“And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice” (2 Kings 13:18,19).
TEXT — 2 Kings 13:14-21
Message
Whenever there is work to do and the instructions allow enough room to maneuver, most people will take the path of least resistance. The majority of people will not like to do more work when they are not specifically instructed to do so. Most will stay at the periphery, even when such an opportunity might open new doors of blessings. That is why only a few people would have passed the test that Elisha gave King Joash.
King Joash went to visit Elisha when he heard that the prophet was sick. Elisha must have known that the end was near and he took steps to enable the king to enjoy a continuous reign of victory over the Syrians. He told the king to shoot an arrow and he told him the importance of the action. Elisha thereafter directed the king to take the arrow and strike it on the ground. He did not tell him how many times he was to do this. Joash stopped after just three attempts. Elisha was unhappy that King Joash stopped with only three trials.
He then told him the implications of what he just did. Joash would overcome the Syrians only three times instead of permanently. The lessons from the self-imposed limitation of victory by Joash are clear for the Church today. We must do more for the glory of God whatever the assignment or responsibility that we might be given. Rebekah did more than was required of her and thereby secured her marriage to Isaac. Paul was willing to suffer and even die in the course of preaching the gospel.
God expects His children to reach out to sinners and tell them about His love. In doing this, we must be selfless and do more always. Today is one such day when you can practice this good principle of doing more in Kingdom service. Go for evangelism, visit young and old converts and sick people at home or in the hospital. Yes, do more to be a victorious Christian today and always.
Thought for the day
When you are busy for God, you will have no time for the devil.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
2 comments
Thanks for the eye opener, truly only few would have passed the test. With what you’ve said I’ll do more as long as there is no restriction to the instructions given.
Thanks for the eye opener, truly only few would have passed the test. With what you’ve said I’ll do more as long as there is no restriction to the instructions given.
AMEN