Jesus'
words, known as "the Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7), need to be
taken as a whole. We're not to pick out the bits that we like, and
ignore the bits that we don't like so much. We're not to come, looking
for "comfort" (Matthew 5:4), if we're not also seeking for
"righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). We're not to look for peace, if we're not
preparing ourselves for persecution (Matthew 5:9-10). We're not to read
one verse, and say, "This is great", and then skim over the next verse,
as if it wasn't even there.
We read about Elijah in his high-points of strength - the triumph over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36-39) - and his low-points of weakness - he is ready to give up: “I’ve had enough now, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). How did Elijah get into such a mess? He forgot this: “The Lord’s power was on Elijah” (1 Kings 18:46). In all life’s ups and downs, we must hold on to this: The Lord has sent His Spirit of power to live in us (2 Timothy 1:7). How are we to live in the power of the Spirit? We need to feed on the Word of God and drink in the Word of God (1 Kings 17:4). We need to pray that the Lord will send His showers of blessing (1 Kings 17:14). We are to live our life “according to the Word of the Lord” (1 Kings 17:16). For our life of faith to be strong in the Lord, we need to listen attentively to the preaching of God’s Word (1 Kings 17:24).
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