April 11, 2019
2 Kings 2:6                       
Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.  ”And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
New International Version (NIV)
                In his book Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom says his mentor Morrie asked for this inscription on his tombstone:  “A Teacher to the Last.”  Have you ever had a mentor?  What did you want from that person?  Did you receive it? 

                When Elijah threw his cloak over Elisha’s shoulders, it changed both of their lives.  Elisha left the farm and followed the prophet everywhere he went.  He saw God at work in Elijah’s life.  This must have been daunting.  How does one succeed a legendary leader?  Elisha stayed close to Elijah because he wanted to learn all that he could. 

                Perhaps Elijah was testing Elisha’s resolve when he told him he did not have to come along with him on the final journey.  Elisha would not be separated from his mentor.  What was the glue which bound him to the prophet Elijah?  “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”  This devotion surely brought Elijah comfort.  He had been alone before when he ran from Jezebel. 

                  In the end, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted.  “A double portion of your spirit,” Elisha asked with audacity.  Elijah parted the Jordan river with his cloak and then was taken up to heaven by a chariot and horses of fire in a whirlwind.   Asking “Where now is Elijah’s God,” Elisha took Elijah’s cloak and parted the Jordan on the way back.   God gave him his wish.  He would live in the same Spirit and power as Elijah.

                From time to time I have been mentored by great men and women of God.  Looking back, I wanted to learn from them how to walk with God.  Some have gone home.  To this day, though, their God is my God.  He is with us.  My mentors were teachers until the end.  I still remember what they taught me, and even more the way they lived.  If you have had a great mentor, by all means mentor somebody else, for the glory of God.
Pray with me:    
Father, we thank you for the mentors who have encouraged us along the way.  To the extent that they had your Spirit reigning in them, we ask that you would grant us a double portion.  We know we have asked for something difficult.  Still we ask you to grant it in Jesus’ name, because we believe you will.  Amen.   
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 

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