Daily Double

You are a steward of what God has given you. Be faithful and wise by walking rightly before the Lord. Do not worry, but live a life of worship by seeking first the kingdom of God. 

“Elijah and Elisha were on their way…Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours otherwise it will not. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water…it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.“ 2 Kings 2:1-21

Elisha’s greatest prayer was answered and he received a double portion of the Spirit. There was one attribute that led to his abundant blessing. It was not his academic track record, his tremendous resources, nor his expertise. Elisha was blessed because he was faithful. He did not waver or take the easy way out. He walked with Elijah until the end. This passage should be greatly encouraging to us. Every one of us has the ability to be faithful. It does not matter where you have come from, nor what you have done. Being faithful is a decision we can all make. 

Ask yourself if you are faithful. Is that your top filter for how you will live? What does it mean to be faithful to God? We live in a world where our hearts and our minds can easily be divided by worry, wealth, work, and wandering. God wants you to live a life of peace and wholeness.  He wants you to know that he made you, knows you, and will provide for you. The unfaithful heart longs for what it does not have and looks for answers in other places.  God wants you to put your trust in Him alone. How does this relate to you? What is dividing your heart and your mind today? 

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who…honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest…Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” Psalms 15:1-5 

David gave us the guide for how to abide with the Almighty. He told us how to be full of God’s presence. It should come as no surprise that his advice is to be faithful in how we walk and how we talk. Notice that David does not say you have to be perfect. We all fall short of the glory of God. David said to be blameless, righteous, and true. What do those three words mean to you? What do they mean to God? 

Do you notice how David immediately connected being faithful to God with being faithful to the people in your life? David said that it does not honor God when you slander his sons and daughters. David said it does not honor God when we do what is wrong or take advantage of those in need. What do your words and how you steward your wealth say about your walk? Have you gone a week without gossip? Have you given all you can?

“Wisdom has built her house; she has sent out her servants, she calls from the highest point…To those who have no sense she says, Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight…Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults…Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Folly is an unruly woman…She sits at the door of her house…calling out…Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!…little do they know that the dead are there” Proverbs 9:1-18

We live in a world with competing voices. Every day, you will have thoughts that either draw you closer to God or away from Him. It is up to you to choose who you listen to and which way you go. It is not hard to discern which voice is from God. God is Spirit and truth. If what you hear aligns with the fruit of the Spirit and scripture; it is from God. If what you hear, creates fear, guilt, shame, or worry that is from the enemy. What have you been hearing? How has it impacted your heart? 

We read the Bible with historical bias and it is easy to miss the power of prophecy. Long before Jesus lived, Solomon said the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Wisdom tells us to change our perspective and look to Jesus Christ. 

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known…For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways…you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand…Our holy and glorious temple…and all that we treasured lies in ruins.” Isaiah 64:1-11

The connection between the 2 Kings 2 passage and Isaiah is incredible. God opened up the heavens and took Elijah home with chariots of fire. Isaiah prayed in this passage, that God would rend the heavens and send fire down. Isaiah said when we see God do awesome things, we cannot help but bow down. 

Two truths emerge in this passage. First God is way more powerful than we realize. Our own humanity and understanding can limit our belief and ability to comprehend what it means to have God with us and for us. When we see God move, it helps us unlearn the fears that limit our faith and lean on the truth that God can do more than we ask or imagine. God wants us to know that He is able and He is faithful. The enemy wants you to doubt and let your heart be divided. What fears are impacting you today? Can those fears stand against God? 

Second, God wants us to see beyond your circumstances so we can become who He made us to be. He is the potter and we are the clay. Daily we are being formed and refined by the fire. Time and again we have seen that our tests become our testimonies. Even if we know this is true, it is hard as a human to hold on to hope when we don’t know how things will work out. Rather than praying for your circumstances to change, consider asking God how He is going to use what you are going through for His glory. 

“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions…The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you…Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes…Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you…do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Luke 12:15-44

Jesus is inviting you to trust God today. He wants to change the way you think about what you need so He can free your heart to love fully. Think back to Elisha. He could have easily worried about what would happen after Elijah left and whether he would still have a job. Before he received the double portion he did not know what he would be doing the next day. Yet his focus was just on being faithful to his friend and God blessed him beyond measure. 

Jesus drew a line between wisdom and foolishness. The foolish man believed bigger barns could give him a better life not realizing he was blessed so he could bless. Imagine how many lives he could have impacted if he had opened the doors of his barn and invested in kingdom causes. Instead, he perished and his possessions were passed to someone else. Jesus showed that the wise person sees their resources and strengths as something they steward.  Where have you been holding on or worrying about what you have? What do you treasure most?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it puts everything else in perspective. When your relationship with Christ is your greatest treasure, worry loses its grip, greed loses its appeal, and the voices of the world carry little weight. The faithful life is not about having perfect or pain free circumstances. It is about having an undivided heart that continually turns toward and trusts in Jesus. He is faithful and able to provide far beyond what you can see.

Ask God to reveal anything that is dividing your heart. Lay your fears, your plans, your prayers, and your treasures before Him. Choose the way of wisdom marked by faithfulness, righteousness, and truth. As you seek first His kingdom, you will discover that the greatest blessing is not merely what God gives you, but knowing that He has a plan and the power to guide every step of your path.