He's Got Wheels

44 So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

1 Kings 18:44-46

Observant
Have you ever seen one of those showdown where an overconfident athlete challenges a fleet-footed beast to a race? It's typically a very short dash, and the beast typically ends up victorious. Today's passage finds Elijah, right after he has won the showdown on Mt. Carmel running ahead of the King's chariot to Jezreel - a distance of about 30 miles - and winning the race. Are you kidding me?


Journey
The key to the victory is not in Elijah's ability (do you see a pattern forming for him?) but in the phrase "the power of the Lord came on Elijah." Lord, please empower me to accomplish things beyond my own abilities, that you might be glorified.

Like a Good Neighbor

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Galatians 5:13-15

Observant
I have friends who returned to town after moving away for three years.  I showed up to help them unload the truck and observed something that was very cool.  Their next door neighbors were there to help them unload the truck as well.  It was clear that they had a relationship that was strong and had endured the absence. 

Journey
This made me think of my neighbors.  What kind of connections am I making with them?  How am I serving them?  Reaching out to them?  I know it can be difficult, especially when all we see is the garage door go up, the car drive in, and the garage door go down.  I observed something valuable between my friends and their neighbors that I think is worth the effort.

Heliotropes Wanted

 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  1 John 1:5-7

OBSERVANT
I learned a new word this week - heliotropism.  Heliotropism describes a plant that grows in such a way that it turns itself to grow toward the light of the sun.  I immediately thought of this little fella that sits in our kitchen.  Doesn't he look like he would crawl right out the window if he could to get to more light?

JOURNEY
I want to have the same eagerness to grow, reaching for more light,  knowing where my source of strength comes from for my fellowship and my purity.  Lord, help me walk in the light.

The Water Truck

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?     James 3:9-11

Observant
When I was in high school, I went with a Marine Biology class to snorkel in the Bahamas.  We spent the week at a dive station that required its water to be hauled in every couple of days in a large water truck.  One day as I was hanging around, I saw a water truck that looked very similar parked in a different location.  My curiosity got the best of me, and I asked the driver what he was doing.  He said that he was emptying the holding tank for the sewage.  Was this the same truck that had been bringing our drinking water?  ACK!! He assured me that it wasn't the same truck.

Journey
Imagine for a moment, though, that it was the same truck, and the driver's assurance was that he had cleaned it really, really good.  He could not possibly clean it enough for me to ever drink water from it.  This passage from the Bible refers to our speech, but Jesus reminded us that a man speaks out of the what's in his heart.  Our hearts are the source that must remain pure, and our words will be the evidence of if it is so.

Zeno's Paradox

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

OBSERVANT
A Greek philosopher named Zeno lived almost 500 years before Christ.  He is known for coming up with philosophical problems known as Zeno's paradoxes.  One of them is stated this way:

That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal.

In other words if I was to ask you to walk across the room to me, you would first arrive at the point halfway across the room.  As you continued to cross the room,  you would then cover half the distance between that point and me (one fourth of the room).  No matter where you are in your travel across the room there is always a mark that is halfway between where you are and your destination.  Thus, Zeno would propose that you could never really arrive at the destination. 

Are you saying, "Come on, Zeno, are you serious? I know when I have crossed the room and reached my destination." 

JOURNEY
However, Zeno's paradox makes perfect sense in light of Philippians 3:12-14.  There is an infinite amount of midpoints between where I am and the destination.  All I can do is get closer.

I pray that I cover half the distance that is between me and His perfection.  And when I get there, I'll strive for half of what is left.  And when I get there I have another half to cover.

Nehemiah's Formula

¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” ¹⁸ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.  Nehemiah 2:16-18

Observant
We have been working our way through Nehemiah for our family devotions and came to this passage today.  It generated some good discussion for us about leadership and how to meet a challenge.  Did you see what he did?

• He prayed (That actually happened in Chapter 1)
• He planned
• He stated the problem
• He gave a challenge
• He gave a vision for what would be accomplished when the challenge was met
• He recognized God's work in the situation

Journey
What a great formula.  How often do I skip one of these steps?  How often do I get them out of order?  I'm embarrassed by how often I neglect to recognize God's work and seek my own praise.  Today I am thankful for family devotions, for Nehemiah, and for what God is teaching me.

The Bad, the Good, the Former Life

For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.   I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.  Galatians 1:13-14

Observant
I have grown up hearing many times of the radical transformation of Paul from Saul, the one who persecuted and tried to destroy the church.  It was a radical transformation to be sure.  Something new has become part of the picture.  In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul is characterizing his previous life and  admits to that whole destroying the church thing.  However he goes on to speak of his former self in what seem like positive terms - advancing in Judaism, exceeding his peers and passionate about traditions.  These are qualities that many would have recognized as good, but Paul discovered came up short.

Journey
I've always liked the church.  I certainly have never sought to destroy it.  I get along well with most Christians.  The worst I've ever wished on anyone was a bad rash.  I do pretty well at obeying the 10 Commandments.  How then do I identify with Paul?  I think it's in my own claims to "goodness."  I could write similar words to his.  I was advancing in Nazareneness, following rules pretty well when compared to those around me.  I was untouchable when it came to outward signs of ritual holiness and possessed a relationship with Christ that I inherited from my parents . . . but I still needed Christ.  I, like Paul, have no goodness of my own.  I need Christ and His sacrifice.