The Price of the Double Portion

Article Index

Untitled Document

 

W hen Jesus spoke concerning His second coming He gave implicit instructions to his followers to "occupy till I come."

The word occupy means to buy and sell.

A price must be paid for everything we want to procure. Nothing is free.

Christians offer: Salvation is free. Yes, it is to them. However, someone, somewhere must pay a price in order to provide the product or service for those desiring the benefits of them.

Salvation cost God His best! It cost Jesus His life: it cost Him everything.

In the parable of the ten virgins, the foolish had to "go to them that sell and buy."

Jesus counsel to the Laodicean church was "buy of me."

A price must be paid. But when we are dealing with God the price is not money. It is something else. That price is hunger.

In His Magnificent Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated, "Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled."

Here, then, is the purchasing power for the things of God.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the Truth and Sell it Not!

Isaiah 55:1, 2 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water; and he who has no silver, come buy grain and eat. Yes, come buy grain, wine and milk without silver and without price.
2   Why do you weigh out silver for that which is not bread, and your labour for what is not to satisfaction? Listening, listen toMe and eat the good; and let your soul delight itself in fatness.


P rayer  

The Christian is instructed to ask in faith, doubting nothing. A doubting person will not receive anything from the Lord! A double-souled (minded) man is unstable in all his ways.

What haunting, penetrating words. Nothing. Unstable.

James 1:6–18   But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing.  For the one doubting is like a wave of the sea, being driven by wind and being tossed;
7 for do not let that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-souled man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But let the lowly brother rejoice in his exaltation;
10 and the rich one sorrow in his humiliation, because he will pass away like the flower of the grass.
11   or the sun rose with the burning heat and dried up the grass, and its flower fell out, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also the rich one will fade away in his journeys. Isa. 40:6, 7
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because, becoming approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to the ones loving Him.
13  Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not temptable by evils, and He tempts no one.
14 But each one is tempted by his own lusts, being drawn out and being enticed by them.
15 Then, having conceived, lust brings forth sin. And sin being fully formed brings forth death.
16 Do not go astray, my beloved brothers,
17 every good gift,and every perfect gift,is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom is not any change or shadow of turning.
18 Having purposed, He brought us forth by the Word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruit of His creatures.

Elijah certainly asked in faith. He doubted nothing. He was not unstable in any of his ways.

And he was the one who appealed to the people to make a decision. He challenged, "How long will you limp over two opinions?"

1 Kings 18:41-46   And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, because of the sound of abundance of rain.
42 And Ahab went up to eat, and to drink; and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he stretched himself out on the earth, and he put his face between his knees;
43 and said to his young man, Now go up, look to the way of the sea. And he went up and looked, and said, There is nothing; and he said, Go back seven times.
44 And it happened at the seventh time, he said, Behold, a little cloud like the palm of a man is coming up out of the sea. And he said, Go up and say to Ahab, Bind up and go down, that the rain may not stop you.
45 And until this and this, it happened that the heavens became black with thick clouds and wind, and the rain was great; and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel;
46 and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab until you come to Jezreel.