Wednesday, Ordinary 24/Proper 19-- Sept 17
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Meditation
Wednesday, Ordinary 24, Proper 19 presented the real power of a relationship with God, especially the twists and turns in conversation among the saints and with God.
One might have thought that when a master/teacher or mentor instructed the student/follower to stay somewhere, there wouldn’t be a challenge by the student. Did Grasshopper contradict Master Po?
However, in the Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings, Elijah (the master/teacher/mentor) told Elisha (student/disciple/mentee) to stay put while he went elsewhere because the Lord had directed.
Elisha’s response challenged Elijah’s words, contradicted his directive.
“I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
This happened not once, but three times. Once on the way to Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan River. In addition, 50 prophets also came to Elisha to reveal that they had been instructed by God that Elijah would be taken up in a whirlwind. Elisha’s response to them was to ‘shush’ them and say he didn’t want to talk about it. Elisha was beginning the grieving process of losing Elijah—the denial phase.
Lessons to be learned? There was freedom to challenge and question the teacher. Any time that people shut down discussion because of believing one way or another, it lacks the authority of God, who allows for many dialogues and implements things with a process. Rarely did things happen in a blink of an eye.
The transition of the Spirit of God from Elijah to Elisha took all day…involved much activity and discussion. Even though everyone seemed to know and agree it was going to happen on that particular day, it was still up in the air about the particular timing.
In addition to the challenges to authority by Elisha, were the examples of the power of the Spirit in Elijah’s crossing the Jordan on dry land. And the ‘beam-me-up-Scottie’ moment when Elijah was carried off in a ‘chariot of fire with horses of fire’ riding into a whirlwind.
Elisha’s grief was palpable as he tore his clothes, and picked up the fallen cloak of Elijah’s. Just as Elisha had asked, a double portion of Spirit came on him and he began his ministry by causing the Jordan River to cease flowing so he could cross back again on dry ground.
In a bizarre twist, the 50 prophets which had told Elisha repeatedly that Elijah was going to be taken by God, begged Elisha to allow them to search everywhere for Elijah, just in case he had been deposited some mountain or valley nearby. Elisha rejected their request, but then relented and they proceeded to find no trace of Elijah. Elisha reminded them that he told them not to look for him.
The passing of the mantle—now a cliché—began with Elijah passing his work on to Elisha in a double portion of power.
Power was also the lesson of the New Testament Gospel, where Jesus found the fig tree without figs and cursed it. The immediate shriveling up of the tree shocked even Jesus’ closest friends and disciples. They were stunned by the power of his Word.
But Jesus used that to show that they would do far greater things—miracles of real power. He said with faith, one could move a mountain to the depths of the ocean.
But, just as the power fell upon Elisha, Jesus told them that they would experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives so they would be able to accomplish great things.
Power. At our fingertips, if we believe. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 24, Proper 19
Bible Readings
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 77;2 Kings 2:1-18;Mark 11:20-25&version=KJV;ERV;NCV;NIV;GNT (multiple versions)
Wednesday,, Ordinary 24, Proper 19
Psalm 77
2 Kings 2:1-18
Mark 11:20-25
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 121 King James Version (KJV)
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
2 Kings 2:1-18
King James Version (KJV)
2 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 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.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 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.
15 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.
16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for not trusting in you as we ought. You demonstrated your great power, love and care in so many ways and yet we doubt you. We doubt ourselves worthy. We are confused by the times where things go so wrong. Help us to see things as you do that we might exercise the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and of those around us. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 24, Proper 19 gave us a glimpse into the power of God at work in Elijah and Elisha’s lives in the Old Testament lesson and the New Testament Gospel lesson where Jesus demonstrated his power in cursing the fig tree and promising his followers that they would have great power.
The disciples were able to heal people and cast out evil spirits; Paul influenced weather; called for the angel of the Lord to free them from prison etc. So they did experience what Jesus told them they would. Elisha became one of the greatest prophets. The lesson demonstrated how the power of God at work in the chosen of the Lord could accomplish great things.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. . God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Wednesday, Ordinary 24, Proper 19 presented the real power of a relationship with God, especially the twists and turns in conversation among the saints and with God.
One might have thought that when a master/teacher or mentor instructed the student/follower to stay somewhere, there wouldn’t be a challenge by the student. Did Grasshopper contradict Master Po?
However, in the Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings, Elijah (the master/teacher/mentor) told Elisha (student/disciple/mentee) to stay put while he went elsewhere because the Lord had directed.
Elisha’s response challenged Elijah’s words, contradicted his directive.
“I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
This happened not once, but three times. Once on the way to Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan River. In addition, 50 prophets also came to Elisha to reveal that they had been instructed by God that Elijah would be taken up in a whirlwind. Elisha’s response to them was to ‘shush’ them and say he didn’t want to talk about it. Elisha was beginning the grieving process of losing Elijah—the denial phase.
Lessons to be learned? There was freedom to challenge and question the teacher. Any time that people shut down discussion because of believing one way or another, it lacks the authority of God, who allows for many dialogues and implements things with a process. Rarely did things happen in a blink of an eye.
The transition of the Spirit of God from Elijah to Elisha took all day…involved much activity and discussion. Even though everyone seemed to know and agree it was going to happen on that particular day, it was still up in the air about the particular timing.
In addition to the challenges to authority by Elisha, were the examples of the power of the Spirit in Elijah’s crossing the Jordan on dry land. And the ‘beam-me-up-Scottie’ moment when Elijah was carried off in a ‘chariot of fire with horses of fire’ riding into a whirlwind.
Elisha’s grief was palpable as he tore his clothes, and picked up the fallen cloak of Elijah’s. Just as Elisha had asked, a double portion of Spirit came on him and he began his ministry by causing the Jordan River to cease flowing so he could cross back again on dry ground.
In a bizarre twist, the 50 prophets which had told Elisha repeatedly that Elijah was going to be taken by God, begged Elisha to allow them to search everywhere for Elijah, just in case he had been deposited some mountain or valley nearby. Elisha rejected their request, but then relented and they proceeded to find no trace of Elijah. Elisha reminded them that he told them not to look for him.
The passing of the mantle—now a cliché—began with Elijah passing his work on to Elisha in a double portion of power.
Power was also the lesson of the New Testament Gospel, where Jesus found the fig tree without figs and cursed it. The immediate shriveling up of the tree shocked even Jesus’ closest friends and disciples. They were stunned by the power of his Word.
But Jesus used that to show that they would do far greater things—miracles of real power. He said with faith, one could move a mountain to the depths of the ocean.
But, just as the power fell upon Elisha, Jesus told them that they would experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives so they would be able to accomplish great things.
Power. At our fingertips, if we believe. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 24, Proper 19
Bible Readings
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 77;2 Kings 2:1-18;Mark 11:20-25&version=KJV;ERV;NCV;NIV;GNT (multiple versions)
Wednesday,, Ordinary 24, Proper 19
Psalm 77
2 Kings 2:1-18
Mark 11:20-25
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 121 King James Version (KJV)
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
2 Kings 2:1-18
King James Version (KJV)
2 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 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.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 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.
15 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.
16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for not trusting in you as we ought. You demonstrated your great power, love and care in so many ways and yet we doubt you. We doubt ourselves worthy. We are confused by the times where things go so wrong. Help us to see things as you do that we might exercise the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and of those around us. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 24, Proper 19 gave us a glimpse into the power of God at work in Elijah and Elisha’s lives in the Old Testament lesson and the New Testament Gospel lesson where Jesus demonstrated his power in cursing the fig tree and promising his followers that they would have great power.
The disciples were able to heal people and cast out evil spirits; Paul influenced weather; called for the angel of the Lord to free them from prison etc. So they did experience what Jesus told them they would. Elisha became one of the greatest prophets. The lesson demonstrated how the power of God at work in the chosen of the Lord could accomplish great things.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. . God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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