Serving Requires Humility - (Philippians 2:5-9 NLT)

Serving Requires Humility

'Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.' Philippians 2:5 NIV

Paul writes: 'You must have the same attitude that...Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges...took the...position of a slave...humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on the cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the name above all other names...' (Philippians 2:5-9 NLT)

A celebrity generally expects others to serve them, but being a Christ follower means we are called to serve others. There's a big difference, isn't there? Christ modeled servanthood before His disciples. On the social totem pole, the lowest servant in the house washed feet. Try to picture God washing the feet of common fishermen, then saying, 'As I have served you, now go and serve one another.' Download that picture the next time you view somebody as a burden, or beneath you or an obstacle to your success. You'll never serve as Christ served if your focus is on building your own image. 'Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God ...began to wash the disciples' feet.' (John 13:3-5 NKJV) Jesus had settled three big issues: (1) He knew Who sent Him. (2) He knew Who sustained Him. (3) He knew Who was going to reward Him. Therefore He was liberated from the fear of people, the fear of failure and the fear of rejection. Think about this: 'Service can never become slavery to one who loves.'

You are Loved!

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 13:10-21

Ridiculous Commitment

We close this set as Elisha’s life comes to an end in 2 Kings 13:10-21. Next week @CFW we will start a new summer series called "Ridiculous Commitment." It will based off my blog's 13 series set on Elisha. As we look at the end of Elisha life, he saved his most bizarre and ridiculous miracle for last. After Elisha is dead and buried, Moabite raiders attack Israel while some Israelites are burying a man. The attack must have surprised them so they quickly reacted and threw the man they were burying into Elisha’s tomb. When the dead man came into contact with Elisha’s bones, it brought him back to life. What's amazing is that even in death, God continued to use Elisha as a conduit to help those in need and do amazing things in the lives of others. Elisha was a prophet whose faith, obedience, compassion, and courage were ridiculous. Whether was it was making the ax head float, burning his plow in obedience to Elijah’s call, or bringing a dead man back to life after he had died himself, Elisha is without question one of the most memorable people in the Bible. I know what your thinking, I'm not in the bible and I can never be like Elisha? You are right, you are not Elisha, you are you. God can use you just like He used Elisha.

It’s time to get ridiculous like Elisha and stop holding back. It’s time to start taking risks and making decisions that the world might not understand. Elisha is a perfect example of what life can look like when you let go and decide to live with ridiculous faith. When you do let go and give it all to God, He can do amazing things in your life you never thought possible. It’s all up to you. What steps do you need to take to have the type of ridiculous faith that Elisha had?
You are Loved!

2 Kings 13:10-21 "In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them. As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, all he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Jehoash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. "My father! My father!" he cried. "The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so. "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek." Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times." Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king. Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns."

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 8:1-6

Ridiculous Commitment

2 Kings 8:1-6 is a story of ridiculous coincidence. In this passage we see the return of the Shunammite woman whose son was raised from the dead by Elisha in 2 Kings 4. The woman decides to return to Israel as a result of a famine. When she returns to see the king she walks in at the very moment that Elisha’s assistant Gehazi was telling the king how her son was from the dead. That moment of ridiculous coincidence led the king to give the woman her land back. To God there is no such thing as coincidence. God always works things out for our good.

Think about those moments in your life you thought were coincidence. Chances are that you can look back and see God at work and that what you thought was a coincidence was really a divine appointment God scheduled for you. I have had this happen over and over again in my life. I've learned to see God in every situation, and then thank Him for the outcome. More importantly, you should keep yourself available for those divine appointments because God will schedule them again. Be bold in your faith and instead of waiting for God to bring those “coincidences” into your life, be proactive and ask God to bring these moments into your life more frequently. Remember, there is no such thing as a coincidence when you fully make yourself open to being used by God. Describe a time when you experienced a coincidence. How did you see God at work in this situation?

You are Loved!
2 Kings 8:1 "Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the LORD has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years." The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, "Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done." Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, "This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now."

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 6:24 - 7:20

Ridiculous Commitment

Beginning in 2 Kings 6:24 and continuing through chapter 7, we revisit a common theme in the life of Elisha of God using Elisha to help meet the needs of His people. In this passage the Israelites are suffering from starvation as their capital is under siege by the Arameans. This is a terrible time and out of the blue Elisha prophesies that God will provide so much food that it will be almost worthless because of its abundance. Now many didn't believe or want to believe Elisha. The city was near death and yet the Israelites find the Aramean army has disappeared and have ridiculously left all of their food and supplies behind. Once again, God meets the needs of the Israelites just as Elisha said would happen. God is there for His people and He is there for you.

Think about the times when you were in need. Think about the ways He has constantly shown up in your life to help meet your needs like He did with the Israelites. Philippians 4:19 tells us that "God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." That promise was true thousands of years ago for the Israelites and remains true today for you. God won’t leave you and He will help you meet your needs no matter how big or small they are. In what ways have you seen God continually meet your needs throughout your life? Think about it and you'll be amazed at your God!

You are loved!

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 6:8-23

Ridiculous Commitment

 

2 Kings 6:16-17 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

 

In 2 Kings 6:8-23, the Aramean king attempts to capture Elisha because he is the one responsible for Israel’s victories over Aram. Each time the king tries to attack Israel, Elisha supernaturally warns the king of Israel and foils his plans. When Elisha’s assistant hears of the Aramean king’s attempt to capture Elisha, he grows afraid until Elisha asks God to open his assistant’s eyes so he can see the armies of Heaven that are on their side. Seeing how close and mighty God’s power is gives Elisha’s assistant the confidence he needs to go forward.

There are times in our lives when we are much like Elisha’s assistant; our eyes have been blinded to something we need to see and the fact we can’t see it adds to our despair. Perhaps your eyes have been blinded to the fact that you have an addiction or a relationship that is falling apart. Perhaps you have been blinded to the fact that you are not living fully devoted to God and follow Him only when convenient or when you are at church. Maybe you’ve been blinded to the fact that you are not the person God called you to be and instead have become content in your own complacency. No matter what you have been blinded to, God can open your eyes to help you see the truth. All you have to do is ask Him and open yourself up to allow Him to open your eyes. What do you think your eyes might be blinded to that you need to see? What steps will you take to open your eyes?

You are Loved!

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 6:1-7

2 Kings 6:1-7  "The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet." And he said, "Go." Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?" "I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh no, my lord!" he cried out. "It was borrowed!" The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it."

I love Elisha's life. It was full of strange and ridiculous moments. Isn't that what life is sometimes with God. One of the strangest comes in 2 Kings 6:1-7. In this passage we find a group of prophets cutting down trees with axes that will be used to build new homes. One of prophets loses his ax head into the water and he becomes upset because it was borrowed. Elisha responds by taking a stick and throwing it into the place in the water where the ax head fell. The ax head immediately floats back to the surface. When you first read this story, it may seem like there is no purpose to it, but there is much to learn from this story. God cares about what you’ve lost. Satan wants you to believe that somehow God has forgotten you or doesn't care. But No concern is too small to our God, even a lost ax head.

What have you lost today? Have you lost a blessing, a relationship, peace, financial strength, your reputation, or something else? Trusting God is a hard road sometimes when the road is rough. The good news is that God cares so much about whatever you’ve lost that He can help you recover what you’ve lost. God can help you find what you lost by beginning to look at where it fell. Go back to where you got off track and allow God to help put you back on track. You may need to stop something and start doing something different. Your ax head isn’t gone; it’s just where you left it. God can defy gravity to give it back to you. What have you lost that you need God to help you reclaim? How will you go about doing it? By Trusting Him Today!

You are Loved!

Ridiculous Commitment - 2 Kings 6:1-7

Ridiculous Commitment

 

 

2 Kings 6:1-7  "The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet." And he said, "Go." Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?" "I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh no, my lord!" he cried out. "It was borrowed!" The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it."

In 2 Kings chapter 5 we read about a foreign military captain named Naaman who suffers from leprosy. He hears from a slave girl that Elisha might be able to heal him so he leaves for Israel with an entourage bringing gifts to the king. When Naaman finally encounters Elisha, he expects Elisha to simply wave his hands to take away the leprosy. Instead, Elisha asks him to do something that seems ridiculous to Naaman, which is to go and dunk himself seven times in the Jordan. Now you have to understand the customs of the times to understand why Naaman got mad. He was important and to just dunk himself in the Jordan, the Jordon was like washing himself in the Yakima river to many of you. Naaman at first refuses to do what Elisha asks but finally does so after the urging his men. When he does what Elisha asked, Naaman is finally healed. Naaman’s reaction is a very common one.

At some point in your life you’ve probably felt led to do something by God that seemed a little crazy or ridiculous at that very moment. Perhaps you asked God to do something in your life like Naaman, but His initial response was not what you expected and you were not willing to humble yourself enough to submit to God’s methods. Been there done that and learned something very valuable.When we ask God to do something in our lives we should never do it with an attitude or an expectation of exactly how and when He should do it. We are not greater than God and we must place our full faith in Him that He will do it at the right time and in the right way. We are not in charge. God is the one in charge and as Isaiah 55:8 tells us, God’s ways are not our ways. What steps can you take to fully humble yourself before God and realize that His ways are not your ways?

You are Loved!