How good is your spiritual addition?
13 May 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
2 Kings 6
2 Kings 7
2 Kings 8
John 4:31-54
And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see” (1 Kings 6:17).
How good is your spiritual addition?
Elisha continually informs the king of Israel about the plans of the king of Syria; therefore, a large army is dispatched to arrest Elisha. His servant wakes up early one morning and sees their camp surrounded. The servant does his physical math by counting or estimating the enemy and says to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15). The man of God then does the spiritual math. He says, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Elisha prays, and the servant sees the host of angels protecting them (2 Kings 6:17). Perhaps today we should ask, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Employment Point: Keep your eyes upon the Lord during life’s trials for the right outlook on life.
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Reflections
“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.”
2 Kings 6:6 NIV
““None of us, my Lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”2 Kings 6:12 NIV
“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.”
2 Kings 6:17 NIV
- Elisha has been performing miracles to the people and saved the king several times cos he just seems to know whatever that has happened.
“But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 4:32-34 NIV
- Jesus is likely not talking about physical food but spiritual food. He is fed by the fruits of his labour in the Lord. A food better than the physical ones.
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.””
John 4:39-42 NIV
- Happy are the feet that brings good news! We are all called to be bearers of good news. To spread the good news to the people around us. To tell them about Jesus.
- When the Samaritan women tell others about Jesus, many have already believed. When they meet Jesus in person, more came to believe as well.
- Jesus ever said “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””John 20:29 NIV
Bottomline: do not be afraid of what is seen for our Lord who is unseen is greater than anything on this earth.
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The Habit of a Good Conscience
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
May 13
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. — Acts 24:16
Conscience is the faculty inside us which attaches itself to the highest ideal we know. Either this ideal is God, or it’s something else. If we are in the habit of steadily facing God, our conscience will always guide us toward his perfect law and indicate what we should do.
The question is, Will I obey what my conscience shows me? It is difficult—too difficult—for human nature to keep God’s commands. But God didn’t give his commands to our human nature; he gave them to the life of Jesus inside us. When I lean on the life of Christ within, following God’s commands becomes divinely easy. I should be living in perfect sympathy with Christ. If I am, my mind will be renewed in every circumstance, and I will be able to discern at once what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2 KJV).
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30). God educates us down to the scruple. Is my ear able to hear the tiniest whisper of the Spirit? The Spirit doesn’t come with a voice like thunder, but with a voice so gentle it is easy to ignore. The one thing that keeps the conscience sensitive to him is the continual habit of being open to God on the inside.
If I sense myself beginning to debate with the Spirit, I must stop immediately. There is no debate possible when conscience speaks. If I allow anything, however small, to obscure my inner communion with God, I do so at my own risk. I must drop the thing, whatever it is, and keep my inner vision clear.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek Him for Himself.
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Reflections
Perhaps I can look at this higher conscience as the Holy Spirit. If our spirit is in line with the Holy Spirit, there would be no resistance from us to obey His commands. It syncs by itself and makes it easy to just follow.
However, issues arise when this is not in sync, which may happen on and off as we are not perfect beings. We fail at times and may become complacent. We may begin to turn rogue and turn away from this higher conscience. We want control, power and the ability to change outcomes. It is no longer a reliance on Him but on ourselves.
However, if we are caught in this situation, we will find ourselves estranged from God. We may not hear Him anymore. We may even sense His distance and sometimes, we know why and other times, we may not till someone probably comes to talk sense into us. This doesn’t end well as it results in feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness eventually. We may even feel undeserving to return to the Lord. Even if it has to come to that, always remember the Lord loves you regardless. Come back to Him.
It is therefore important to lock our gaze upon Jesus. Let it only be Jesus and no one or anything else. Nothing should come between us and the Lord. He takes priority and first place and we love Him only.
Only when we are totally in sync with the Holy Spirit, will we then be able to sense the Lord’s leading, and cast aside any worries or concerns of our own, and just trust Him. Since He is Lord and master, He ought to take center stage. If we allow ourselves to be open to Him, to His leading and teaching, nothing will go wrong.
Let’s pray:
Father thank You for allowing us place our trust in You. To fully rely on You and not on ourselves or others. Thank You for bearing all these burdens upon Your shoulders and loving us unconditionally even though we are at times not so lovable. Thank You Father for Your grace and mercy and for helping us to see what was lacking or too much. Help us to sit at Your feet, being still and enjoying Your presence. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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