Cornerstone

II Kings 2:1‑12 (9)

Elijah the senior prophet made such a profound impression upon the junior prophet Elisha that when he died Elisha’s last request was that he could have a “double portion of his spirit.”  To want to be like someone is impressive.  To want to have their spirit doubled tells of the awesome influence Elijah wielded.

Quite often you can assume what people have made an impression on people by who they quote.  Sometimes this is even seen in physical mannerisms that are unknowingly assumed.  During my college days at Kansas City College and Bible School I was privileged to sit under the teaching of some men of great spiritual prowess.  I have noticed since those days that students who attended the college with me were marked by these men as well.  A pithy quote from Dr. Omar Lee is often tossed into a conversations by one of his former students.  Many are the stories that are shared in and out of the pulpit by Dr. Robert E. Carroll’s preacher boys.  The classes that began on our knees and continued on through the next period are memories that glow brightly.

To know people of spiritual stature is noteworthy.  To emulate them desiring to attain spiritual vistas that they were unable to reach is desirable.  “Lord, could we have a double portion of their spirit?”

by Dr. Gayle Woods

I Kings 18:30‑39 (39)

As wonderful as it may seem, Israel’s choice to follow God in this scriptural account was tarnished due to the fact that He was their second choice.  God had to go to great lengths to prove to them that the non-god Baal was a powerless hunk of material.  We can make a right choice and yet not experience the joy of the decision.

Luciano Pavarotti the Italian operatic tenor said, “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teacher’s college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’

“‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ “

Pavarotti chose what he loved most.  He loved to sing more than he loved to tell others how to sing.  When we chose to obey and follow God freely because we desire Him foremost then we can truly enjoy the joy of relationship and the joy of service.

by Dr. Gayle Woods