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“Leaving A Mark”
(#2: Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity)
1 & 2nd Kings April 13, 2008
All of us leave a mark on someone. Hopefully it is for the good, as did a man by the name of Elijah whose life touched that of a man named Elisha. Visit their story and consider what it has to teach us about leaving a mark.
All of us have been imprinted by someone.
"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,…' " 1 Kings 17:1a.
"Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 'Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.'
"5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook," 1 Kings 17:2-6.
"Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
"39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!' " 1 Kings 18:38-39.
"…Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'…
The LORD said to him…," 1 Kings 19:13b, 15a.
Question: Who has impacted you?
There will be someone whose life we imprint.
"…anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet….So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him," 1 Kings 19:16b, 19.
Questions: Who are you imprinting?
Who do you want to imprint?
What kind of imprint do you want it to be?
The imprint we leave may have a far reaching impact.
"So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant," 1 Kings 19:21.
"…He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah," 2 Kings 2:13a.
Comment: The mark you leave can make a difference long after you are gone.
Conclusion: Choose wisely and carefully the mark you leave.
Coming: People who are pursuing spiritual authenticity will live after the heart of God. Next week we will look at what is on the heart of God in a teaching entitled, “Living After the Heart of God”.
updated Sunday April 13, 2008
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