EXPECT TESTS – Thursday November 2nd 2017
Memorise:
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath
sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as
thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 2nd Kings 2:2
4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
4:13 But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that,
when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding
joy.
2nd Kings 2:1-15 (KJV)
2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2: 2And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
2:8 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.
2:9 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.
2:10 And
he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me
when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it
shall not be so.
2:11 And
it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there
appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both
asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2:12 And
Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of
Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took
hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
2:15 And
when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him,
they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to
meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
MESSAGE:
There
are some vital lessons we can benefit from the story of Elijah and
Elisha found in our Bible reading today. The first thing we see in that
story is that God always has something better, more precious and more
glorious in store for His children. No matter where you are and where
you plan to be, God always has a better plan for you. This is why 2nd Timothy 1:9 says,
“Who
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began”
God
has a unique purpose for your life. When you become born again, you
were called by God to fulfil that purpose, and He also called you to
holiness (1st Thessalonians 4:7). This call of God on you is referred to as a ‘high calling’ (Philippians 3:14).
Therefore, no matter how good you are in strategic planning, there is
still a need for you to subordinate your plans under God’s will and
allow Him to have His way in your life. No wonder Psalm 37:5
says that you shall not fail to commit your ways unto God and trust Him
to help you in actualising your plans. This is also why Proverbs 3:5-7
says that you should always tell God of your plans, so that He will
provide divine guidance. Do you trust God enough to let Him direct your
steps? Elisha was a successful businessman before the mantle of God’s
call fell on him, and he left his business to fellow God’s plan for his
life (1st Kings 19:19). Eventually, he became a father to the whole nation of Israel and kings called him ‘father’
Moreover,
another lesson is that although God has a higher glory ahead for you,
He can use people, situations and circumstances to test your resolve
along the way. Sometimes when test come, we don’t recognise them as
tests, and because of this, many of us fail the test. You have to pray
that in the tests of life, you will not be a failure. When Prophet
Elijah was to be taken away, he told his servant Elisha that he had been
sent by God on some errands and that Elisha should not bother to follow
him. Thank God Elisha was dogged and sensitive enough to realise that
it was a test, and he passed the test brilliantly. Some tests of life
are so crucial that failing them may rubbish all the past good efforts
one has put into achieving greatness. May you not fail in the tests of
life!
Prayer Point:
Father, Whatever tests I would have to go through, please see me through. In the tests of life, let me not be a failure.
Open
Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye,
the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the
largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of
Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy.
hymn 7
1. O Jesus, I have promised,
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
I dare not trust my judgment:
Thy way shall be my will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.
3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.
4. Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav'n receive me,
My Savior and my Friend
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