A Blog by Jeremy Metzger

April 21, 2017

2 KINGS 1-3

Focus Verse: When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
2 Kings 2:9

What a great request. I wonder how many of us would ask for the same thing from those who are being taken from us. So many times our focus tends to be on property and estates instead of the Spirit. What if this was our first priority? What if we asked for a spiritual inheritance and never even thought about the possessions that were to be passed down?

Here’s the other side of that story though – Elijah lived a live of utter dependence on God. He didn’t have any material possessions for Elisha to ask for! Absolutely all of his wealth was stored up in the kingdom God. He had no worldly kingdom possessions to hand off…except his cloak, which Elisha scooped up after the chariots of fire took Elijah.

So the first lesson from today’s reading: ask God for more of His Spirit. Ask Him for a one hundred portion, a one thousand portion…make up a number bigger than what we can count to! But ask Him for more! And then more! And then more!

Then second, live a life of complete dependence on God. His gabazillion-portion (my made up number) isn’t in you to gain you worldly favor and wealth. His Spirit is in you in infinite measure to strengthen HIS body, to serve HIS Church, to bring glory to HIS name. Live your life in a way so that the only thing you have to hand down to your descendants is a double portion of God’s Spirit in you. And DISCIPLE those descendants so that there isn’t a hint of disappointment when they receive God’s riches and not man’s.