Devotion
Love in Loyalty
Chipo Biti
Elisha was loyal to Elijah until the very end. When it was time for Elijah to leave the earth, he tried to leave Elisha behind. Elisha refused to do so. The thought of letting Elijah go anywhere on his own was not something Elisha was going to allow. As Elijah's right-hand man, Elisha always took care of Elijah's needs and his wellbeing. He didn't see it a loathsome job but as a duty worth fulfilling. He did it with all his heart. Elisha was aware of the fact that he was going to be Elijah's successor but he never let that interfere with the work that he needed to do.
He served Elijah honorably, without resentment or reservations. Elisha was also aware that Elijah was about to leave. He could have chosen to leave Elijah behind and started with his own ministry. He could have left Elijah to go on the journey alone. But he chose to be honorable and be with Elijah until the very end. When they encountered different prophets, they tried to inform Elisha of Elijah's impending death, but Elisha was not deterred.
When we are working as assistants to other people, we should never see it as a lowly task. Pride is what will make us think that we are better than the position we find ourselves in. Pride is not a godly trait to maintain. It always causes strife and disrupts harmony. If you have to serve as an understudy to someone - be it in church, at school, or at work - see it as an opportunity to work honorably. Be loyal to the people that God has assigned as authorities in your life. Loyalty does not mean that you have to do every single thing they ask, though, especially if these requests are not godly. Being a loyal servant simply means that you work with an open heart, willing to be of help wherever you can.
Prayer
When the time comes for you to take over from your predecessor, be humble. Do not gloat about it - that is not honorable. Do not shirk your responsibilities, either. If the quality of your service is dependent on the position you receive, then that does not mean that you are serving honorably. You are only lying to yourself.
Let the love in your heart extend to the people that you are serving.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
