August 26, 2022
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. (1 Kings 19:19-20) ESV.
God got Elijah’s attention again. He came out of his depressive state and listened to God’s instructions. God had a list of things that Elijah had to do. There is nothing vague about God’s communication with Elijah. It is in (v. 17), “And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.” Notice that Elijah immediately sets out to do as God has instructed him.
Elijah finds Elisha plowing in his father’s field. He throws his mantle on Elisha. What is Elisha’s response? He leaves his father’s oxen and runs after Elijah. In previous Devotional Thought posts, we discussed the qualities of a Spiritual Leader: “What is it that God looks for when He chooses Spiritual Leaders?” Clearly, it is not perfection, nor is it education. It is not superior intellect and isn’t based on class, social standing, or how much money a person has. So what does He look for? If you look at the calling process of each of His Disciples, they have a few things in common. Jesus called them, and they responded. They were willing to drop everything behind to follow Him. We see the same pattern repeated with the calling of Elisha. He dropped everything and said his goodbyes to his family, as (v. 21) tells us, “And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.”
Friends do we have the kind of faith in God that when He calls us and tells us to do something, we obey Him immediately, no questions asked? May you come before the Lord today and commit yourself afresh to Him. Would you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, I kneel at Your Throne today in surrender to You. Lord, I hear You calling, and I am answering Your Call. Use me, I Pray, in whatever way You want to. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
God Bless you, and may your day be Blessed, Friends <><
Encouraging Words: Be obedient with a tiny step, and God will give the next step… and the next <><
Thoughts by Randall Stapleton is a Daily Devotion brought to you by The Bridge - Learn more at https://wearethebridge.org
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