So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet him.
"So it's you, is it -- Israel's troublemaker?" Ahab asked when he saw him. (I Kings 18:16-17, NLT)
I frequently ask people if they are making trouble. Many will hesitate and then deny any involvement in trouble; however, a few will confirm my suspicion that they are making trouble. I am not talking about doing wrong, but about living on the edge through faith . . . the kind of trouble that makes no sense to people lacking faith. Living in faith requires courage along with the willingness to live beyond the expected realm of decorum.
Seriously, we need to live beyond the routine and out of the rut of living. While it is wonderful to live in an organized and planned way . . . please go crazy . . . make some trouble for the sake of Christ . . . have faith for the faithfulness . . . hope for the hopeless . . . and love for the unlovable . . . shake things up!!!
King Ahab saw all the things that Elijah was doing and asked him to identify himself as a troublemaker. Elijah's behavior did not align with perceived normal behavior for an Israelite. Why? What did he do to create so much controversy? Elijah did not do things the way people expected . . . he was well . . . a little strange . . . actually . . . how many of us know someone served dinner by ravens? Elijah lived on the edge . . . allowing the Spirit of God to work in and through Him . . . having faith . . . when everyone had lost faith . . . depending on God for food and water . . . when everyone had lost hope . . . loving a widow and her son . . . who had no one else to love them . . . and the story goes on.
When it is all said and done, people need to understand that our story is part of the story of God . . . and it is anything but routine!
As the story of God continues . . .
Make some trouble today.
Refuse to be in a rut.
Live on the edge.
Love someone when it makes no sense.
Hope when there seems to be no hope.
Have faith when everything seems to be impossible.
Live beyond the expected.
Learning with you to be a troublemaker and shake things up with faith, hope, and love,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
