IT IS ENOUGH? LICKING YOUR WOUNDS?
NAW, GET OUT OF THE CAVE!
TEXT:
1 KINGS 19:4 But Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under the juniper tree: and requested for himself that he might die; and said IT IS ENOUGH; now O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
1 Kings 19: 9 Elijah came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the WORD OF THE LORD came to him, and said to him, WHAT DOES THOU HERE ELIJAH?
I Kings 19:13 And behold there came a voice uonto Elijah, and said,
WHAT DOES THOU HERE, (IN THE CAVE), ELIJAH?.
ECCL. 12: 12 - 14
I ponder if we understand what our assignment before God is? How do you handle praise?
How do you handle criticism?
How you handle these two areas will tell alot about yourself.
Each believer has several general tasks and several specific tasks that Jesus has assigned to our duty.
Some of these are delegated authority, some direct.
Some opportunities missed might return, but some opportunities missed may never
return. Can we say honestly, we our doing our complete duty? We can never do
our duty, until we identify what it is! The more effort we give, the better
the understanding will develop.
Notice how fleeting the state of man is ---
yesterday in embryo;
today opportunity;
tomorrow regret and unfinished deeds?
So for what ever time we have, we should know our assignment and exercise all effort to accomplish our purpose.
Live life with a plan, be obedient to that plan -- invest all your
efforts with joy, and when the day comes to depart life, -- you can smile.
As an olive is a bloom on the tree, then a fruit hanging, developing, and then
ripping. We must see that the olive has matured through seasons. It will be
crushed and become a drop of olive oil.
All of this is a process of time. We must recognize the season that grew the little olive, the tree that matured it, and the process of time that the Father has planned. Why not see this in our walk?
We can develop wrongful, invalid conclusions and values about our
assignments by the teachings of society, by the daily menial life at home, by our goals for materialism and business, and by entertainment and emotions that make us feel good.
The "feel good" mentality that has invaded the camp of God will
never stand the TEST OF TIME.
Pain, bitterness, hurt, and being offended are parts of this process.
We must develop a strategy to overcome, we are VICTORS not victims.
Joseph illustrates the plan of God may lead through long valleys
that we can never understand, until the race is over.
The conclusions on our assignment are expressed by Solomon. Solomon
stated, the conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God and keep His
commandments.
For God will bring every work into judgment with every secret
thing, bad and good.
( Ecc. 12:12-14)
Have we lost our fear of the judgment in today’s church?
One of my fears, as a pastor, is: we never identify what our assignment
really is. The effect of not knowing our duties and performance expectations
could be: that we will fall short of our potential. No sadder words of pen
or tongue, are the words --"WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?"
We can develop valid excuses due to others’ behaviors that can hinder.
But my parents, but the pastor, but --- they shoot their wounded ---
all just excuses?
Is it better to set the sight of the goal for the stars, and hit the
moon; than to constantly hit the muddle puddles of life?
The path of our assignment lies within menial daily life.
Yet, man seeks some great remote adventure.
We have a duty to love those that wrong us, we cannot stay on the
side lines because we have suffered.
If we identify and exhaust our efforts toward our duty, God will come in and do what we are not able.
Why ask God for more, until you do what you know to do?
Why seek a professional singing career, until you have sung that one song that God has given you?
If you sleep on your GUARD, watch, you endanger many and fail your duty.
Our duty to our Creator must become a conviction.
God restore conviction to us!
God has the right to expect each person to do their duty!
Duty can never be expressed properly without faith and hope.
Pain and hurt kill faith and hope, thus kill our assignment?
There is a very gratifying feeling, that is, when our duty has been done
with our best effort.
Taking offense, ship shod efforts, laziness are all killing our society.
When the welfare state grows to the point that everybody
owes me, we are doomed.
We cheat God and the church by freeloading.
1 KINGS 19:4 But Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under the juniper tree: and requested for himself that he might die; and said IT IS ENOUGH; now O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
I Kings 19: 9-- 21, why not read the word?
We are introduced to a hurt preacher.
His ministry has been more than effective, but there is a vocal
mouth of opposition from the King’s wife, Jezebel.
This preacher, then Focuses totally on the negative and Elijah forgets his call,
God’s purpose, and the victories of the pass.
Elijah has a JUNIPER TREE experience. He is
tired, hungry, weak, and has completely lost his VISION, all because he is
running hurt, and his pain breeds fear.
Elijah runs and hides from everybody in a cave. While there, vs. 9, God’s
word comes to him, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THIS CAVE?
(The answer: NOTHING, a pity party.)
Elijah says: (10) I, even I only, am serving God.
While Elijah is having a pity party, a strong wind blows -- this is not God.
Then a great earthquake; in a cave during earthquakes not too smart.
This must be God?
NO!
Then a fire, God moves in fires? But God was not in this fire!
Finally, a STILL, SMALL VOICE -- this can’t be God ministering to the minister?
Vs. 13, again God asked: Elijah what are you doing sitting here?
Again, NOTHING.
Elijah was hurt and licking his own wounds.
1 Kings 19: 9 Elijah came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the WORD OF THE LORD came to him, and said to him, WHAT DOES THOU HERE ELIJAH?
I Kings 19:13 And behold there came a voice uonto Elijah, and said,
WHAT DOES THOU HERE, (IN THE CAVE), ELIJAH?.
Finally, God got Elijah to take his mantle and leave the cave...
God tells Elijah, grow up, I have 7,000 in one city that have never bowed,
GET OUT OF THE CAVE... GET OVER IT ...
SITTING IN HERE WILL ACCOMPLISH LITTLE.
GO minister, God’s work lies ahead!
Vs. 21, God gives Elijah Elisha, a young minister’s assistant, to help in the journey ahead. One day, this young minister will take Elijah’s mantle and advance the torch. But Elijah had to
GET OUT OF THE CAVE MAN! GET OVER IT and GET UP and GO AGAIN.
Are you going to lay in the mud?
Will you allow the opposition’s wind to blow your sails and not God’s wind?
So you have been misunderstood?
So your dream has fallen through?
So you have been disappointed?
Listen there is a still small voice calling you.
GET OUT OF THE CAVE! GET OVER IT, GET UP and TRY AGAIN.
Consider this story: (Thanks Bonnie)
Once there was a farmer who owned an old mule.
One day the mule fell into the farmer’s well and the farmer heard
the mule ’praying’ or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but
decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.
Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened and
enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him
out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the
farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought
struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on
his back HE COULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!
he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step
up... shake it off and step up!"
He repeated this to encourage himself.
No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the
old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING
UP!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED
TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! But, he still had to plow and help the farmer!
What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him -- all because of
the manner in which he handled his adversity. How are you handling the hurt
and disappointments? Real life hurts! If we face our problems and respond to
them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, self-doubt, bitterness, or
self-pity ...
THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL SOLUTION WITHIN THEM. THE VERY REAL POTENTIAL IS THAT WE CAN MAKE IT, THIS WILL BENEFIT US!
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that amateurs built the ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.
The Holy Spirit has an assignment, we must overcome. See the bigger picture. Dream. Open your creative mind to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
GET OVER IT. Get out of the cave. Shake it off and grow.
His student, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Help me? Pass
this to others? Be a partner?
