Weekend Sermon -- Elijah -- Conclusion

      Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon today. I hope that you are all doing well and are in good health. I've been on vacation and off work for the past few days in order to get to feeling a little better. I am pleased to report that I am feeling much better, and I thank the Lord for this. 

     As you know, we have been studying the life of the prophet Elijah and what we can learn from him to apply to our lives today. I had planned to post a couple more sermons on this topic, but I am going to conclude our messages on Elijah today. I want to start the new month with a new series with a book of the Bible series from the New Testament. 

     Everyone has died as far as we know except for two people mentioned in the Bible. The Bible says that Enoch was taken to Heaven by the Lord, and today we see that Elijah was taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire. 

     It was revealed to Elijah that it was about time for him to leave the scene. He was accompanied by his protégé Elisha who would not leave him in spite of what Elijah wanted him to do. Elisha made a request of Elijah. He asked to receive a double portion of the spirit that rested on Elijah. Elijah told him that he would only receive it if he saw him taken up into heaven. 

     About that time, a fiery chariot came for Elijah. Elijah was taken to Heaven, and his cloak fell to the ground. Elisha picked up the cloak, and from that time, he became the Lord's major spokesman to the people. He would go on to have a powerful ministry proclaiming the world of the Lord. 

     This isn't the end of the story about Elijah however. In the book of Malachi, we see that it is prophesied that Elijah will return and be the forerunner of the Messiah. Jesus told us in the Gospels that this was fulfilled through the ministry of John the Baptist. He called the people to repentance preparing their hearts to hear the message of the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ. 

      We will see Elijah again during the events of the Transfiguration. Jesus went with Peter, James and John upon a mountain. There, the glory of the Lord came down. Moses and Elijah came and conversed with Jesus upon the mountain. Moses was the one who represented the Law and Elijah represented the prophets. They came I believe to demonstrated that the law and the prophets were in agreement with the message of Jesus. He was the fulfillment of the law and He was the fulfillment of all of the prophecies that were given about the Messiah. Both Moses and Elijah acknowledged Jesus as Lord. 

     James tells us something about Elijah in his epistle. James tells us that Elijah was a man who prayed fervently that it would not rain. We know that the rain stopped for a long time. James calls us to be fervent people of prayer just like Elijah. The Lord is willing to answer our prayers when we pray in His will just as He heard the prayers of the prophet. 

     Now there is a theological debate as to whether this is the last mention of Elijah in the Bible. Some Bible scholars believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses who will come and minister during the end times. Some believe that the witnesses are Moses and Elijah while others believe that the two witnesses are Elijah and Enoch. Some believe that they are two entirely different people while others believe that the two witnesses are symbolic of something else. 

     Here's what I want to point out as we conclude. First of all, Elijah was a great prophet who faithfully served the Lord. He was a person just like we are, yet he was wholly committed to God. He is an example to us of doing what God has called us to do even in difficult circumstances. He is an example to us in prayer. 

     I would also like to point out that even though Elijah was a great prophet, he was not as great as the Lord Jesus. He came and worshipped the Lord Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration. What he did in his ministry pointed to the Messiah. All of the Old Testament points to the one who would come and redeem the world from sin. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the Father. Jesus said that if you have seen me you have seen the Father. We are to follow Jesus above all. He is our ultimate example. Jesus is Lord. 

     I hope that you have enjoyed studying about Elijah. I hope that you will take these lessons and grow in your faith and in your desire to serve the Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray that may health will be good. I am doing well right now. I am going back to work today, and I am praying that all will go well. Thank you for your prayers.

     Please pray for those who are experiencing bad flooding in the US. St. Louis and Kentucky are having a lot of flooding problems right now. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus and monkeypox outbreaks. Pray that those who are sick will recover. 

     Remember to keep praying for peace on this earth. Ukraine, Syria and Yemen really need our prayers right now. 

     For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for those in the nations of Madagascar and China. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week we will be starting a new sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a midweek post. May God bless you all. 

Autumn Memories Of My Friend Toby

      A couple of years ago, I started writing some of the memories that I had with my friend Toby for each of the seasons of the years. I was looking through some of my old posts, and I realized that I never posted about any of the Autumn memories. I know that we are in the midst of Summer here where I live, but I've decided to write a little bit about what we did during the Autumn months of the year. 

     What we liked most about the Autumn was the fact that the weather was much cooler, and we could get outside and do some of the things that we liked to do. For instance, we always enjoyed taking short walks through the orchard. It was the time of the year when the fruit was ripe especially the apples. One of my jobs was to pick the ripe apples so that we could sell some of them. Toby was always ready to go out and make sure that I was picking the apples correctly. One year, our yellow delicious apple tree had so many apples that my Mom was able to sell multiple sacks of apples off of just that one tree. During that time we had about eight apple trees as well as cherry, pear, plum and peach trees. Toby liked to walk among the fruit trees when it was cool. We also liked to inspect what was left of the grape vines. 

     Since the weather was cooler, we also took advantage of the opportunity to do more cookouts with the little charcoal stove. We liked to sit out on the picnic table on the patio and enjoy the view, the cool weather and something good to eat. 

     Cooler weather also allowed for more games. We always loved hide and seek, and when it was cooler, we could play to our hearts content. 

     When Autumn rolled around, I had to go to classes at college, but they were mostly in the morning. That left the afternoon for the two of us to enjoy each others company and listen to the music that we like to listen to such as Jazz and Classical. 

     The highlight of every Autumn was our favorite of all holidays, Thanksgiving. My Mom made a huge dinner every year. Big eaters like me and Toby were in seventh heaven. We had turkey, dressing, green beans, rolls, sweat potatoes, pumpkin pie and I don't know what all else. Toby didn't get all of those things but he ate his fair share of turkey, and that dog really loved green beans, so he had to have a portion of those as well. We ate so much on Thanksgiving that the two of us would just go out and lay on the couch and watch football games for the rest of the day. We were too full to even move. The sad thing is that when evening rolled around, we were back in the turkey again to get some more to eat. We had insatiable appetites for the foods we loved.  Toby loved chicken the most and my favorite is macaroni and cheese. 

     The last Autumn that the two of us spent together was probably the best. I had graduated from college, and I had started working as a writing. That Autumn, I was working on a lot of poems that I would eventually get published. I remember working in my office for many hours on poetry and some other writing projects. Toby was always right there with me. He had a spot where he would always rest. However, he was always alert if I was to get up to leave the room. He always followed me wherever I went. 

    That Autumn, I purchased a new computer. I can remember well how Toby assisted me in getting it set up. He had to inspect every component and the inside of every box. 

    One last thing that I want to mention about our Autumns together is astronomy. We loved to go out in the evenings and look at the stars and the planets. In the Autumn, you could go out more and observe because the bugs weren't bad after the first frost. We'd spend hours outside with the telescope enjoying each others company. 

     I miss Toby everyday. One day we will be together again. 

Verses For The Week

 Hebrews 13:5 -- "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said,' Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'"

I Peter 5:7 -- "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Weekend Sermon -- An Older Message Re-posted

 I have not been feeling well all week, and I received a bad medical diagnosis this week. I am not feeling up to writing a new sermon this week, so I am going to re-post an old message from a few years ago when I was writing about what the various animals in my life taught me about following the Lord. Here is the message:

 For the next several weeks, we are alternating back and forth each week between two different sermon series.  Last week, we studied in the Ten Commandments series.  Today, we will return to our lessons from the animals series.
     The first dog who I spoke about last time was a dog named Abraham.  Today, I want to focus on an important lesson the Lord showed me through my best friend Toby.  I will have a few different lessons the Lord showed me through Toby in this series, so that is why this sermon is designated as part 1.
     As I've mentioned before here on the blog, I grew up in a very fundamentalist church culture.  One aspect of the churches that I went to was the yearly youth retreat.  This was actually in two parts.  It was expected that all of the younger people, say 12 to 16, would go and spend one or two weeks at one of the religious youth camps.  I never went to any of these.  I had severe asthma, so my Mom didn't want me out in the woods.
     However, I couldn't get out of going to the weekend youth retreat held each year for those who were juniors and seniors in high school through college age.  I really did not want to go, but I was sort of forced into it.
     I'd had Toby for about 4 months when it came time to go to one of these youth retreats.  The two of us were getting along so well, and I was finally feeling happy for one of the first times in a long time.  But, we had started to go to this new fundamentalist church with a big youth group, so I was informed that I would be going.
     As I expected, I did not like this youth retreat at all.  Here's why.  This is the way all of these things went.  All of these young people who were held back, got a little freedom, and they went wild.  We were staying at an hotel, and I don't even want to get into all of the shenanigans that went on that weekend.
     I just decided I was fed up with it, and I went to my room and watched boxing.  I can still remember it as clear as day that John Mugabe was fighting his first major opponent.  Like most people Mugabe fought, until he faced Marvin Hagler, the opponent didn't last too long.
     Well, the last night of this youth retreat, the minister preached against all of the sins the youth had committed while on this retreat.  They all decided to repent and went down to the altar and laid on the floor crying half the night.  They all thought I was unrepentant since I just sat in my chair and watched the whole thing.  I didn't feel I needed to repent for watching a boxing match.
     Well, the next day when we arrived back home, I had one of the best experiences of my life.  Waiting in the car for me with my parents was my friend Toby.  When he saw me walking over to the car, he got so excited I thought that he was going to launch into outer space.  He was so happy to see me.   My parents said that they had to bring him along because he was so depressed while I was away that he wouldn't even eat.  He just laid by the front door waiting for me to come home.  He missed me, and he was so glad that I was back.  I was glad to be back too.
     Seeing Toby and his reaction that day let me realize that no matter how bad things were in my life, as long as he was around, somebody really cared about me.  Toby showed me that he loved me by his actions.
     Thinking about these events from many years ago now, I have come to realize that it is important in our lives to demonstrate our love for others and for the Lord.  We don't want to just say the words, we want to show our love in tangible ways.  I John 3:18 says it this way, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."
     We should certainly tell others that we love and care about them.  We need to show it too.  If you have someone that you care about in this life, I urge you to do something this week that demonstrates how much they really mean to you.  Go out of your way to do something nice for someone else.  If all of us would do this, the world would be a nicer place.
    We have a world filled with hurting people all around us.  We can show that we love this world by doing things that show our love.  We can visit the sick, help collect food for the poor and the homeless, the list can go on and on.  Let us all try to find some way to show our love to those in this world who are hurting and who need help.  If you pray and ask Jesus for help in this area, I believe that He will show you how you can be a blessing to others.
     Also, we need to demonstrate our love for the Lord.  We can say that we love Him, and we should, but there are things that we can do to show our love.  Helping others shows our love for the Lord.  Jesus said that when we do something for the least among us, we do it as unto Him.
     We also demonstrate our love for the Lord when we tell other people how much He means to us.  When we share the message of salvation, we demonstrate our love for the Lord.  When we follow the path that Jesus set our for us, we show our love for the Lord.
     Finally, I want to say that God didn't just say that He loved us, He showed us.  Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Jesus came to this earth to show us in word and deed how much God loves us.  Jesus died on the cross because He loved us and wanted us to have a relationship with Him.  In love, Jesus calls everyone everywhere to come to Him and receive the forgiveness. love and rest that He offers.
     I learned a lot of lessons from my old friend Toby.  I will share more of them in the weeks to come as well as lessons from some other animals that I have known.
     After that experience with the youth retreat, I didn't go to anymore of those activities.  I started to become even more of an independent thinker than I already was.  I started to see who Jesus really was and how much He truly loved me.
     Before I close this week, I just want you to know that Jesus loves you.  You may have been raised in a religious atmosphere like I was where Jesus was presented as mean, judging and condemning.  You were always in fear.  I want to tell you that Jesus really cares about you.  He did not come to condemn the world but to save it.  He wants to be your friend.  I hope that you will let Him be your friend today. Amen

They May Be Considered Old-Fashioned, But They Are Good Movies

     I read something the other day that really upset me. A film reviewer said that people today don't like movies like Lassie and dog and animal movies because they are too old-fashioned. The reviewer said people are too sophisticated for that kind of thing these days. Well, there are a lot of what he would consider old-fashioned movies that I like a lot. I think that you will too. Here are a few really good movies that you can watch with the entire family. 

First of all, there are a lot of good Lassie movies. I really liked the TV series when Lassie was with the rangers having all sorts of outdoor adventures.

Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog. A great movie about a boy and his Labrador lost in the forest. 

Charlie the Lonesome Cougar and the Legend of Lobo are good older Disney films.

The Bear is one of my all-time favorites.

The Cat From Outer Space is a really fun film. 

Iron Will is an adventure about a young man trying to win a race with his father's old lead dog. 

These are just a few films to enjoy with the family. 

Verses For The Week

Mark 10:45 -- "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

I Peter 4:10 -- "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."

Colossians 3:23 -- "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men."

Weekend Sermon -- Elijah -- Part 9

      It is time once again for the Weekend Sermon. I am always thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity to share His word. I hope that you are all doing well. 

     Today, we are once again looking at the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah to see what we can learn. We will have a couple more messages on Elijah after this week, and then we will be moving on to a study in a book of the New Testament. 

     Elijah and King Ahab didn't have any encounters for awhile. During that interval, Elijah went and anointed Elisha to be his successor. Elisha would go on to become a great prophet as well. One day, I hope that we can study more about his life and ministry. Ahab had a war with the Syrians. 

     One day, Ahab decided that he wanted the land of his neighbor in order to build a vegetable garden. Naboth had a vineyard right next to the king's property, and Ahab wanted that parcel in the worst way. He asked Naboth if he could acquire the land. He offered him either a better parcel or monetary compensation. Naboth didn't want to sell. That property had belonged to his ancestors, and he wanted to keep it in the family. This made Ahab upset, and he went home to moan about it. 

     When Jezebel saw her husband, she wondered what was wrong with him. He told her he wanted the land, but Naboth wouldn't sell. She told him to cheer up. She would get the land for him. Being the evil person that she was, she devised a plan to get Naboth falsely accused of a crime and stoned to death. When this happened, Ahab was able to take possession of the property. 

     This action didn't sit well with the Lord, nor with Elijah. Elijah went to confront Ahab concerning his actions. When Elijah confronted Ahab, Ahab called Elijah his enemy just as he had during the encounter with the priests of Baal. Once again we see that those who commit evil don't realize that they are the ones at fault. They try to blame their problems on God or on the servants of the Lord. 

     Elijah told Ahab in no uncertain terms that because of the evil of murdering Naboth and stealing his vineyard, God was going to bring a terrible judgment against Ahab, Jezebel and their descendants.  Ahab would die, and his entire royal line would end just as Jeroboam's line did. Jezebel would be devoured by dogs. A few years later, all of these things would come to pass. Ahab would die in battle. Ahab's son would be slain in a rebellion, and Jezebel would be devoured by dogs. The word of the Lord through His prophet was true. 

     The Bible says that their was no more evil king in the history of Israel than Ahab who was urged on to evil by Jezebel. 

     What can we learn from all of this? The first thing that I see in this passage is that God requires that leaders act in a just and not in an oppressive manner. One of the hallmarks of oppressive leadership is falsely accusing one's enemies and killing them. Evil leaders also rob and steal from their own people in order to enrich themselves and get what they want. We see this in many nations of the world. The leaders will have enormous wealth while their people languish in poverty. They will fly to foreign countries to get medical care, while their people don't even have medicines to heal treatable diseases. 

     In the Bible, God is quite clear in what He expects out of those who rule over others. Leaders are to look out for the best interests of their people. They are to defend the weak and the powerless. They are to help those who are poor and needy. They are to make sure that their people are secure against crime and evil. God does not approve of any leader anywhere in the world that oppresses others and does not take care of the poor and needy. The Lord wants the leader to promote true justice and fight against injustice. 

     Ahab was like so many leaders. He wanted to enrich himself and his family. He didn't care about anyone else. His people were a means to the end of helping himself to a lavish life. 

     We see throughout history what ultimately happens to leaders like Ahab. They end up on the rubbish heap of history. 

     We know that one day, the Lord Jesus will come and establish His kingdom and rule and reign in righteousness. The Bible says that He will judge the nations based on how they treated the least among them. As Jesus said, "When you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me."

    The other thing that I wanted to point out in this passage is that God's word will come to pass. When a true prophet of the Lord like Elijah spoke in the name of the Lord, the word came to pass. Knowing this, we can have confidence in the words of the Bible. We can believe with all of our hearts the promises that the Lord has made to us. The Lord fulfilled His word in the past, He is doing that now, and His word will be totally fulfilled in the future. We can count on the Lord Jesus for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Things are going pretty well at work, and I am thankful to the Lord for that. Please pray that I will feel a little better. I am having a lot of problems with allergies. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that people around the world will be able to get the vaccines and the booster shots.

     Let us continue to pray for peace in the world. Ukraine, Yemen and Syria really need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bosnia and Malaysia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current study. I will post the verse on Monday, and I hope to have a midweek post. May God bless you all. 

DVD Review

     Last week, I reviewed a couple of DVDs that I'd watched in the past to see if I enjoyed those movies as much. One I did, and one I did not. This week, I watched another movie that I thought was really good when I first watched it. The name of the movie is "Spotlight". This film won the Academy Award for Best Picture a few years ago. It tells the true story of how the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe cracked the story of the abuse and cover up of abuse by priests in the Catholic Church. 

     This is a very well-done film. The acting is very good. Stanley Tucci, Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo do a great job. What I liked best about the film is the way that it shows how journalists go about their jobs finding and checking sources in order to build a story that will enlighten people and help to make a difference in the community and around the nation. 

     This film is rated R due to the topic dealt with. I highly-recommend this film. 

Verses For The Week

 Romans 8:18 -- "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

II Corinthians 1:5 -- "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

Romans 12:12 -- "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

Weekend Sermon -- Elijah -- Part 8

     Thank you for reading the Weekend Sermon this week. I hope that you are all in good health and doing well. 

     Last week, we continued with our series on what we can learn from the life and ministry of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. We saw that even when we have a spiritual high like Elijah did against the priests of Baal, it can be followed by a spiritual low point. We also talked about the fact that even a prophet like Elijah suffered from depression. If you have depressed feelings, go to the Lord and ask for help. Also, don't hesitate to seek help from a healthcare professional or counselor. 

     When we left Elijah, he'd been told to get up and journey to a mountain to encounter the Lord. Elijah journeyed for 40 days and, he came to the mountain and took up residence in a cave. 

     While he was in the cave, the Lord asked Elijah what he was doing there. Elijah told the Lord that he was upset due to Israel's idolatry. He also felt like he was the only one left serving the Lord, and he was on the verge of being killed by the evil king and queen. 

     The Lord told Elijah to stand on the mountain because the presence of the Lord was going to pass by. At first, there was a terrible wind. But the Lord was not in the wind. Then there came a mighty earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. Then came a gentle whisper, and Elijah drew his cloak over his face because he knew the Lord was in the whisper. 

     The Lord asked Elijah again what he was doing there, and Elijah again responded. This time, the Lord gave some instructions to His prophet. He told him to go and anoint three people. He was to go to Hazael and anoint him king of Aram. He was to go and anoint Jehu to be king of Israel, and he was to go and anoint Elisha to be his successor. The Lord also gave Elijah a word of assurance. Elijah wasn't the only one still serving the Lord. There were 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to the false god. 

     What are we to make of this passage? First of all, I like to focus on the idea that we hear the voice of the Lord in our lives in at times unexpected ways. We serve a great and powerful God, but He wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. He doesn't have to make His presence known to us in some bombastic way. He was in the gentle whisper.

     We definitely hear the voice of the Lord coming to us from the Bible. We can also hear God's voice to us in the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking the word of the Lord into our hearts. We can hear it when we are still before the Lord and meditate on His presence and upon the love that He has for us.   

     The Lord can also speak to us as it were through those He brings into our lives. There are people that bring us great encouragement and help us know the word and the way of the Lord. 

     The Lord definitely speaks to us through those things that He has created. When I look at the many animals that God has made it speaks to my heart. 

     The way that God has spoken to us most clearly and most directly is through the Word made flesh who dwelled among us. Jesus is God's ultimate Word. When we see Jesus we see the Father. Jesus is our example. We must look to Him in all things so that we can know how we can live for and please the Lord while we are walking on this earth. 

     Finally, I want to point out that the Lord had quite a few people who were still faithful to Him. There are many people who believe in Jesus right now in places where it is hard to be a Christian. The Lord did not forget His faithful followers then, and He does not forget you now. He knows that you are faithfully serving Him. 

     We serve a powerful God who makes Himself know to us in various and sundry ways. Let us listen for His word in our life so that we might please Him. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray that I will feel better. I am having arthritis problems in my back and hip.

     Pray for the people of Japan and for the friends and family of the former prime minister who was killed. Let us pray for an end to all this violence around the world. 

     Pray for peace in this world. Continue to pray for Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Ethiopia. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Azerbaijan and Djibouti. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I hope to have a midweek post, and I will post the message on Friday. May God bless you all. 

Reviewing A Couple Of Past Favorite DVDs

      This past week, I re-watched a couple DVDs that I liked. One I still enjoyed a lot, and the other I didn't enjoy as much as I once did. The one that I really enjoyed was a dog movie from Japan called, "Quill". This is the story of a Labrador retriever who was trained to be a guide dog. It is very well done, and I highly-recommend this film. 

     The other movie I watched that I didn't like as much was "Field of Dreams". When I watched this several years ago, I really liked it. This time around, I didn't care for it at all. 

     You will have to watch each of these and see what you think about them. 

Verses For The Week

 John 8:36 -- "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Psalm 119:45 -- "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."

Romans 8:1 -- " Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Weekend Sermon -- Elijah -- Part 7

      Thank you for reading the sermon this week. This is the Independence Day weekend here in the US, so I hope that everyone has a nice holiday weekend. Stay safe if you are using fireworks. 

     Over the last several weeks, we've been studying what we can learn from the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah. He was a great man of God who the Lord used to convict the people in regard to their idolatry. If you remember last week, we looked at the confrontation that Elijah had with the priests of Baal. Baal did not answer with fire although his priests called on him all day. The True and Living God sent fire and consumed the offering immediately when Elijah called upon the name of the Lord. 

     After this incident with the priests of Baal, the Lord sent rain to Israel after a three year period. Ahab and Jezebel were furious with Elijah. Jezebel vowed that she would make sure that Elijah was killed. Even though Elijah had just seen the Lord answer with fire, and he had witnessed the mighty power of God in first withholding and then sending the rain, Elijah was in fear for his life. He ran into the wilderness to escape the wrath of  Jezebel. While he was in the wilderness, he called on the Lord asking the Lord to take his life. Elijah was depressed about the whole situation. 

     While Elijah was at this low point in his life and ministry, an angel came to him and told him to get up and eat. He was to travel to Mt Horeb about a forty day journey from where he was. It was at this place that the Elijah had an encounter with the Lord. We will look at that more next week. 

     What can we learn from Elijah in today's passage from I Kings 19. First of all, I want to point out that the spiritual life has its highs and its lows. Elijah had the great mountain top experience, and then he fell into a depression and wanted to die. In our lives, we are going to have spiritual high points. For instance, we might accomplish something really great in ministry. We might have prayed and studied the Bible on a consistent basis for a long time. We are feeling really good about our walk with the Lord. Then, something bad might happen. We stop praying. We don't feel close to the Lord. We are down spiritually. 

     This type of thing happens to even those who are the closest to the Lord. It happened to Elijah. It has happened to others who have called it the dark night of the soul. I know that in my ministry, I have had some real highs. For instance, I've had some sermons I've posted here on the blog that have had many people read them. I've also had the low of having many people stop reading the blog because they didn't like what I had to say about some things. When that happens, it is not hard to feel like you aren't accomplishing anything, and you get down. 

     I also want to point out that even a great man like Elijah got depressed. It can happen to you, and it has happened to me. Just because you are a Christian it doesn't mean that bad things that get you down don't happen. 

     So, what can we learn? We must recognize that there are spiritual ups and downs, and we need to persevere even in the down times. Don't stop praying and studying the Word. Keep doing what God has told you to do. It may seem dark, but if you keep going, good things will come as a result of your faithfulness. 

     If you experience depression, seek help from the Lord and seek help from others. Seek professional help if you need it. Don't feel stigmatized by depression. 

     In times of dark times spiritually and in times of depression, I believe that the Lord is near to us. He sent and angel to help Elijah. Jesus said that He is always with us and that He will never forsake us. We can believe in Him because Jesus is that same yesterday, today and forever. 

    If you are feeling down spiritually or mentally, I urge you to meditate on the presence of Jesus. Read the words of Jesus over and over again. Sing spiritual songs and let them get down into the core of your soul. Talk to others who have been where you are so that they can help you. 

     The Lord is with us at all times. He will help us, and He will show us that He is with us every step of the way. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I finally got on full time at my job. I thank the Lord for this answer to prayer. 

     Keep praying for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. 

     Pray for peace in Ukraine. Syria, Yemen, Libya and Ethiopia still need our prayers. 

     Let us pray that aid will reach those harmed by the earthquake in Afghanistan.

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations Cambodia and Kosovo. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our series. On Monday, I will post the verses. I hope to post something midweek. May God bless you all.