that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
Memory of the Month: Proverbs 15:1-A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Today's reading: PROVERBS 6-7 2 CORINTHIANS 2
Expecting More
What is there left to learn? The reason for this question comes from my observation over the years of teachers and preachers. Some have done such great things for the kingdom of God. Some have written many books and encouraged millions. Some have stayed in the same place for their entire careers and established schools, colleges and seminaries. Some have annual retreats and gatherings to encourage church leaders as well as the regular laymen and laywomen. Some have established great archives with recorded sermons and devotionals and Bible studies that seem to address any subject.
What do you think when you see one of these folks that have seemed to follow God with all they are and given their lives for God's kingdom? Do you ever wonder what it is like to 'know' it all...or to have the influence they have?
Any one of these great men, if they indeed are great men of God in Christ, will tell you the more they learn, the more they want to learn-that they have not but scratched the surface of the wisdom of God.
This is to say that God always has something to teach you. Yes, YOU, individually. Some of the greatest jewels of wisdom I have ever heard come from the lips of the common man who has walked quietly with God in obedience and love and has learned the discipline of taking up their cross and following Jesus daily.
Elijah was a simple prophet who followed God and believed Him for his life and the life Israel. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah is introduced as a settler from Gilead. God gave Elijah a message to deliver to King Ahab and then God told Elijah to go camp by a stream and hide from Ahab. God sent the ravens with food for Elijah in the mornings and evenings. Elijah spoke against the Baal religion Israel and Ahab were worshipping and so Elijah was a wanted man.
Elijah did miracles and the Lord allowed him to have a great reputation as a man of God. Long story short, it came down to a show-down between Elijah and all the prophets of Baal recorded in 1 Kings 18. Of course God prevailed and all the prophets of Baal destroyed. Back at the castle, King Ahab's wife, Jezebel, was livid and from 1 Kings 19 sent Elijah her death threat-she wanted Elijah dead and would see it done.
Elijah, a settler that God made into a prohet, had done majestic things in the power of God-great things... but feared this fierce woman and ran.
Great people have fear just like us. Many would say, "I would not have run the way Elijah did". None of us know what we would have done. There is a scripture that says,
“It is foolish for a man who is putting on armor to brag like a man who has won a battle and is taking off his armor.”(1 Kings 20:11)
What we do know is that the great prophet Elijah ran for his life. God was there, of course, when Elijah stopped and asked, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"
Learning. Yes, Elijah was weak and frightened and hiding from a mad-woman. No, Elijah did not know he was learning, but he was. In Elijah's lowest, feeling really sorry for himself moment, God revealed Himself to Elijah in a quiet voice after a grand display of power as if to say, "This is who I am-I control it all-you cannot run far enough to escape Me and My all-reaching power-now, get up and go back the way you came."
Learning what God has for us comes through difficult stuff. This cannot be ignored. We can read all the best books and listen to all the best teachers while we are closed off from the world but we will never learn how to personally handle hard times until we go through them-stumble, horribly sometimes. But God is not in all the fury around us. His love is only learned quietly as we reach for Him. Yes, His power is displayed but His love is too precious to be anywhere but with us in His loving quiet way.
Find the eye of the storm that you are in. We learn from Elijah that we cannot run from our troubles or from our God Himself-but learning it from my words or words of another teacher is just that-words. Your really learning this is when you turn to God and allow Him to teach you.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
Have mercy on me and my self-pity as I run from my troubles.
I place my will in Your hands. Teach me, oh God, Your way.
