2 Kings 2:9-12. 9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.
Has the fear of living an inconsequential life ever overwhelmed you? If it has you’re not alone. The great prophets Elijah and Elisha also experienced this same fear. Despite God’s great hand upon them, these two men lived in fear, the same fear that so many of us live in. The fear of living a life that doesn’t matter, a life that fails to make a difference. They lived in the fear of not being enough.
In Christ, you never have to fear that you’ve lived an inconsequential life. Just as they did for Elijah, the chariots of fire come for all who are in Christ. And, just like Elijah, your life doesn’t end there, it goes on. Forever. You never have to fear that your life was just unreached potential. In Christ, there is no such thing. All that you “failed” to accomplish in the here and now you will fulfill in glory. At that precious moment, Christ will carry you in his chariot of fire into the arms of the Father. There in his glorious presence, you will realize your life’s full potential – the image of Christ. Abundant life. Fullness of joy.
But what about Elisha and his strange request to his mentor – Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. Elisha isn’t asking for “twice as much” of the Spirit. He’s asking for Elijah’s same spiritual inheritance. The double portion was the inheritance of the oldest son. At the death of the patriarch, the oldest son received more than all the other heirs, the double portion. Elisha is requesting the same presence of God that Elijah had, not more, not less, just the same.
When Christ, like Elijah, was taken up into Heaven, he had promised the Apostles, and us, that his Spirit would come to them. That we, his followers, would receive his same life, his same inheritance, his same power, his same love. Christ is the “oldest son” who has shared the double portion of his Spirit with us. Not more. Not less. Just the same.
Now, not only do we have no need to fear death, we have no need to fear living. We have the life of Christ in us by his Spirit. All that is his is ours.
This truth should change everything for us. Because we have been given everything by Christ, now we can give everything through Christ. We can live his sacrificial life. We can live without fear of any loss, for everything is ours in him. We can live without the fear of an insignificant life, for our life is united to the most significant life that ever lived.
To live is Christ means fearless living is possible. As “Elijahs” we have no fear in death, for we will be immediately swept up into the presence of God. And as “Elishas” we have no fear in life, for we live from the double portion of the Spirit, the life of Jesus himself.
You: Where are you living in fear today? Fear of death? Fear of life?
You in Christ: How does believing that you are in Christ begin to remove fear from your heart?
Christ in you: What fear can you face today in the power of Christ’s “double portion?”
To Live is Christ 