Let Him Out of the Box

“He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;” (2 Kings 2:13)

Let me ask you a strange question as we begin our time together, please. How old do you feel this morning? Physically you may feel your age, but mentally – how old do you see yourself? I know there are a lot of jokes about this – especially man jokes. I try to jump over a short barrier and eat the ground because my mind told me I could but my body said, “Not anymore!” You’ve seen those jokes. But this is a very serious matter to consider.

I have never had children, therefore I have no grandchildren. Time has slipped away from me without notice. I have very little measurement of the passing of time. But I’m not alone. We get so caught up in the mundane – the ordinary cares of life – that we let it get away from us. I remember wishing to be sixteen, twenty-one, married, on my own, grown up, and hearing my dad say to me, “Son, don’t wish your life away.” He sure turned out to be a very wise man, my dad. Now I’m old. Hmmm.

Psychologists tell us that most of us feel like teenagers in our minds. For some reason, no matter our physiological age we seem trapped in that child mode. We never know all the answers so we turn to someone more experienced for advice. We seem to be always seeking approval of those around us even in our senior years. Isn’t that crazy?

In our verse this morning we read about Elisha taking up the mantle of his mentor, Elijah, after his passing. History tells us that Elisha ministered to Elijah (was his assistant, his helper) at least twenty-two years. Assuming he was at least twenty (maybe older) when Elijah chose him, that would make Elisha at least forty to forty-five years old in this verse. We read in the chapters just prior to this that Elijah knew his time had come, so he turned to Elisha and asked what he could do for him before he went away. Elisha had expressed the desire to have double the anointing (the power, the authority, the miraculous works) that Elijah carried. Take the time sometime to go back and re-read that account – it teaches us of God.

Why do I bring this up this morning? Because we are surrounded by death and disease. We always have been, of course, but there are seasons when it strikes close to home for all of us. I guess it’s my turn. This will not be a message of doom and gloom; instead, it is meant to be a call to action for each one of us. Paul wrote to his protege, Timothy, to not let believers disparage him or look down on him because of his youth. Jesus took the twelve disciples (who each had businesses and careers of their own for the most part) and taught them to take up His mantle, as it were, and wield His authority in the earth. Moses had Joshua. Paul had Barnabas. Peter had John. They were mentors. But they were mortal. This phase of training wasn’t just for the joy of the journey – it was preparation for the future when the mentor would no longer be there.

It is time for you, my friend, to pick up your sword and join the battle. You (and I) have been second-string long enough. We have watched those before us carry the mantle and shoulder the burden for years, now it is our time. I remember when my father passed away years ago. It was more than just a physical departure – it was a deeply spiritual event. Immediately upon his death I felt a weight fall upon me, an invisible mantle, that revealed to me the passing of the family heritage and history over to me. I am now the father of the family, the leader of our clan (so to speak). The centuries of our family history, heritage, etc, now lay on my shoulders. The same is true of our spiritual family. We read in scripture about maturing from needing spiritual milk (food for babies) to spiritual meat (giving strength for doing adult things) and how we are to “quit like men.” In other words, Paul was writing to the church at Corinth that it was time for them to grow up.

Leonard Ravenhill, in his book, Why Revival Tarries, wrote that the reason the church is weak and physically-challenged is because we still carry the idea of a Sunday-school sized God as we face adult challenges. We have never allowed God to grow up in our hearts, we have never truly allowed Him to become big enough in our minds to handle the situations we face. Somewhere in our consciousness we have Jesus and God stored away in a box of illustrations (or in my age group – a box of flannel-graph pictures). It is time for us to allow God out of the box in our own lives. Think about it: when our problems get just so big what do we do? We find someone else to pray FOR us about it. We trust in their faith and their connection to the Father. Do you see what just happened there? We are, once again, the weak and helpless child who needs a daddy or a mommy to fix it for us. Hmmm.

My challenge to you today, my good friend, is to let God out of the box. I firmly believe that is one reason why Paul wrote that we are to pray without ceasing – continuously throughout our day, no matter what is going on in our lives. I’ll tell you right now, Jesus LOVES riding my Harley with me! I’m sure He is smiling just as big as I am when we get off it. You know what, though? He also enjoys sitting at your work desk alongside you as you juggle numbers all day long or handle investments for your clients. He enjoys slopping hogs and farming the ground with you. I’m sure there’s a part of Him that giggles when He sees your child stuffing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into your DVD player. I don’t know, but I’m just saying Jesus WANTS to be a part of your everyday life. THAT’s how we let Him out of our box. We let Him grow with us in our hearts, in our minds, and in our experiences. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is our Helper. He is not just our Savior (our fire insurance against hell), neither is He just our Lord (the One Who tells us what to do with our lives) – He is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-seeing. He wants to be an essential and integrated part of your daily life. Let Him. Then when the big things come along He is already there and you and He share a personal relationship. Let Jesus be involved in your life today, my friend.

Be blessed.

(02 OCT 2024)