It’s better when we’re home. (Part 2)

The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, "Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" "Of course I know," Elisha answered. "But be quiet about it." (2 Kings 2:3 NLT)

Elisha does not want to leave his mentor, Elijah.  Who can blame him.  His mentor walks with the LORD.  His mentor is a powerful prophet of the LORD.  When walking with his mentor, Elisha feels “at home.”

Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground! (2 Kings 2:8 NLT)

Elijah will become one of the most famous prophets of the LORD in all of history.  He will stand alongside Moses and Jesus on the mountain when Jesus is transfigured.  Elijah truly walked together with God.

When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away." And Elisha replied, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor." "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah replied. "If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won't." As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:9-11 NLT)

Not only that, Elijah is one of only three people who’s death is not reported.  Enoch walked with God and then was no more (Genesis 5:24). Jesus ascended into the heavenly realms while his disciples looked on (Acts 1:9).  Now, Elijah is taken up into heaven in a whirlwind as Elisha watches.  Elijah left this world and went on to the next.  Elijah was home.

Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah's cloak and cried out, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" Then the river divided, and Elisha went across. (2 Kings 2:13-14 NLT)

The Apostle, Paul, struggled with the difference between home here and home there.  He said that to live here is for Christ, but to die is to gain (Philippians 1:21-24).  That’s because here we see in part.  Here we know in part.  But there we will know fully just as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).  When we walk with God here, we get a taste of home.  When we walk with God there, we are truly home.

How about you?  Do you see the next life with God as being home?  Do you look forward to going home?  Do you enjoy a taste of home here as you look forward to home there?  It really is better when we are home.

It’s always better when we’re home. (Part 1)

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!" So they went down together to Bethel. (2 Kings 2:1-2 NLT)

Elijah had an exciting life.  He announced a three-year drought and then, at the instructions of the LORD, confronted 450 false prophets of Baal.  He went up against the king of Israel (and the king’s Baal-worshipping wife, Jezebel), resulting in a price on his head.  He worshipped God on the mountain of the LORD and heard God’s whisper reassuring him in his ministry.  Elijah walked with the LORD so well, that he would appear many years later with Moses and Jesus at the transfiguration.  Elijah had an exciting life.

The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, "Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" "Of course I know," Elisha answered. "But be quiet about it." Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to Jericho." But Elisha replied again, "As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you." So they went on together to Jericho. (2 Kings 2:3-4 NLT)

Elisha is a prophet we have not seen yet, but we will be seeing at work soon.  He is a protégé of Elijah’s.  He is learning how to be a man of God and a prophet of the LORD from one of the best who had ever walked the face of this earth.  Elijah offers for Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha refuses to leave.  That’s because to Elisha, Elijah is “home.”

Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, "Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" "Of course I know," Elisha answered. "But be quiet about it." Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to the Jordan River." But again Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you." So they went on together. (2 Kings 2:5-6 NLT)

“Home” is not just a physical location.  It is a sense of comfort…of peace.  People can give us that sense of home, especially when they are walking together with God.  Elijah, better than any other in his day, walked with the LORD.  This made life better for Elisha when Elijah was around.  He was “home.”

How about you?  Do you know people who walk together with God?  Do you experience a Garden Walk (walk together with God) easier when you are around those people?  Does it help you feel more at home?

Life can be a struggle. (Part 2)

King Ahaziah is already doing a poor job of following the LORD.  In fact, he continues to lead Israel (the north) to worship Baal and turn against God.  Now, he has gotten hurt in an accident and needs to seek medical attention.

So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover. (2 Kings 1:2b NLT)

Sometimes we get hurt in life.  When we do, we turn to various places for healing.  Small hurts (scratches) get fixed with bandages and antibiotic ointment.  Larger hurts may take us to a nurse, a doctor, or even a hospital.  Ahaziah was hurt badly, so he turned to god.  The problem is that he turned to the wrong god.

But the angel of the LORD told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, "Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? Now, therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'" So Elijah went to deliver the message. (2 Kings 1:3-4 NLT)

How about you?  When you get hurt, do you turn to God as a part of your healing process?  Are they “gods” that are limited in what they can do, or do you turn to the LORD for help?

This life can be a struggle. (Part 1)

While the tribes in the south are doing well, and even getting better, the tribes in the north seem to be going from bad to worse.

Ahaziah son of Ahab began to rule over Israel in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years. But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the example of his father and mother and the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshiped him, provoking the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done. (1 Kings 22:51-53 NLT)

I’m not sure why, but I kept stumbling over this next king’s name.  Finally, I saw the word “Aha” in his name and it got easier.  Ahaziah (Ah-ha-zee-uh) took over as king and immediately began leading the people of Israel (the north) to rebel more and more against the LORD.  This will not bode well for Israel.  This will not bode well for Ahaziah, either.

After King Ahab's death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel. One day Israel's new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. (2 Kings 1:1-2a NLT)

This life can be a struggle.  Sometimes those struggles are brought about by our parents, grandparents, or other ancestors.  Sometimes those struggles are brought about by the leaders of our city, state, or nation.  Other times, though, those struggles are ones that we bring up on ourselves.  Regardless of the original source, the solution always available and close at hand: walk together with God.

How about you?  Have you experienced struggles in this life?  Are you working through struggles right now?  Do you know that God never wants you to feel alone in those struggles?  Do you work through your struggles by walking together with God?

This life can be good.

In recent weeks, we have been focusing on the kings of the northern tribes of Israel.  That’s because they were all so bad that their reigns would last short periods of time before the LORD removed them from office.  (Remember, one of them lasted only a week!)  This entire time, the southern tribes of Judah (and Benjamin), were being let by a good king: Asa.  Now, after a good life walking with God, Asa finally goes home to be with the LORD.

Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab's reign in Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. (1 Kings 22:41-42 NLT)

We saw in the north that bad kings trained their sons to be bad kings.  Now, in the south, we are seeing that a good king will train his son to be good.  Since they are kings, their decisions not only affect themselves.  They affect all the people of the kingdom as well.

Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel...(1 Kings 22:41-50 NLT)

God really does desire an abundant life for us.  Jesus came so we could live life to the fullest (John 10:10).  Through these kings (and kingdoms) we see what happens when they listen to God and when they do not.  The tribes in the south listen to the LORD more and more.  The result?  They experience a Garden Walk more and more as well.

How about you?  Do you see the picture that God wants for your life?  Is it rich and satisfying, abundant, and full?  Do you see God’s direction taking you there?  Do you see that this life, when walking together with God, can be good?