Scripture: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 and Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 • 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 and Psalm 16 • Galatians 5:1, 13-25 • Luke 9:51-62
This week we have the wonderful story of Elijah being carried up in the whirlwind, and his devoted servant and successor prophet, Elisha, receiving a double share of the spirit in Elijah. Swing lo, sweet chariot - comin' for to carry me home! Or "Double shot of my [God's] love." (I took some liberties with the latter song). We also study the fruits of spirit in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and Jesus' statements of "let the dead bury the dead, and "he who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."
This passage in Galatians is sometime referred to as the freedom passage. What kind of freedom is Paul talking about? See "Freedom and Obedience" by Jake Wilson.
Do good works, or living "the fruits of the spirit" bring us salvation, or are the effects of God's saving grace? See Fruits of the Spirit, an excerpt from "The Faces of Jesus," by Frederick Buechner.
What does Jesus mean in his seemingly stern remarks? Consider the thoughts of James Jewell in his sermon with a subtitle of "We Ain't Goin' Let Nobody Turn Us Around," and "Alyce M. McKenzie's "Keep Your Hand on the Plow!"
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