/And He said, "Come forth and stand on a mountain to the face of
Yahweh." And look, Yahweh was passing over, and a wind, great and strong
was breaking into the mountains and was breaking up rocks to the face of
Yahweh; Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake;
Yahweh was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire;
Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire, a voice of quiet calm.
And it happened as Elijah heard, and he wrapped his face in his splendid
robe and he came forth and stood at the opening of the cave, and look,
to him, a voice, and it said, "Why are you in here, Elijah?" And he
said, "Eager, my eagerness in Yahweh, God of armies; for the sons of
Israel have left behind Your covenant, your sacrificial places they have
demolished, and Your prophets they have killed by sword. I myself
remain, in solitude; and they seek my soul to take away." And Yahweh
said to him..."Elisha, son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah you will anoint
to be prophet in your stead...And I leave a remnant in Israel, 7000, all
the knees which have not bowed to Ba-al, and every mouth which has not
kissed him." And he walked from there and he found Elisha son of
Shaphat, and he was plowing with 12 pairs before him, and he was upon
the twelfth. And Elijah crossed over to him and cast his splendid robe
upon him. And he left behind the oxen and he ran after Elijah and he
said, "May I kiss, please, my father and my mother, and I will walk
after you. And he said to him, "Walk, return; for what have I done to
you?" And he returned from going after him, and he took the pair of the
oxen and he sacrificed them, and with the implements of the oxen he
cooked the sacrificed-flesh. And he gave to the people and they ate, and
he rose and walked after Elijah and he served him. /
When God calls you to leave everything behind, and follow Him, that's
never easy. When Jesus called His first disciples, they deserted their
families, friends, & jobs as fishermen to follow Jesus and catch men
alive. When God called Elisha to become the next Prophet of Israel, he
had trouble leaving too. He wanted to at least kiss his parents
good-bye. But he too made a clean break from his former work as a
farmer, burning his plow & yoke, and killing & eating his plowing oxen.
Now, I know what you are wondering...does God call you to leave your
family, friends, & former occupation to follow Him? In most
cases..."No". Some are called as missionaries to preach & teach in new
places. Sometimes a Yankee is called South to become a Pastor & Teacher
of a congregation. But for most people, God doesn't call them to leave
home, or to give up their job for Him. You can be a disciple of Christ
Jesus without abandoning your family or your current occupation.
But this doesn't mean you don't leave anything behind to follow Jesus,
because you do. You leave behind your sins! The words of the prophets
like Elisha declare you to be forgiven. And when God speaks through His
called prophets, things happen! God's strong word bespeaks you righteous
with Christ's Own holy righteousness credited to you, each time your
Pastor, in God's stead and by His command absolves you of your sins in
the same name that washed them away in your Baptism!
Yet, you may sometimes be a bit reluctant to leave your sins behind.
Just like Elisha hesitated a bit, wanting to kiss his parents good-bye,
you aren't always ready to leave your sinful past behind you. Like Lot's
wife, you kinda want to turn back and have one last look at the way
things were. Your favorite bad habits that brought you some worldly
pleasure tug at you, causing you to long for a return back to your
former lifestyle. "Just one last time..." you think, "what could it
hurt?" you ponder.
That's when God says to you, as Elijah said to Elishah, "Yeah, you can
go back if you want." Surely, you "could" do what you want, but you know
it isn't what the Lord wants. For He has called you by that sweet gospel
message to become a new creation in Christ Jesus at your Baptism. The
old you has drowned & died at the + in the waters of the font, and the
new you has been raised up in Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday to walk in
new life--a life that follows Jesus now...and forevermore!
Yes, you leave behind everything to follow Jesus in one more way. The
temporary things of this life, the worldly things of this earth, and the
material things of everyday living are left behind. There will be no
u-haul attached to your hearse someday. Instead, you are gifted by God
with abundant life with Jesus, spiritual blessings of faith & grace, and
eternal wonders in the paradise of heaven above. Just as you died & rose
with Jesus in baptism, you also follow after Jesus to go where He has
ascended. Forgiven by His body given & blood shed for you at Calvary,
you are holy followers of Jesus forever!
John C. Drosendahl, Pastor
john.drosend...@gmail.com
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