Today’s Reading:
2 Kings 2:13-15
“And He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God Of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; And Elisha crossed over” (v.14)
The translation of Elijah was a test designed to reveal the character and qualification of Elisha to be the successor to Elijah. In 2 Kings 2:12-14, we see Elisha’s response to the painful loss of his mentor and teacher. It is a response that tells us even more about the spiritual character of the prophet Elisha. How we respond to the situations of life, whether pleasant or painful, is tremendously illuminating. Our responses expose our true spiritual condition. How we respond reveals something about our beliefs, values, priorities, and our spiritual condition and focus on any particular moment.
Verse 13, “He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him . . .” What can we learn from this? The mantle of Elijah spoke of the prophetic office and gift, and of God’s call of Elisha to this ministry and responsibility. For Elisha this meant responding to God’s call on his life. It meant carrying on and taking Elijah’s place as the head of the schools of the prophets, a daunting task to say the least. This is not only a challenge to Church leaders but to all of us for we are all called to be ambassadors and ministers in the service of the Saviour.
We must each be faithful to draw upon our resources in the Lord so we can develop true, honest, godly and faithful character Heb. 12:15; Phil 4:13. We must be genuine in our walk with God and be willing to deal honestly with those things in our lives, which if unchecked, ignored or rationalized, will hurt our walk with the Lord and our ability to serve. We must each look for the Jordan Rivers in our lives--our fears, our excuses, our lack of involvement, or whatever, and become willing to trust God to remove them so we can take on the ministries He has called us to.
The Lord wants us to be mentoring others and preparing them to take up our mantle, i.e., to become reproducing believers. Are you mentoring others? Are you available to teach, train, or disciple others in their walk with Christ? He wants us to pick up the mantle that has been dropped in front of us, to face the Jordan-like barriers that may stand in the way of ministry (our fears, ignorance, indifference, lack of training, finances, and so on) and cross over by the power of God to serve the king.
OLAJIDE OGUNFUWA
Prayer:
No matter how difficult the task may be, please Lord, help me to respond positively, in Jesus name
I receive the mantle of leadership and responsibility by the grace of God, in Jesus name
Almighty Father make me a good ambassador of Jesus Christ, in Jesus name.
Lord Jesus help all our Church Leaders to be faithful, honest, and truthful, in Jesus name.
Nigeria arise to God’s mandate and be fruitful in Jesus Christ name.
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