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&In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths&

"Strong Bones"

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Much has been said about the bones of men.  Some have small bones and some have large bones.  Some have said that they are tired to the bone or bone tired.  There is even a joke of sorts that states, "Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone."  All these statements refer to the structure and/or stature of a man, but the muscular system is considered to be where men have their power.  Indeed there are and have been many very powerful men in the world.  There are men who gain power through position and there are men who gain great power through money.  No matter how much power a man may gain through any of these methods will without exception leave that man powerless in the end.  As you have noticed, I have entitled this little article, "Strong Bones".  Most people would not even consider the fact that a man's bones could have any strength and yet the Word of God tells us of a man who even after his death had more power than men who are alive today possess.  This man was a man of God.  He was a prophet.  His name was Elisha.  "And Elisha died, and they buried him.  And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year."  II Kings 13:20.  As we have already entered into this new year of 1996 it would do us well to assess just where the source of our power or the lack thereof may be.  Indeed, there are many of God's men who truly lack power, who are defeated and yet, this man of God, Elisha displayed more power after his death than most of us could claim while we are alive.  "And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."  II Kings 13:21.  Now friends, that's what I call "Strong Bones". 

Why was it, do you think, that Elisha had so much power after his death?  It was because of the power that the Lord bestowed upon him in his life.  That instance was not the first instance of life being restored through this man.  During his life, he was known as, "That man of God".  During his life, Elisha sought God's will and not only to see it, but to do it.  Way too many of God's men today although they wouldn't mind seeing God's will, they aren't all that interested in doing it.  Way too many of God's men today want to treat God like a Santa Clause of sorts.  One  whom they can just go to when they need something or when they want His advice on a certain matter.  Nowhere in God's Word do we find Him begging or even asking His people to do or not do something.  It would be very beneficial in all our lives to know for certain that God is in charge and that He created man for His pleasure and not the other way around.  It is so true that God truly blesses His children and that indeed is pleasing, but as long as we just keep receiving His blessings without seeking to please Him, we will never know the power only He can give to us.

Another reason Elisha had so much power during his life and even after his death was because he had a heart full of compassion for those around him and it wasn't governed by his assessment of that person.  Many times through the life of Elisha, he was found helping those around him.  When we see a lost person going the wrong way and headed for certain eternal death, do we, do we really have compassion for that person?  Do we really want to help that person or would we rather just let someone else speak to them about their soul?  Would we rather tell them how they ought to be or would we rather tell them about Jesus?  Without compassion, there shall be no power.

Another reason Elisha had so much power in life and after death is the fact that he was a man of prayer.  Elisha realized that it was God that made it possible for him to do all that he did and he didn't hesitate to talk with the Lord about his needs and those of the people around him.  Elisha talked with God on a regular basis and not just when things seemed to be falling apart.  That's how he came to be known as "That man of God".  So many times, when things don't seem to be going right, or at least the way we think they should go, we tend to go to the Lord and whine and sometimes we then try to turn it over to Him.  That is not the way the Lord wants it and that is not the way to have power with Him.  Sure, we all have needs, we have many needs, we are a very needy people.  But we must always realize that we need the Lord.  You see, the sparrows have needs and He looks out for them.  We just had quite a bit of snow to fall in what they are calling the blizzard of 96'.  As my wife and I were sitting and looking out the window yesterday as the snow just kept getting deeper and deeper, we saw some birds flying around out there and the Lord just put it upon my heart to ask my wife if she had something we could feed to those birds.  My wife went into the kitchen and gathered some loaf bread and crackers and threw it out there for them.  Now, though it was my wife who threw the food out there, it was the Lord that had them fed. 

That brings me to the fourth thing that we find in the life of Elisha which contributed to the power found in his life and even afterward.  Not only did Elisha seek to not only know, but to also do God's will, and not only did Elisha have real compassion on those around him, and not only was he a man of much prayer, but friends, Elisha was a man who believed and trusted.  To be a man of God, one must believe in Him.  To believe in Him, one must know Him.  To really and truly know Him, one must trust Him.  The more we know Him, the more we will trust Him.  You know, there is one thing that those birds we saw ouside our window had in common.  Not one of them had a wrinkle.  Those birds were in a potentially very dangerous situation and yet not one of them seemed to be worried that the Lord would not take care of them.  Yes, like those birds, Elisha believed and he trusted the Lord. 

Now, I realize that all this sounds like an awful lot for one man to have in his life, and it must indeed sound like the prophet Elisha was a perfet man, but he wasn't.  You see, all this and more can be covered in just two verses of scripture and we would all profit from getting these two verses of scripture in our hearts and not just our minds.  Those two verse can be found in Proverbs, chapter 3 and verses 5 and 6.  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  That power that Elisha had was not his own, but it was the power of God manifest in His servant Elisha.  That man of God.  Where is your power and what kind of bones do you have?