The Cost
A few weeks ago as a family we had the chance to visit an old church outside Bandera Texas. I've been able to visit several old churches with a lot of history and always feel a great sense of gratitude and appreciation. Knowing how much an individual sacrificed to establish a church and bring the gospel to that local community is something admirable. Everyone's story is different but you can bet where there was an intention to establish a church there was opposition to overcome.
The bible is full of stories of individuals who made similar decisions and answered the call that God had on there lives. One such story is found in the book of 1 Kings chapter 19. Elijah is passing on his mantle or responsibility as a prophet to Elisha and Elisha's response in verse 21 is astounding.
So Elisha went back from him. Then he took a yoke of oxen, slew them, boiled their flesh with the oxen's yoke [as fuel], and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, followed Elijah, and served him.
Such an example of a complete obedience and immediate response to the call of God. The fact that at one moment his hand was to the plow busy with his livelihood and the moment Elijah placed his mantel on him he recognized God had something else for him. It reads smooth, almost to smooth to really grasp what had to be going on inside of Elisha. People don't just immediately throw away their livelihood and move to the next thing without there being a struggle. However great the struggle was for Elisha, he passed the test. Burning everything he was for what God was calling him too. THE COST OF FOLLOWING GOD IS GREAT BUT THE COST OF NOT FOLLOWING HIM IS GREATER!
Here are a few pictures of that old church my family visited: