This morning my Bible reading during my time of “coffee with the Lord” included II Kings 4… One incredible miraculous event after another in quick succession through the ministry of Elisha (you should read it)! And it starts in the chapters preceding chapter 4 and continues in the chapters following! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! One awesome miracle after another! Wow!!!
But what really caught my eye this morning – beyond simply the miracles – was how the Bible refers to Elisha… He’s called “the man of God.” In chapter 4 alone he’s referred to in that way eleven times (and then there are the chapters before and after where he is referred to that way)! Now, my Roman Catholic friends would refer to a guy like that as a “saint!” We Pentecostals would talk of him in terms of “signs and wonders”… The Bible’s terminology is better, I think: “a man of God!”
Listen, I want to be “a man of God!” So I jotted down a few characteristics of the “man of God” – Elisha, in my journal. Here they are (probably not an exhaustive list)…
- He knew God personally
- He heard from God
- He was God’s agent with a unique, special anointing
- He acted along with – in cooperation with – God
- He spoke God’s will
- One more… He was a person of integrity
I’ve gotta tell you, I don’t believe it’s gender specific either! If it’s possible to be “a man of God” it just as possible to be “a woman of God” (and I can name a few)!” Here’s what the Bible says…
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit!” (Joel 2:28-29)
Shall I say it one more time? OH, I WANT TO BE KNOWN AS “A MAN OF GOD!”
Coffee With The Lord 