SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022
TEXT: 2
Kings 2:1-14
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. And
Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD that 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.
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.
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.
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.
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, as thy soul liveth, I will not leave
thee. And they two went on.
7. And
fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and
they two stood by Jordan.
8. And
Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they
were divided hither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
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.
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.
11. And
it came 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.
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.
13. He
took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood
by the bank of Jordan;
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.
(King
James Version Holy Bible)
TOPIC: FOCUS
AND CONSISTENCY BRING GREAT RESULTS
Elisha was a very loyal
servant of Prophet Elijah who was known for his courage and fearlessness in
serving the Lord. Among those who went to heaven without passing through the
channel of death were Elijah, Enoch and maybe Melchizedek, with no clear
records.
The closeness and loyalty of
Elisha to Elijah was so evident that he was there with him when God decided to
take him away. He was very consistent in following his master and ready to
serve him.
As a true disciple of
Elijah, he knew something unique was about to happen to his master and didn’t
allow anything to distract him. Every persuasion to stay back and rest while
Elijah kept moving at God’s direction would not deter him.
When you have a sure goal,
vision, projects or destination, remain focused and consistent until you reach
it. There’s almost always a good ending for consistency and focus (vs. 2-6) if
we don’t allow anything or anyone to lure us away (vs. 3, 4b, 5).
When he got to a point where
his master realized that Elisha was a worthy successor, he asked, “Tell me,
what I can do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Let me inherit double
portion of your spirit” (vs. 8-9), he replied. And he got it at last!
QUESTION: How
many losses have you experienced in your life that were caused by lack of focus
and consistency on pursuing your goals?
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, give me the grace to faithfully press on my serving You and to focus on
my life’s career, in Jesus name, Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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