2 Kings 2:13-15 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 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. 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.
When Elijah went up to heaven, Elisha took up his mantle and walked in the power of Elijah. The Hebrew word for mantle is "aderet." It's root word is "adir" which means excellent, gallant, glorious, mighty, noble and worthy! Elijah was a man with these qualities. The mantle that Elisha received from Elijah meant a calling which was powerful. Elisha had earned it. When the two first met, Elisha had slaughtered the oxen he was plowing with, and burned them on the wood of their yoke as an offering. Then he followed and served the prophet until the day Elijah was taken miraculously to Heaven. An officer of King Jehoshaphat summed up Elisha's life with these simple and beautiful words: “Elisha, son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. ”
Just before Elijah was taken to Heaven he said to his servant, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha answered without hesitation, "“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit”. Having served his mentor so faithfully, Elisha boldly and humbly asked for a double portion of his master's spirit, and received it in full. The sons of the prophets at Jericho did not fail to recognize the anointing which Elisha carried. He carried it because of his excellent and faithful service and devotion to the man of God.
We too are called by the Son of God to excellence, devotion and faithful service. The anointing which we carry from Him will express these qualities. Yeshua (Jesus) is our perfect example, our mentor and master. Following and serving him day by day, faithfully and carefully, we will live under His glorious "mantle".
We are called to excellent and faithful service to exemplify and walk in the anointing of our Lord. God has given us a glorious mantle to wear, His very own Spirit, that we might live excellently, mightily, gloriously, gallantly, nobly and worthily. May we receive the grace daily to wear His mantle as Elisha did Elijah's. Even as Elisha received the "double portion", we too may do "greater things".
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land it seemed that God had given them an impossible assignment -- to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies greater than their own. They had to go forth only on the basis of God's promise. They had to walk by faith and not by sight!
Over the weekend, the ministry lost a dear brother who suddenly died of a heart attack. In times of mourning, the realization dawned (once again) that this life is utterly fleeting ... a vapor in the wind ... and these frail human bodies in which we dwell are mortal dust. We are living in the land of the dead and dying, and only those of us who truly know and are known by the Messiah, upon our death, will enter the land of the truly living!
An ancient story in Church history tells of the apostle John. He would constantly repeat the words, "Little children, love one another." And his disciples became weary of the phrase. Finally, in his old age, as John was being carried to their assembly, the disciples asked him, "Why do you always repeat these same words?" "Because friends," John replied, "it is the Lord's commandment -- and if only this one were fulfilled, it would be enough."
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During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.
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