Devotion
Do not go! I will not leave you
David Jacobs
Dealing with death is difficult. It may sound trivial, but I used to have a pet rabbit that I truly loved. It was the first rabbit I had ever been around. I knew nothing about rabbits but quickly learned that they are gentle and loving creatures that make good pets. My rabbit was healthy, happy, and middle-aged when he ate something and died within minutes. I was heartbroken, unable to grasp how quickly my cute rabbit was now just an empty carcass. It was hard to let go.
Elisha was a tenacious prophet of God and loyal friend of Elijah. Elisha knows that Elijah will soon join God in Heaven, but he refuses to leave his side. He stays with Elijah as if they are attached at the hip, hoping that what he knows will happen does not happen. Elijah comforts him by asking what he can do for Elisha, to which Elisha replies, asking for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. There seems to be an assumed "passing of the torch," from Elijah to Elisha, and a few verses later, Elijah is taken by God. Elisha is distraught, but soon realizes that he must let go and that he has a duty, just like Elijah, to continue on his journey.
Elisha lost Elijah; I lost my rabbit. Obviously one pales in comparison to the other, but letting go is never easy. Do not dwell on missing the person or thing that you have lost; instead, be thankful for the time that you had. I can never forget the day I lost my rabbit, and Elisha won't forget losing Elijah. Elisha goes from that day, remembering Elijah, and taking the good from their relationship. I am not trying to compare my loss with his, but whenever I see a rabbit, I think about my pet and am also reminded of the good times. "It is not goodbye, it is see you later."
Prayer
Almighty God, the alpha and omega, you give and you take away. I pray that you let me have the wisdom to trust your choices, my Lord, not to presume that I know better than you. All I have needed, your hand has provided. My faith is strong in you, and I pray that you strengthen it whenever I am in a state of loss or mourning, as I mourned the passing of your son, Jesus Christ, who died for my sins. Amen.
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 ...
