I stand amazed after well over 50 years of watching humanity and the way they react to circumstances.  You know what I’ve seen destroy more Christians than anything in these last days?  Very small things, trivial things.  It’s those little foxes that are continually, continually undermining the Word of God, the eternal decisions.  Conflicting with our self-rule, with our sitting upon the throne of our own lives, with our independence, with our love of self, with our value on our particular philosophies.  Ideologies that manifest themselves against the Word of God.  That’s why Paul says in this passage, “Study to show yourselves approved unto God.”  He said, “I’m going to tell you what caused me to finish this race.  I’ve studied the Word of God.  I’ve done the Word of God.  I have cut straight through.  I never asked the question, ‘If I do that, what about this?’  When God gives me a commandment, I do it.”

Something as trivial as when we had one of the cars for sale up at Carlisle.  I was just trying to seek whatever might be the will of the Lord, and cars are one of the ways of achieving this.  There are some goals that I’ve personally set that I want to give into the book project in order to reach a number that I’ve felt I want to give.  So, we’re just seeing how the Lord might lead.  This one guy, he wanted this car so badly.  You could talk to some of the guys that were there.  I almost felt sorry for him.  He said, “Can’t you move off of this price at all?”  I said, “Look, I already told you.  All this money is going into a ministry to support pastors around the world so that they can teach their congregations.  I prayed about it, and I believe this is the number that God gave me, so I’m not going to do it for a dime less or a dime more.”  I said, “When God tells me to do something, that’s what I do, and I would suggest you do that.”  Then I shared the gospel some with him.  Why not take $500 less?  $1,000 less?  “Let’s just move it on.  We can make that money up somewhere else.”  That’s not what God said to do, amen?  Cut straight through.  Study.  Amen?  No exceptions.  No considerations of what might be consequences.  That’s what Paul meant when he talked about his diligence in keeping the faith.

We’re out of time for this morning, but I just want to encourage us again.  Where is the heart of Elisha?  Elijah went on and gave him other opportunities to be involved in other ministries.  “Why don’t you go on back with the other prophets there at the School of the Prophets and begin to continue in the ministry.  You’re going to be the man.”  You know, there are some things God tells us that we’re going to do, but timing is everything.  These were not distractions that were to his carnal tendencies that he might have within himself.  They were all ministry-oriented.  Elisha said, “I’m not leaving your side.”  And Elijah said, “Okay, if you see me taken up, then it’ll be granted unto you.”  No doubt in our mind, we know how it all works.  God had spoken to him.  Elijah was not coming up with that on his own.  Then the chariots of fire came, split between them, picked Elijah up, and his mantle falls to the ground.  Then the whirlwind took him up into the heavens, and Elisha rent his clothes, acknowledges him.