Day 27 — A Double Portion

“After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?’ ‘Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.”

— 2 Kings 2:9 (BSB)

Elijah and Elisha walked on together, all the way to the Jordan River. Elijah rolled up his cloak and struck the water, and it split in two, and they walked across on dry ground!

Then Elijah turned to Elisha and asked a question: “What can I do for you before I am taken away?”

If you could ask your mentor for anything, what would you ask for? Money? Fame? His stuff?

Elisha asked for something far better: “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”

In those days, when a father died, his oldest son received a “double portion” of the inheritance: twice as much as the other children. Elisha was saying: Treat me like your son. I want to carry on your work. I want the same Spirit of God that made you who you are, and even more.

Elijah said it was a hard request, but if Elisha saw him taken up, it would be his. And suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind! Elisha saw it all. He cried out, “My father, my father!”

Then Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, the same cloak Elijah had thrown over him in the field years before. He walked back to the Jordan, struck the water, and it split for him too. God’s Spirit was with Elisha now. And the Bible records even more miracles through Elisha than through Elijah.

Here’s what this means for you: the most valuable thing a mentor can pass on to you isn’t his stuff. It’s his faith. His love for God. His character. The way he walks with God.

So when you spend time with godly men, ask for the right things. Don’t just want what they have. Want who they are. Ask God to give you the same faith, the same courage and the same love for Him that you see in them, and even more.

One day, the cloak will pass to you. You’ll be the one carrying on the faith for your generation.

Think about it: What’s something you admire about the faith of an older man in your life? How could you ask God for that same thing?

Try this: Ask an older Christian man, “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about following God?” Write down his answer and keep it.

Dear God, thank You for the faith of the men who’ve walked with You before me. Like Elisha, I don’t just want what they have. I want to know You like they do. Give me their faith, their courage and their love for You, and even more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.