Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52.
In the desert, in loneliness and discouragement, Elijah had said that he had had enough of life and had prayed that he might die. But the Lord in His mercy had not taken him at his word. There was yet a great work for Elijah to do; and when his work was done, he was not to perish in discouragement and solitude. Not for him the descent into the tomb, but the ascent with God’s angels to the presence of His glory.
“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. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 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. 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.”
When the Lord in His providence sees fit to remove from His work those to whom He has given wisdom, He helps and strengthens their successors, if they will look to Him for aid and will walk in His ways. They may be even wiser than their predecessors; for they may profit by their experience and learn wisdom from their mistakes.6
Elijah, the man of power, had been God’s instrument for the overthrow of gigantic evils…. As successor to Elijah was needed one who by careful, patient instruction could guide Israel in safe paths. For this work Elisha’s early training under God’s direction had prepared him….
Every act of life is a revelation of character, and he only who in small duties proves himself “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,” will be honored by God with weightier trusts.
Conflict and Courage p. 223
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Tamara for wisdom as she has an important meeting at eight this morning. She needs to show Christ and the love of God to win the person while trying to correct a very bad situation. Jennifer
—–I need prayers for a job start date. I have signed a job contract but my employer is feeling reluctant to give a start date. I need the job as I am in financial difficulties and available to work. Pwiafe
—–Please pray for my big sister and her four children, her husband died yesterday, Liz
—–I have been transferred to _____ ______ hospital. My left knee was shattered. The doctors believe it is probably bone cancer in my knee. . . . Only one tendon is keeping everything together. Please pray that natural remedies will cure this. . . . Please continue to pray for me, for I have a ways to go. But I know He will completely heal me. And please pray also for my almost 19 year old daughter as she grows not only in her faith and trust in the Lord, but is at our house alone taking care of it and our two big dogs and our cat. She has her driving permit, but not her license. Barbara
—–update—Emma was not able to handle the dental appliance put in her mouth so that her tongue would not get in the way during the filling of the cavity. The dentist rescheduled her for Tuesday and said she was going to have to be put under for the procedure. Please pray that that goes well with no complications. Rose
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Dear Friends,
One afternoon when Ronnie Jay was not quite three, he began acting rather strangely. He was leaning against the sofa with his head on one of the cushions. Worried, I went over to investigate. He had been playing outside. He was always a very good child and never got into trouble of any kind. I questioned him and tried to figure out why he was not acting his usual self. Finally, I noticed that he was holding something. It was small, triangular, dark brown, and a little wet. I had no idea what it was, but whatever this “something” was, it must be the cause of his problem.
I asked Ronnie Jay to show me where he had found this “something” in his hand. He took me to a dark, damp area close against the house. There were three mushrooms growing. One had a piece missing! That piece in Ronnie Jay’s hand fit perfectly.
Just as putting that mushroom into his mouth for a short time, had caused Ronnie Jay to be groggy and listless for the afternoon, so one little cherished sin can cause us to become listless spiritually. Solomon explains, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” Ecc 10:1 James warns, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10
There is only one remedy for our spiritually groggy condition. Praise God! Our Dear Saviour “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14 The gift of salvation is ours for the asking! We have the privilege of coming to Jesus for the forgiveness and cleansing we so desperately need. The prayer of confession David prayed can be our heartfelt cry, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight….Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Ps 51:1-13
Let us keep from “tasting” the evil “mushrooms” of sin for although they look so desirable, they are full of poison. “Let us . . . come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” for “if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Heb4:16, John 1:9 Let us daily pray, “Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Ps 19:12 -14
Rose