Taking advantage of the opportunity

2nd Kings chapter 2 reading at verse 9 and it came to pass when they were gone over that Elijah said unto Elisha ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee and Elisha said I pray thee let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me and he said thou hast asked a hard thing nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee it shall be so unto thee but if not it shall not be so. Our brethren today have been reminding us of the absolutely essentialness of fruitfulness. I think there is something that we can be said of the example in 2nd Kings chapter 2. Fruitfulness is something essential in the in the lives of our own particular testimony as we let it shine in this particular day.

Elisha was a man who was going to take advantage of the opportunity. He had one opportunity to walk with Elijah and he only had just a few hours to walk with Elijah because even the sons of the prophet was actually saying don't you realize that this man Elijah is soon going to be taken and Elisha comment was yes I know. So there was something about Elisha's desire that he wanted to he wanted to make sure he took every opportunity to gain something from those precious moments that he could walk with and walk with Elijah.

Elijah says I'm going to Jordan and then to Bethel and then to Jericho and then of course back to Jordan again but there was something about Elisha. Elijah says you stay here I have to go to these particular places and Elisha says no I am going with you I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to be to be with you. So there was something in Elisha's mind that there was something very very clear and that is he had to spend time with Elijah because this was critical moments and these were very precious moments.

Dear Christian, what is upon my mind with a bit of a bit of urgency today is this. We live in a land that is filled with materialism and filled with privileges and with opportunity. Do I do I take advantage of every opportunity? Do I live in the good of this present opportunity? In other words Elijah lived in the good of that present moment.

For instance a Sunday school teacher. Do you do you gather those little ones around and do you esteem those moments with those Sunday school students? Do you pray over them? Do you work with them? Do you count it a high honor and a privilege to be able to work with those particular students? You only realize that you only have just a few days a few years perhaps that you could influence that particular student. Dear mother at the table had you have maybe you maybe in Wisconsin they wouldn't say this but maybe you have thought already that will they ever grow up? Dear mother you've got just a few just a few years of what those little ones and those little ones are so precious to think that you can raise them and raise them for God and to be able to guide them in a particular pathway of that in ten years from now if you have a child at home right now dear parents and that child is ten years old as fast as time goes a dear father next week you'll be buying them a new car for their graduation party or don't they do that? What I'm what I what is a burden to me today is this make every opportunity of the time that you have regardless of I am see the good in everything oh dear brother sitting in the oversight and sitting in the elderhood have those were problems and those problems that that perhaps maybe send you home to your to your bed with a headache those that dear flock that God has raised you up to tend for the flock dear brethren do you take real genuine interest in care for those sheep? Leonard E. Bohr said something to me one time I never forgot it he must have seen a little hardness or perhaps maybe just a little sternness in my ministry one time and at the dinner table he says you know Al when you seek to help and seek to minister to God's people you want to remember that they are the Lord's sheep not yours I never forgot that so dear believer whatever circumstance you are in do you esteem those moments and take advantage of them and if for a lack of a better term do the best you can the end of life has come and I'm going to give you the try and give you the recipe here in the next five minutes for getting this double portion the other life has come I'm looking at some perhaps here today and unknown to you and even to me a little did we realize that Ann Weber would be in a hospital today with a blockage I mean I'm talking about something that could come to an end so quickly your life and my life and how perhaps something is working in our working in our systems and we do not know how many days is left to our disposal let's come to the end of life and like my father who lay in a hospital dying of pancreatic cancer ten days before he thought he had a little lump along the wrist a little swelling in the foot a little tightness in the chest and he said to me I've got to go to a doctor to see what's wrong with my chest I got something in here a little cold or whatever it is and ten days later I stood beside his casket here's what I want to tell you about that I learned something from that dear man that at the end of life I saw something that I have never said I haven't seen in too many but as I watched that man lay in the hospital and this nurse would come in I understand that in the hospital you don't get any sleep I could see that but this nurse would come in this doctor would come in this nurse would leave and that nurse would come it was like a revolving door there was constantly people going in and out and I watched with great admiration a man tell the nurses one after another how you got the Christ he took advantage of that opportunity he would not he would not pass by an opportunity and more than one I watched those nurses leave with a retear in the eye and a perhaps maybe a just a little bit stirred there was a man who was a happy man but there was a man who was a different man why did they say that as some of them said because my father took advantage of the opportunity right to the very end I have worked with some valuable I'm sorry brothers I have worked with many many good men I have labored with some of the very finest of men and some of them are here today I have visited with these dear men I caught myself saying on more than one occasion Al enjoy these moments enjoy listening to this man preach listen to him pray watch his every move hang on every step of the way that's what he likes it was doing he was hanging on to every word but he likes it was saying he watched him and he listened to him and he would not let him out of his sight he wanted to take advantage of every single second that he had dear brother and sisters fruitfulness I'd like to suggest I'd like to suggest three things is needed Elijah says what should I do unto thee holy Elijah says oh that I might have a double portion of my spirit mr. mccain says in his book that this double portion could be like the firstborn needed and we require a worthy portion if I had just a double portion of my spirit Elijah says I always asked a hard thing but if I'll see me go then you will be able to receive that double portion now there's three things that I can see that was needed and he likes his part in order for fruitfulness in 2012 number one Elisha had to be near so he had to be near to the fact that he had to see him number two Elijah had to be awake so there had to be watchfulness and Elijah had to have nothing else in his mind he had to be sanctified and he had to know what it is to stay close so in fruit-bearing can I suggest something I'm open to I'm open to being helped along this line but in fruit-bearing can I suggest nearness is needed watchfulness is needed holiness is needed nearness Ephesians chapter 5 be followers of God as dear children if I am following someone if I am following God there's going to be something that is going to rub off on to me I'm going to follow I'm going to see I'm going to imitate I'm going to copy I'm going to pick up something because I'm following not a far-off but I'm following close be followers of God number two Hebrews chapter 12 tells me looking often to Jesus the author and finish of our faith looking away from the brethren looking away from all the faults and failures of mankind and looking off on the Jesus the author and finisher of faith who for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross he despised the shame I can see something in my own simple mind that fruitfulness I don't know what it is to look off and having my eyes hurled in on the object Peter when he walked upon the water he walked all right but as long as his eye was upon the object he was okay had to be set aside holiness I'm reminded of Paul's words to Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 21 a vessel unto honor meet for the Masters use dear can I suggest that fruitfulness comes from nearness watchfulness and holiness may God help us to be fruitful in the day