1 Kings 16:26 - Empty-headed, empty-hearted lives...not true hearted. Oh! to be truehearted! The lessons to be learned from these wicked men: "Leadership without a priority concern for personal holiness over effective management at best produces only outward success. It fails to engage the real battle in the human soul, between losing your life for Me or gaining your life without Me." 66 LL.
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I love the story in I Kings 17 of Elijah meeting a woman whose son died. I cannot imagine what she was going through. Elijah lies on top of the boy and asks God "Why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow...why have you killed her son?" It's so amazing to me that God responds to our requests. We can ask for the impossible. God had already told this widow that her jars of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil never empty until she needs it no more. The woman hung on tight to her life lessson, close to her bosom. Elijah took him and asked God to put breath back into the boy. God did! And this mom's response: "you're a holy man, Elijah." For all that is dead in our lives, may we hear God's voice. Come alive!
I am moved by the widow's quick turn on Elijah. "Barging in and exposing my sin and killing my son." How quickly our interpretation of God's Hand on our lives can be ungrateful and twisted. Did you also catch that she didn't like it that Elijah had exposed her sin? When confronted with the holy man of God, she saw her own sin. I'm so thankful today that when our ugly truth is exposed, we have an Advocate who cleanses us and allows us to continue in His holy presence.
ReplyDeleteSunday blessings of His presence and grateful hearts that worship Him this spring morning.