Stepping in the Light

“And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” II Kings 2:8-9

Elisha was Elijah’s servant for almost eight years. He had spent a great deal of time with Elijah. He had heard Elijah prophesy and had seen the miracles that he performed. When the time had come for Elijah to be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha had one request. He wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha did not ask for any earthly possession. He did not desire to have fame or popularity. He did not ask for wealth or position. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.

What would you have asked for if you had been in Elisha’s situation? Would it have been something spiritual? Many people ignore their spiritual condition. They seem unconcerned about their attitudes and uninterested in accomplishing anything for God. Elisha had seen the spiritual example of Elijah, and he wanted to pattern his life after what he saw. It is interesting to note that Elisha performed twice as many miracles in his lifetime as Elijah did. Elisha’s experience demonstrates that if we want to experience spiritual blessings, we need to cultivate our spiritual desires.

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One of them mocked Jesus along with the crowd that was gathered at the cross. The other thief rebuked him and then turned to Christ and said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Jesus answered, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” In this one brief conversation, we can see the answer to the question as to whether a person can earn an entrance into heaven by good works. First, we can see that there is no doubt that this man was a sinner who was worthy of both death and hell. He was a convicted criminal, and we know that the Bible teaches that only one sin is enough to keep a person out of heaven. Second, there is no need for a theological discussion as to whether this man ever actually made it to heaven. Jesus gave him a guarantee, “Verily I say unto thee….”  Finally, this man never had an opportunity to do good works after he turned to Christ. If good works were necessary for salvation, he could not possibly have been saved. Only Christ can save us!

“And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” I Kings 17:6-7

King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had led the people of Israel to worship Baal. Elijah stood before Ahab and told him that there would not be rain or dew in the land until he said so. When Elijah left King Ahab, God sent Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith. Every morning and evening, God sent ravens to feed Elijah with bread and meat. In addition to this miraculous daily provision, Elijah enjoyed the natural provision of drinking from the brook. The water in the brook sustained Elijah, but it also helped him to know how things were going in other parts of the land. Each day that passed with no rainfall, the water levels got lower, and it became more obvious that the people of Israel needed to turn back to God. Finally, the brook dried up and God moved Elijah to another place.

Just as water is necessary to sustain physical life, God’s Word is necessary to sustain spiritual life. Jesus said that our survival depends upon every word that comes from God. Are we getting enough of the living water in our lives? Does God have our hearts, or does He need to send a drought to get our attention? How pressing do our physical needs have to become before we awaken to the immediacy of our spiritual needs? Don’t let the brook dry up in your life. Spend time in God’s Word each day.

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:31-32

Simon Peter was so outspoken in his dedication to the Lord Jesus that it seems he considered himself to be completely invincible in his determination to follow Christ. However, Jesus knew that Peter would soon deny Him, and His desire was for Peter to survive the spiritual storm that he would soon face. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed that his faith would not fail. The Lord had great plans for Peter’s life. He knew that Peter would eventually preach to great crowds and see many thousands of people receive Christ. But first, Peter would fear for his life because of Jesus’ arrest. He would feel extreme disappointment because of Christ’s death on the cross. He would be confused and bewildered when he heard the news of the Lord’s resurrection. He would become discouraged and disillusioned when he realized that the kingdom of God was not at all what he had imagined it to be. Jesus knew that there was only one ingredient that would bring Peter through that season of testing, and that was his faith. We serve a God Who can do anything, but His actions are often set in motion by our faith. Sometimes the Lord is waiting on us to believe. We will never come to the end of God’s ability unless we first come to the end of our own faith. The Lord wants to work in our lives today, but His work depends on the exercise of our faith.

“And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” Luke 22:25-27

In a banquet setting, there are two groups of people: those who are sitting at the tables enjoying the banquet and those who are serving the food. The invited guests are certainly deemed more important than the wait staff, but that distinction alone isn’t always sufficient. At some banquets, there are reserved tables with name cards for important guests. The banquet planners choose the seating according to the host’s wishes, and the best seats are given to those who are the most significant to the host. The attendees at such an event may have occasion to look around the room and evaluate who was given the best seat in the house, but the servers see the room in a completely different way. They are looking to see who still needs to be served.

The disciples looked at Jesus’ coming kingdom as if it were a banquet to which they had been invited; but He wanted them to understand that they were going to be serving, not sitting. Jesus said to them, “I am among you as he that serveth.” If we are going to please the Lord, we need to be looking for needs to fill rather than trying to determine whether we have the best seat at the table. Let’s forget about getting a good seat and begin approaching our lives as those who are tasked to serve.

“And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.” I Kings 10:6-7

As Solomon’s kingdom waxed stronger, his fame spread far and wide. He was known for his uncanny ability to solve problems and his lavish display of riches. When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s great wisdom and wealth, she decided to visit him and see for herself what kind of man he was and what kind of kingdom he had built. After she had exhausted her supply of difficult questions and had seen the wonders of his palace, she declared, “The half was not told me.” She had heard great things about Solomon, but she thought that they were exaggerations. After spending time with him, she saw that his kingdom was better than advertised.

We all have a reputation. We build that reputation by the things that we do. It is possible to spend so much time building our reputation that we forget to work on making our reality what it ought to be. If we work hard enough on being what we ought to be, our reputation will eventually take care of itself. Who has the highest opinion of you, the people who are closest to you, or the people who are furthest away? Are you spending more time on the first impression or the finished product? We ought to determine to make our lives better than advertised.

“Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” I Kings 8:56-61

Solomon gave this speech at the close of the dedication service for the temple. He charged the people to follow God faithfully so that “all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.” Our Christian service should be the same kind of example to the unsaved people around us. We should live our lives with the underlying purpose that all the world would know that there is a God, and that He sent His Son to die for the sins of all mankind. As we serve the Lord, our actions and attitudes should make it plain to the whole world that we worship the one true God and that He loves them.

“And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.” I Kings 6:7

The temple was to be an exceedingly magnificent structure. After it was completed it was to be an absolute wonder, shimmering in gold. But it had to be built first, and construction sites are generally very noisy places; sounds of sawing, hammering, and shouting fill the air. But this site was to be different. The rule was that no sound of an iron tool could be heard there. All of the chiseling, hammering, chopping, cutting, and sawing had to happen offsite. The materials were prepared and brought in, but from time to time, something would not fit right. Normally, if a board is a little bit too long, you have a saw nearby so you can make another cut quickly. On this site, if a stone did not fit, it had to be transported offsite to have the necessary chiseling done and then brought back to see if it would fit. Under these constraints, the workers would have constantly increased the intensity with which they measured and planned. They would have been trying their best to get everything right the first time. These men were constantly reminded that they were building a house for God. Every task they performed was completed in solemn reverence. The temple was a place of worship for hundreds of years, but I believe that God was pleased as He watched these workers build His house with hearts filled with awe and wonder.

“And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” I Kings 3:7-10

Solomon was called upon to follow in his father’s footsteps at a young age. No doubt, King David had groomed Solomon to take over the kingdom; but in the very short time since he had ascended his father’s throne, Solomon had been required to handle some very sensitive situations and make some extremely difficult decisions. He managed to quell an attempt on the throne by one of his brothers, which led him to the point not only of having his brother put to death, but also of executing the most powerful general in his army and removing the high priest from office. However, the most daunting task still lay ahead of him, which was building a permanent temple in Jerusalem to replace the tabernacle that Moses had built in the wilderness. This was the place where the Israelites would come to meet with God, and it must be completed to perfection. When asked what he wanted, Solomon requested that God give him an understanding heart. Do you have the wisdom you need? All you have to do is ask! (See James 1:5.)

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” Luke 19:41-44

The city of Jerusalem had the opportunity to embrace her king, but her leaders did not recognize it. Jesus referred to this opportunity as “the time of thy visitation.” The promised Messiah, the Son of God, came and visited them. He walked with them, He taught them, and He performed miracles among them; but they never really understood what was happening. Multitudes did throng around Him, and they even went so far as to give Jesus a grand entrance into the city on His last visit there before His crucifixion, but the excitement quickly wore off. Within a short time, they were crying out for Him to be crucified. Of course, it had to happen that way in order for Jesus to be crucified. If He had not died upon the cross, our sins would still not be paid for. But Jesus wept over the people of the city in this passage because they missed their opportunity. God gives us opportunities every day to help those around us and to serve Him. Let’s be looking for those opportunities today and be ready to take advantage of each one!