone, and you come along and have been gifted as an evangelist, then that is the best gift at that particular moment.
But then let's say I am trying to understand the meaning of a particular passage of Scripture, and God has given you the gift of teaching. For you to come along could be a great benefit to me.
Then again, let's say that I am undertaking a complex project, and I need help. What I really need is someone with the gift of helps or administrations.
Or, let's say that I'm lying in a hospital bed, and I'm discouraged. I don't really need a Bible study. I don't need someone to come and help me organize my life. I need someone with the gift of exhortation or encouragement. I need someone to come and help me see that God is still in control of my life.
Each one of these gifts is important, as God has distributed them.
We make a big mistake when we think some gifts are of greater importance than others. They all have their place, and God has given them as He has chosen. Therefore, we need to pray, "Lord, what are my gifts? Help me to discover them. Help me to develop them. Help me to use them."
One day, when you stand before God, you will be held accountable for what He called you to do. And one day, He will reward you for how faithful you were with what He gave you.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2008 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
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"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant." |
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—1 Corinthians 12:1 |
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Through the years, I have made my periodic trips to the gym to get back in shape. On one such occasion after I joined a local gym, a trainer took me on a tour to show me the various machines and how they worked. (Some of them are a little difficult to figure out these days!)
One thing the trainer mentioned especially caught my attention. He explained that it is important to work out every part of your body so you have a balanced physique. To fail to do so, he said, causes imbalance. A person needs cardiovascular exercise as well as strength training.
As the trainer began to describe the importance of balance and how the entire body needed exercise and needed to be trained for good overall performance, I began to think about the body of Christ. We, too, need overall balance. And in our own personal lives as Christians, the key is balance.
In Romans 12, we find that God has distributed gifts of the Holy Spirit into the lives of believers for the benefit of the whole church. Because of the abuse of some, many have recoiled from these wonderful gifts that God has given. Some have seen the excesses and those who have gone too far in one direction with these gifts, and they think, "I don't want anything to do with that kind of activity."
However, you can go too far in the other direction as well. The gifts of the Spirit are real, and they are available for Christians today. Not only should we be using them in our lives, but we also should be seeking the gift or gifts He has placed in our lives.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2008 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
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One day, a pastor was teaching a Sunday School class. He asked the class, "Can anyone think of a Bible verse about being married?"
A little boy raised his hand. When the pastor called on him, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Maybe you have felt that way. Maybe you have bought into the old adage that says, "Marriage is like a three-ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering."
Sadly, flourishing marriages are becoming more and more of an oddity today. But it doesn't have to be that way. Your marriage can be blessed. It can be successful. It can be something wonderful in your life, if you do it God's way.
In Ephesians 5, we find five principles for marriage that, if applied, not only can strengthen your marriage, but also can help it flourish.
Principle one: Turn on the light (see verse 13). When you can't find something, you turn on the light. Let's say that you are driving in your car at night, and you drop something. You reach around for it and still can't find it. So you turn on the light, and there it is. It had been there the whole time, but the light helped you to see things accurately.
The Bible does that for us. Psalm 119:05 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (NKJV). We are to bring our marriages into the light of Scripture and recognize that we need to conform to what God says.
The question is not whether the Bible confirms what we want to do, but whether we are conforming to what the Bible says.
Principle two: Wake up (see verse 14). We must recognize that we cannot sleepwalk through life and through marriage. We need to wake up to the fact that the culture in which we live is no friend of marriage and the family. In fact, it wants to redefine those terms.
The culture in which we live is hostile to the commitment between a man and a woman. Let me take it a step further by saying that Satan hates the family. He will do everything in his power to destroy yours. So you need to do everything in your power to protect it.
Principle three: Walk circumspectly (see verse 15 NKJV). The word, "circumspectly," carries the basic meaning of that which is accurate and exact. It is the idea of looking at, examining, or investigating something with great care.
Walk circumspectly and recognize that good marriages don't just happen as a result of mere chance or dumb luck. They are the result of work, commitment, and attention to detail.
Principle four: Redeem the time, because the days are evil (see verse 16). The phrase, "redeem the time," means to make the most of it. The end of your life is not the time to realize that you should have thought more about God and your family. Why wait until then?
Maybe you've been thinking, "I haven't really been the husband that I ought to be," or "I haven't been a good wife," or "I need to spend more time with the kids." Redeem the time, and do what you need to do now. You will never regret it. Take advantage of the opportunities you have today.
Principle five: Be filled with the Spirit (see verse 18). Anyone who honestly looks at these principles to which God calls us would say, "These are hard. I can't do them." And they would be right. We cannot be what God wants us to be without the help of His Spirit.
What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? In the original language, it carries the idea of a wind filling a sail. Rowing a boat is a lot of hard work. It is a lot easier when the wind fills your sails and carries you along. In the same way, let the Holy Spirit help you make your marriage work.
I am not saying that you don't need to make an effort. But I am saying that you should let God enable you to be the man or the woman He has called you to be. You need to be filled with the Spirit.
In our own strength, we will utterly fail. It is only as we follow the principles in God's Word, and are filled with and yielding to His Spirit, that we can be the husbands and wives He has called us to be.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2008 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
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