Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics of the actors in the movie Sister Act singing … I Will Follow Him … powerfully singing of how we must choose to follow Christ and often that means following other leaders who follow Him and show us the way.
God calls Elisha to follow Elijah
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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Kings 2:6 [NLT] … 6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.” But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together.
… Elisha is determined to follow his mentor, Elijah.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Kings 2:1-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Three times Elijah give Elisha an opportunity to stay behind as the elder Prophet moves on; but Elisha will not leave the sight of his mentor.
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Reference Passage : … 1Kings 19:19=21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Elisha is called by God to follow Elijah [see photo].
Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NIV] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me….”
… Jesus declares what it takes to be His follower (i.e., disciple).
Reference Passage : … John 15:5 [NIV] … 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. …”
… Jesus, to His mentees (the Disciples) and what it takes to be fruitful in God’s kingdom.
Reference Passage : …1 Corinthians 11:1 [NIV] … 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
… Paul shows what it takes to mentor others … and that is to follow Christ closely.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Estera Escobar, shows the value that a God-honoring mentor had in the author’s life. The ODB author wrote … Who do you think of when you hear the word mentor? For me, it’s Pastor Rich. He saw my potential and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He modeled how to lead by serving in humility and love. As a result, I am now serving God by mentoring others.
Did any of my readers here today ever have a God-honoring, scripture following, mentor, who has helped you follow Christ as the linked song points us today. There are good examples of strong mentoring relationships in Scripture, aren’t there, … such as Elijah-Elisha in the OT and Paul -Timothy in the NT?
I was very fortunate in my early days as a maturing Christian to be mentored by a retired physician who was easy to follow as a Christian leader because of his intimate relationship with Christ and his devotion to obeying God’s word. It was like when Paul said to fellow Christians (see 1Cor. 11:1), … “You can imitate me, because I imitate Christ.”
And perhaps if any reader here desires to follow Christ, as the Lord Himself commanded in Luke 9:23, it would be a good idea to find your own Elijah, or Apostle Paul, to follow.
Howard Hendricks, former Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, once said, “Every disciple needs … a ‘Paul’ who can mentor him and challenge him. … And he needs a “Timothy,’ … someone that he can pour his life into.” … Do you have an Elijah or a Paul in your life to lead you into a more abiding relationship with Christ (see John 15:5); and do you have a Timothy, whom you can lead in life by following Christ closely yourself?
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for sending me a mentor to lead me to You more closely.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me, to seek and find others to lead to You. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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