Look Up

So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. (1 Kings 19:19)

Thanks to God's kind and gentle dealing, Elijah crawled out of the cave. "He departed from there." God graciously nurtured him through rest and refreshment, gave him some wise counsel, and made him feel significant again. Talk about compassion!

Then God allowed Elijah to pass his mantle to Elisha, his successor. But God did more than that, abundantly more. For Elisha "arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him." God not only gave Elijah a successor; He also raised up a close, personal friend—someone who loved Elijah and understood him well enough to help and encourage him.

God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He has designed us to live in friendship, fellowship, and community with others. That's why the church, the body of Christ, is so very important, for it is there that we are drawn together in love and mutual encouragement. We're meant to be a part of one another's lives. Otherwise, we pull back, focusing on ourselves—thinking how hard we have it or how unfair others are.

Elijah reminds us to look up:

Let's look up after the Lord graciously delivers us from depression.
Let's look up when He allows us rest and refreshment following an exhausting schedule that has taken its toll on us.
Let's look up and thank Him when He gently and patiently speaks to us from His Word after we've climbed out of a pit of self-pity.
Let's look up and praise Him when He faithfully provides the companionship and affirmation of a friend who understands and encourages us.
Let's look up and acknowledge the Giver more than the gift.

Let's say, "Thank You, Lord, for telling us all about Elijah," who is an unforgettable example that there is nowhere to look but up.

Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinsch

Drawn Out of Death

 As fear of the Hebrews taking over Egypt gripped Pharaoh’s heart, he commanded that all Jewish baby boys be killed. Certainly that would stop their population from increasing (or so he thought). Moses’ mother tried hiding him for three months, but ultimately obeyed Pharaoh’s command and threw him in the Nile River, but not to drown. Instead, she placed him in a basket and hid him among the reeds. Miriam, the baby’s older sister, kept an eye on that basket.

Miraculously, the basket was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who immediately fell in love with the Hebrew child. She sent her servant to retrieve the baby and then decided she was going to raise him and call him her son. Seeing an opportunity, his sister spoke up and offered to find a Jewish woman to nurse the child. When the princess said “yes” to her offer, Miriam told her mom, and Moses spent the first few years of his life being raised by his own mother and an Egyptian princess. Interestingly, Pharaoh’s daughter named the child Moses, which means “to be drawn out of death into life.”

Friend, you too have been drawn out of death and into life! The moment you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, Satan’s attempt to destroy you was nailed to the cross and redeemed. Yes, you will face trying circumstances and dark moments, but the God of angel armies is working on your behalf to orchestrate an outcome that is beyond comprehension. No matter what, stand firm and know that the Lord is on your side. He is taking care of you and working all things together for your good! Bobby Schuler

The Fire

The fire came around me, it burned on every side

My faith was weak and tired, the battle cry had died

But in the midst of burning, I looked and I could see

The great Kinsman Redeemer smiling back at me

 

He said, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see

The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee

And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat

Run into my open arms and you will find sweet peace

 

The fire must come into every home and life

It’s here you are perfected, see gold must be tested and tried

For I know when I look closely, My reflection I will see

For every child must be tried before he reigns with Me

 

Remember, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see

The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee

And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat

Run into My open arms and you will find sweet peace

 

By MSR

 

 

 

Calling Prayer Warriors

 

I saw a sign in a window

That spoke deeply to my soul

It reached out and grabbed my attention

Like never held before

It said, “I’m in need of a Prayer Warrior

My Friend is in great need.

I need someone to ring those bells

Down on bended knee.”

 

Calling all the Prayer Warriors

Those who don’t accept defeat

The battle-scarred, the weary ones

Who believe in bended knee

Calling all the Prayer Warriors

The war is at our door

Time to go to battle

Like so many times before

Restoration

  

Have you ever looked at an old piece of furniture and noticed the scratches and scars and rough edges? Have you noticed the original patina and sheen is long gone from the furniture?

But then someone picks up the furniture and in that moment they can see the original beauty and they begin to imagine how they will restore it back to its original beauty.

So, they make an offer on the furniture and everyone says “why would you buy that old piece of furniture? It’s so ugly! There’s nothing beautiful about it!”

But the restorer sees it as it can be, not as it is.

So, he purchases the supplies and very gently begins to peel away all of the old layers of grime and dust and dirt.

He sands away the rough edges and removes all of the stains and old finish from long ago.

And once it is ready, he begins to lovingly apply the new stain to that old piece of furniture. He lovingly polishes it to a fine shine.

And no one can believe it’s the same piece of furniture. How could that be the same piece of furniture? That old thing?

But now, everyone says, “oh I want it! I’ll take it!” But it only goes to those who loved it as it was.

That is what I’m doing with you. That is what I’m doing with you. Restoration!