Month: January 2024

“Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so. And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

2 Kings 2:9-11 (RSV)

Elijah was taken directly into heaven without ever dying. His means of transport was a chariot of fire driven by angels, and Elisha his student saw it happen before his eyes.

Elijah somehow knew it was his last day on earth, so he told Elisha to ask one last thing of him, and Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit Elijah had. Elisha then watched that fiery whirlwind swoop down and take his beloved mentor, directly to heaven. Elijah’s cloak was left behind, and Elisha took it, rolled it up and clutched it as he walked on alone. 

When he arrived at the bank of the Jordan River, the moment of truth came. He touched the water with Elijah’s cloak and asked with a small amount of confidence, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” and the river instantly parted. When the water parted, he knew that the same God was with him and he received a double portion of His Spirit. From that point on, Elisha began a new era of his own ministry, with the Lord’s anointing upon him.

It was the best thing to ask for, by asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. In this current world, it seems that each generation needs a double portion of the Spirit, more than the generation before. Elisha grew in confidence and anointing, as he developed his own unique ministry.

He matured to become “the”prophet of the land, whose miracles and ministry touched many lives. With a double portion of the Spirit, He did amazing things. He raised a child from the dead, he brought an endless supply of provision that sustained widows in desperate need. Leprosy was the most feared and incurable disease of the time, but It was Elisha who healed Naaman’s leprosy by telling him to plunge seven times in the Jordan river. Elisha became the prophet of the rich and poor, leading all of them to believe in the one true God.

I  think God really loves when we ask big of Him. Asking big means asking God to be magnified through our lives in some way. It grows our faith and reveals God’s greatness to others. He gives us the confidence to exemplify Him, in every small thing we do and wherever we go. Elisha started out with a small amount of confidence, but his request for a double portion, took him a long way.

If we ask of God, He will give us a double portion of courage, love, patience, compassion, mercy, wisdom, and faith. We can all use a double portion of something, and He also gives us a double portion of confidence to accomplish what He is leading us to do.

After reading this story I thought of a specific person in my son’s Nursing Facility, who I started to pray for specifically. I see her there every time I visit. She is only 38, and though I don’t know her story, because of privacy laws, I’ve heard tidbits from others of her having a possible history of being abused and abusing drugs. She looks like a teenager, compared to the other residents, and she sits by herself every day. She never has visitors, and appears catatonic, never looking at or speaking to anyone. It’s so sad, but I am asking for a double portion of love and wisdom to know how to one day connect with Amber.

God is an infinite source of unlimited pure love. He loves us and desires that we also show His love to others. He is the source for all the other virtues that we need, to live a life pleasing to Him. If we ask Him for a double portion of anything, I believe He is not only pleased that we ask, but will do it. 

Soon after Elisha asked for a double portion, the waters of the Jordan  parted for him. God wants to part some waters in our lives and send us double of whatever we need. 

Lord, we ask, like Elisha, for a double portion of your Spirit. We believe you want to give us double of every virtue, so that we can bless those we meet as we journey through this  life. Amen

“But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.”

Numbers 14:24 (RSV)

When the Israelites arrived at the border of the land God promised them, God told Moses to send one man from each tribe to check it out and come back with their reports. Twelve men were sent, as Moses instructed, but only two out of the twelve returned with positive reports. The other ten saw only the negatives and reported to Moses that the people in that land were too big, strong and powerful for the Israelites to overcome. This put the remainder of the people into a panic. 

Joshua and Caleb returned with all the good news about the land, but Caleb, seeing the response of the people, quieted their fears, by telling them, 

“If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. You need not be afraid of the people of the land.”

Numbers 14:8-9 (NAB)

Sometimes the opinion of the  majority is wrong if they don’t know that God is in it with them. God praised Caleb, saying that he had a “different spirit” in following Him fully. God is not looking for people who are crowd pleasers to win popularity as  politicians do. Caleb, although in the minority, was fully committed to what God promised, and he had a gift of being able to encourage others to do the right thing. 

Joshua also had a different spirit, and his leadership gift led him to later become Moses’ successor. 

The two men used their gifts to fulfill God’s purpose when the Israelites were at a major crossroads of their future and destiny.

Moses, Joshua and Caleb together were like three pillars of faith. They believed in God’s promise and each one did their part and fulfilled their purpose, in bringing their people into the promised land. 

The majority of the Israelites feared the challenges involved in going into the new land. Fear brings strange thoughts to mind, and the people started to convince themselves that their old lives were better in Egypt, living in slavery. It’s hard to imagine, but most of them rejected the faith filled messages of Moses, Joshua and Caleb. 

Moses was concerned for the fate of 

the people who were in rebellion. He prayed, asking God to forgive them. God heard his request and He pardoned them. We learn so much from Moses, who was a humble and compassionate shepherd to his people. His compassion led to prayer, and prayer brings results. Moses was the life mentor to Joshua and Caleb, and they carried on in all his ways.

It turned out that Joshua and Caleb were the only adults among their generation, who lived long enough to enter that promised land, but through their faith, leadership and encouragement, they led the entire younger generation of their own ancestors, who entered the promised land with them. 

God is looking for believers with the compassion of Moses, who have a different spirit, who wholeheartedly believe God’s promises and inspire others to do the same. God wants to make whatever changes are needed so that we begin the new year with a “different spirit”, like Caleb and Joshua.

With a different spirit, we can face every challenge with faith, over fear, using the gifts God has given us to inspire others and put our trust in God to help us move forward at every crossroad of our lives. 

Jesus taught this when He said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.” (Matthew 7:13)

Lord, we pray to start this year with a different spirit, to follow you with hearts full of faith and compassion, encouraging others to walk with us on the narrow path, that leads to our promised land and eternal life. Amen 

“And I am sure that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:6 (RSV)

We are all God’s project of goodness and He is far from finished with us yet. It’s a project that lasts a lifetime. The work began when we began, and it continues every day of our lives. We may have some areas of inadequacy, because we are still in a process of being carried on to completion. 

So much happens during a lifetime and after certain disappointments, sorrows or losses, and our own wrong choices, we may feel like we are lost in the dark. It’s way too easy to forget that God is still working all things together for our good. 

(Romans 8:28)

 People are free to step away from God, but He never steps away from anyone.  When I think of so many years ago, since I first surrendered my life to Jesus, there were times that I didn’t respond to His call, made wrong decisions and chose not to put Him first in my life. Many times, instead of running to Jesus, I ran toward others or relied on my own strength during a crisis, but looking back, I know God was with me, patiently waiting for me to return to Him. 

When we finally return to Him, He forgives and showers us with His grace and love, which draws us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. This is His plan all along, and the purpose for His project of goodness, which is always progressing toward completion. 

Jesus reminds us in the parable of the prodigal son, that God is our true Father, who loves us and patiently waits for us, despite how far away we stray from Him. He waits and watches for us with loving, outstretched arms, inviting us to come home. 

We need to remind ourselves to run toward Him, listen to His words, instead of the voices around us. We run in so many different directions, trying to fix ourselves, which leads to more frustration. 

I remember a comical but true example of running in a wrong direction one night, many years ago. I took my son, Michael, shopping at a nearby mall when he was about ten years old. As we were ready to leave the mall, there was a torrential downpour of rain. It was dark outside, but we both agreed to make a run for it, through the downpour, to get to our car in the parking lot.

We had a red 1990 Chevy Beretta at the time, and so we ran together in the dark, through the pouring rain, to the car. When we reached the car, rain was pouring into an open sun roof, and I shouted, “the sun roof is leaking,” but then we looked at each other and said, “Wait, we don’t have a sun roof !”  We realized we ran to the wrong red Chevy Beretta. 

We quickly found our own car, got inside, and just laughed at ourselves. I’m pretty sure I’m not the first person to go to the wrong car in a parking lot, but when you’re in a hurry, running in a downpour of rain on a dark night, it’s easy to make that mistake.

We all go through situations in our lives, where it feels like we are running through a dark rainy night, and in a panic, we can easily run in the wrong direction, take wrong advice, or try the wrong solution. God is so good to us, that even when we run away from Him, He helps us find our way back. 

There are new problems to face every day, and some existing ones that we have prayed regularly about for years. Besides praying for God to change a situation for the better, maybe it would be wiser to ask God how He is changing us for the better, through that situation.

Maybe that’s what He means by working everything together for our good. God is working His goodness in us by changing and renewing us, and He does it out of love. He didn’t spare his own Son, but handed Him over for us. That’s why we can be confident that, whatever is happening, God is for us, not against us.

Paul said, If God is for us, there is no one who can be against us. 

(Romans 8:31)

He loves us and has begun a good work in us. God doesn’t make mistakes, and He will carry out His project of goodness in us, all the way to completion.

Lord, thank you for loving us as your children, and we surrender to you as you continue to work your goodness in us, all the way to completion, in each of our lives. Amen