Life, now!
by Pastor Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But Elijah said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you live, I won’t leave you’ (2 Kings 2:2,4,6).
Yes, Elisha repeats these words to Elijah three times in a very short time! Do they remind you of anything else in the Bible?
Possibly the words in Ruth 1, which are often used as a wedding text: ‘Where you go, I will go; where you live, I will live’. But you will more than likely know Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus and then Jesus’ threefold restoration of Peter in John 18 and 21.
So what does Elijah mean by these words, since shortly after speaking them, he leaves this earth and Elisha? Perhaps he is quite prophetic in the true sense of the word. Perhaps he understands that the kingdom of God lives within us and around us, as Jesus makes clear in his teachings.
When we farewell a person who has visited us, or someone we love who is dying, we say goodbye. Goodbye is a derivative of ‘God be with you’. So we are not saying, ‘I won’t ever see you again’. We are actually saying, ‘Until next time, may God care for you and look after you’. In one sense, we are saying, ‘You are not really leaving us, and I am not leaving you’.
Because as the Lord lives, so do we. In Christ, we have life. We have life abundantly; we have life now; we have eternal life now. Count the number of times Jesus says in John’s gospel, ‘the one who believes has eternal life’. Not will have! Not in some far distant place called heaven! Not pie in the sky! But if you believe, you have life now.
Perhaps Elisha already had this teaching of Jesus implanted in his heart, preparing him to be a prophet, preparing him to continue Elijah’s work. Perhaps Elisha knew something we can also know: as the Lord lives, and as you live, Jesus won’t leave you. You have life in him now, and you have life in him forever.
Thank you, Jesus, for your promise of life – both here and in eternity. Thank you that through your love and gift, it is one continuous blessing. Amen.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
