The First Week of July
- Hannah Jones-Nelson
- 15 minutes ago
- 6 min read
We Read…
We’re all on a journey with God, whether we have had Jesus in our hearts since we were little or we’re still trying to understand who God is and why we should follow. Each of us is on a journey, and there are a lot of things that impact this walk with Christ! In 2 Kings 2, we read about Elijah passing down the mantle to Elisha. Elisha asks to follow in Elijah’s footsteps in ministry because Elijah has made a huge impact on his life. Who is impacting your life? We see that the Psalmist remembers who God is and what God has done in the past. We recognize the ways that God has worked in our lives and hold onto these moments, especially when life gets hard.
In our New Testament passages, we read about the freedom that Jesus gives to us, and we’re called to use this freedom for God. When we walk with God, our lives will produce the fruit of God’s Spirit. As we continue in our journey, we’ll continue to grow in these fruits. In Luke 9, we see people encountering barriers that prevent them from encountering Jesus. Each of us encounters obstacles at different times in our lives, but Jesus continues to call out to us. What barriers have you faced along your journey? How are you helping others remove those barriers in their own lives?
2 Kings 2:1–2
Now the Lord was going to take Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, and Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here because the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
2 Kings 2:6–14
6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”
But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So both of them went on together. 7 Fifty members from the group of prophets also went along, but they stood at a distance. Both Elijah and Elisha stood beside the Jordan River. 8 Elijah then took his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. Then the water was divided in two! Both of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Let me have twice your spirit.”
10 Elijah said, “You’ve made a difficult request. If you can see me when I’m taken from you, then it will be yours. If you don’t see me, it won’t happen.”
11 They were walking along, talking, when suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.
12 Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!” When he could no longer see him, Elisha took hold of his clothes and ripped them in two.
13 Then Elisha picked up the coat that had fallen from Elijah. He went back and stood beside the banks of the Jordan River. 14 He took the coat that had fallen from Elijah and hit the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, Elijah’s God?” And when he hit the water, it divided in two! Then Elisha crossed over.
Psalm 77:1–2
1 I cry out loud to God—
out loud to God so that he can hear me!
2 During the day when I’m in trouble
I look for my Lord.
At night my hands are still
outstretched and don’t grow numb;
my whole being refuses
to be comforted.
Psalm 77:11–20
11 But I will remember the Lord’s deeds;
yes, I will remember your wondrous
acts from times long past.
12 I will meditate on all your works;
I will ponder your deeds.
13 God, your way is holiness!
Who is as great a god as you, God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have demonstrated your strength
among all peoples.
15 With your mighty arm
you redeemed your people;
redeemed the children of
Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God—
the waters saw you and reeled!
Even the deep depths shook!
17 The clouds poured water,
the skies cracked thunder;
your arrows were flying all around!
18 The crash of your thunder
was in the swirling storm;
lightning lit up the whole world;
the earth shook and quaked.
19 Your way went straight through the sea;
your pathways went right through
the mighty waters.
But your footprints left no trace!
20 You led your people like sheep
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
Galatians 5:1
1 Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again.
Galatians 5:13–25
13 You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. 14 All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you bite and devour each other, be careful that you don’t get eaten up by each other!
16 I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. 17 A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. 18 But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. 19 The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, 20 idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, 21 jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit.
Luke 9:51-62
51 As the time approached when Jesus was to be taken up into heaven, he determined to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. Along the way, they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival, 53 but the Samaritan villagers refused to welcome him because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to consume them?” 55 But Jesus turned and spoke sternly to them, 56 and they went on to another village.
57 As Jesus and his disciples traveled along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head.”
59 Then Jesus said to someone else, “Follow me.”
He replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and spread the news of God’s kingdom.”
61 Someone else said to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say good-bye to those in my house.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for God’s kingdom.”
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense? How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or the church?
What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why is it important to remember what God has done in the past?
In Luke 9, it appears that Jesus is trying to discourage people from following him. Why do you think he does this?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, a friend or adult that cares for you)?
Who do you know who lives out the fruit of the Spirit?
Which one of the nine do you struggle with the most? Which is the easiest for you?
Who has helped guide you in your faith?
We Believe…
We believe that God gives us the freedom to choose how we will live our lives. God does not force us to make certain decisions. At the same time, God has taught us how to live the fullest life through Jesus, and often the Spirit prompts us to make certain choices. There are decisions we can make that will be in alignment with the heart of God, but God doesn’t force us to choose these things or treat us like we are puppets on a string. The choice is still ours to use the freedom we’ve been given to love God and love neighbor, or to love self and the world.
We Practice…
This week, we’ve looked at the story of Elijah and Elisha, and we can see that Elijah’s ministry made a huge difference in Elisha’s life. Who has made a difference in your life? Who do you look up to? Who has pointed you to Jesus? For our practice this week, take time to write a thank you note to someone who has gone before you and shaped how you live your life. This can be a physical note that you mail out or an email/text that you send electronically. If you have many people that this applies to, consider taking the time to write to all of them!
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