Ask For a Double Portion of His Power - 2 Kings 1-5

2 Kings 2:19-22 (ESV)

Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.

When Elijah was ready to depart and taken to heaven by God, he asked his protege, Elisha, what he would request.    Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit of God.   The above story shows us what that looks like.  Throughout this section we see Elisha doing many miracles.  More than we read about Elijah. God answered Elisha’s request for a double portion of the Spirit.   In the above story we read about the bitter waters of the first town he comes to after receiving this blessing from God.  Apparently the waters were bitter and caused sickness and even miscarriages among the women.  God uses this moment to affirm to Elisha that He did give him a double portion of Elijah’s power.   

We ought not be fearful to ask for this power in our lives.  Not for healing waters, but to defeat sin.  Not to show our own greatness but to have strength in suffering.  Not to do more miracles but to be empowered to share the gospel.   We ought not be fearful to ask God to give us the power of the Holy Spirit.   We are actually promised that power:

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 (ESV)

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Ask for a double portion of God’s power!! 

Keep It Holy - Leviticus 10-12

Leviticus 12:1-5 (ESV)

Purification After Childbirth

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

In our society and time period of life it is difficult to understand the above passage concerning childbearing.   We have sanitized hospitals and birthing centers and take all kinds of caution when a child is born.  

In the days that Leviticus was written, however, giving birth was certainly a joy to fathers and mothers, but there was also extreme risk of infection and imminent death.   The instructions in the above passage are written to do two things:   1) Protect the mother from diseases caused by complications and/or infection.   2) Keep worship holy and the worship center pure.   Both were paramount to the nation.   

This entire section of Leviticus (chapters 10-12) are about keeping the camp (remember, they were in the wilderness this entire time) pure and holy.   The reason for the certain foods they could eat and could not eat had to do with safety as much as ceremony.   

It is important to know that God was giving them instructions for their own safety.  But all of God’s instruction are for our safety, security and stability.    Probably the best way to summarize this entire section is found in just reading Psalm 1:

Psalms 1 (ESV)

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Live In Harmony as a Testimony - Philippians 1-2

Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

The book of Philippians is a very personal book for Paul.  It is no doubt he had a great relationship with the members of the church at Philippi.   He talks to them more as father-son than Apostle-Church.    Galatians and Corinthians were corrective writings of Paul.  Philippians is more like a love letter.   

In the above verses he talks about the fact that he wants nothing to disrupt the harmony they have with each other.   But he also wants them to see that their grumbling and/or disputing is disruptive not only to their mutual relationship, but it doesn’t honor Christ in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation of the world.   Our attitude toward each other matters in our own relationships but also in what others see about us.   God wants our harmony to be a calling card to this world.    We do this by holding fast to the word of life.    In the final days of seeing Christ we can know we served Him well because we also lived in harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ.   

God Loves the Prodigal - Luke 15-16

Luke 15:20 (ESV)

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

If you have a prodigal child in your life, the above text should be prayed over the prodigal and yourself each day.   Pray the following:

1.  Mindset Change!   Pray that the prodigal will arise and come to their senses and change their mindset.   They have to see their own desires need to be aligned with God before they can be helped by you.   It starts with them.  (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

2.  Watch!   The father, in the above text, sees his prodigal coming to him.  That means he was watching each day.   If you have a prodigal child the pray and watch for their return. Pray and watch each day.   

3.  Feel Compassion!  While the prodigal was a long way off the father was moved.   Empathy and compassion are necessary to cause change in a prodigal parent’s heart.  The parent had to forgive the prodigal before any repentance can ever happen or be expressed.   

4. Run!   The prodigal has moved and now the parent must move.   The parent running to the prodigal demonstrates the parent’s commitment to make this work.  The parent doesn’t wait to hear the confession or repentance, they run to the prodigal to show their willingness to change the situation. 

5. Embrace!  This must have been hard.  In the next step we will read that the prodigal had no shoes and was ill clothed.  This prodigal had just left feeding and eating with pigs.   The father was not hesitant to embrace the stink.  Any prodigal who returns comes with stink.   

6. Sacrifice!   The father gave the prodigal new clothes, shoes and fine food.  The parent had already lost much from what the prodigal was already given and had squandered.   Yet, the parent still was willing to sacrifice.  

It is not easy to love a returning prodigal.  But the responsibility to help them back into the norms of the family fall as much on the parent as they do the prodigal.   

This entire story, of course, is told by Jesus to tell us how God loves us.  He desires us to change our mindset.  He runs to us.  He embraces us when we stink.   He sacrifices and gives us His righteousness.   

What You Reap, You Sow - Ezekiel 13-18

Ezekiel 18:25-29 (ESV)

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

The above passage sums up the thoughts of this entire section of Ezekiel.   God rewards the righteous and brings discipline to the wicked.  That is this entire section.  The discipline brought onto Judah was directly proportional to their sin.   Yes, God is a God of judgment.  But God is also a God of mercy.  God has mercy on those who walk in His ways.   Man is unjust if he thinks he can live the way he wants without impunity.    He can’t.  God sent Ezekiel to remind this nation of His holiness and His judgment.    What was true then is true now:

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

We can’t live our lives with complete disregard for God’s holiness.  Even those who are believers stand in the way of judgement if they don’t repent:

James 5:20 (ESV)

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Judgement is still an option to God when we fail to walk with Him.   God is the God of love.  But He is also a holy God and must keep His word about holiness.   

Can You Smell That? Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7:17 (ESV)

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,

aloes, and cinnamon.

Folly has already confronted the naive one, wanting to tempt him astray.   As you see in the end of the chapter, she succeeds.   But from this point Folly has only used sight, sound and touch.   In the above proverb we see that she now using smell to attract him.   The power of smell has been captured by the money spent in the perfume industry ($40 Billion industry).  Smell turns heads.  Good or bad smell turns heads.  God has designed the human body in such a way that we are motivated and excited by smells.  Don't under estimate Satan's power to use smell to capture our hearts.  The senses are tied directly to our heart.   We are lead astray by smell, touch, sight and taste.   In this proverb we see the power of those God created senses to lead us into sin.   The senses are not wrong, only the sin is wrong.   Senses to makes us sinners.   Smell doesn't make us evil.   But if we don't resist the senses by the act of faith, we will be lead into sin.  Don't allow your senses to be a gateway for sin.   By faith allow them to bring the wonder that God intended for them.

God Makes His Home In Us - Psalms 75-77

Psalms 76:1-3 (ESV)

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM OF ASAPH. A SONG.

In Judah God is known;

his name is great in Israel.

His abode has been established in Salem,

his dwelling place in Zion.

There he broke the flashing arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

It might be difficult to understand these opening verses of Psalm 76.   Aspah, the composer of this song, is rejoicing that Jerusalem (Zion) is a chosen city for Judah and that Judah has a special relationship with Yahweh.   God has given to them the peace (he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.).  God establishes peace for those who trust in Him.   That is what this psalm is about.   God establishes His home for us.  In Asaph’s day it was the city of Salem (another name for Jerusalem).  In our day, God establishes His home with us in our hearts:

John 14:23 (ESV)

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

We can rejoice that God has chosen us as the new Jerusalem:

Hebrews 12:22 (ESV)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

God has established His home in our hearts and, like Asaph of old, we are to sing and write songs about it.