The Real Meaning of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/2_kings/6.htm

In these two chapters, Elisha shows the powers he has. He makes an iron axe head float. He makes an entire army go blind. He leads them into captivity. Then we see what an angry and wrathful God we serve.

Sorry, the last line was sarcasm. Sarcasm: just another service I offer.

Let’s talk about Elisha. Was he given special powers by God? Did God make him a god like Himself? How was he able to simply stick a branch int he water and make an axe head float? Have you ever prayed for something and had it instantaneously given you, like when Elisha prayed to God to make the Syrian army blind?

The only thing Elisha had going for him was love for God, faithfulness to God, faith in God, a desire to serve God. Remember, when Elisha was called by Elijah, he immediately, and let me stress immediately stopped plowing, busted up his plow and started a fire, then killed the oxen he was plowing with and made a sacrifice to God.

Now I’m not suggesting we do that today, but what if you were called by God, and you chose to immediately make another kind of sacrifice, like gave money to the poor, or fasted for a day, or some other action that represented a sacrifice of one’s self.

Take for example yesterday, and please make no mistake, I am not bragging or prideful in my actions, and even if I were, my good deed would be completely erased because I told about it. Remember, it’s not a good deed to brag about things. But yesterday I was at the gas pumps, and a couple of pumps down, this beat up and rusty old car, no hubcaps, pulled into the pumps. And the female driver, the only occupant just sat there, appearing to me as if she were checking her bank account to see how much gas she could afford. And God impressed on me to be generous, so I simply walked over and gave her a $20 and told her I wanted to help with her gas.

Now, I feel safe in sharing this because that was not a good deed. I could have given more. I should have given more. And I felt remorse after we left that I didn’t give her more. I had a $100 in my billfold, I should have given her that. But my old earthly selfish cynical self, the voice in my head which was that of Satan, said, “She on a smart phone, if she didn’t waste her money on things like that, maybe she could afford gasoline”. And yes, I’m ashamed to admit this, but I’m not perfect by a long shot, and confession is one of the ways to repentance. Maybe next time I encounter this situation I’ll remember how ashamed I was to admit this, and it’ll convict me into being more generous.

My point is, the next time God impresses on you, like Elisha, sacrifice something that hurts. That will show you are truly impressed by God. I was impressed, but sadly not enough. And I know what you are thinking…”we are not saved by works”, but we can surely be damned for a “lack of works”.

So, Elisha immediately gave everything when he was called. He was faithful to Elijah, and even when Elijah wanted to go it alone, Elisha refused, and stuck by his side. When Elijah knew his time was short and asked Elisha what he could do for him, Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit, the Spirit.

No, Elisha didn’t have any special God given powers, he was simply so faithful and so full of faith, God showed favor to him. After all, we all have times of doubt, don’t we? Doesn’t Satan work on us, and even if the occasion is rare, for a fleeting moment don’t we think, “what if there is no God?” Elisha didn’t have those moments, and when he prayed for the Syrian army to go blind, God immediately granted his request.

It’s highly unlikely we will be able to achieve that level of faithfulness, but we can certainly get close enough, and stay close enough, that God favors us. It is hard, but not impossible. We just have to learn to defeat the temptations of Satan, that little voice in our head that casts doubt, the voice in our head that comes from the father of all lives.

Now lets talk about that angry and wrathful God. When Elisha leads the Syrian army into Samaria, the King of Israel asks God if he should kill them all. And what does that angry and wrathful God say? “No, set food and water before them so they may eat and drink and go to their master”.

We tend to focus on the literal words of the Old Testament that talks about God being loving but just and if we sin, He will punish us for our sins. But God has the same character as Jesus. God is merciful. God is kind. And I still say, the character of God was greatly misconceived by authors of the Old Testament.

And maybe, just maybe, the downfall of those not saved are those who think the character of God is angry and wrathful, and the saved are those that truly recognize the love of God. But then again, God is merciful and forgiving. If you’re led to believe that God is anything but loving and merciful by false prophets, God will likely forgive you of that too.

I urge you to study the Bible on your own, with just God’s word and the Holy Spirit within reach. It has surely opened my eyes to many new things I hadn’t thought of before.