Key verse: James 5:7-8
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
2 Kings 2:1-12
Elisha was one of the sons of the prophet in direct service unto Elijah. It was common knowledge in the company of the sons of the prophet that Elijah’s time was up and was going to be taken away by God. Yet Elisha stuck to his service and will not be dissuaded by anything from continuing therein. Because he patiently served on, he obtained the promise. Gehazi on the other hand, served Elisha as a son of the prophet. But he was too cumbered with lust for material things that his mind was away from his master. Rather than patiently serve and await the price, he rushed out in impatience to ascribe the price to himself. In the end, he lost everything.
When a farmer, in the beginning of a planting season sows, he waits until the full season to harvest the proceeds. He does not out of hunger and pain uproot his planting while it is yet to yield or in its formative state. If he does so, he forfeits the seed and the harvest. In order not to so forfeit, he endures the hardship that comes to him in the period of waiting while he continues to water the planting and weed up the tars that may want to diminish his harvest. This also is akin to the way of the Kingdom of our dear Lord.
Every Believer, like Elisha is called to serve the Lord until the day the Lord takes him home. Anyone who derails from service out of impatience loses his reward. It is a clear promise that the Lord is coming back. Many today are too distracted from the voice of the Master that they are no longer patient to continue in the narrow path as it seems too strenuous a journey to them. If Gehazi knew that the singular act of going after Naaman was going to wipe out all his service, he was not likely to do it. If the sons of the prophet aside Elisha knew that if they stuck to Elijah to the end they would have opportunity for an instant reward, they were not likely to have stayed back in their comfort zones. Whilst the Master is yet to come, we still can retrace our steps to the right path if we had derailed. It will be foolhardy to lose out having suffered so much for the Kingdom.
Pray: Father, please help me to patiently endure to the end in the name of Jesus Christ.
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