Assuming the Responsibilities.

1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.”
And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

Have you ever looked up to someone because everything they did seemed perfect? It's always a compliment when you tell someone something positive, but it's also a great step of ambition for you to try to be more like them.

That's just something that I thought of as I was reading the story of Elijah and Elisha. Elisha was younger and was a novice. She looked up to the great prophet Elijah. Soon, it was time for Elijah to go to heaven. It's really neat to read that Elisha wants a "double portion" of his spirit. No, this doesn't mean that he wants to be twice as good as Elijah was or anything. However, he's referring to the tradition back in the time period of the firstborn son receiving a double inheritance when his father died. As the oldest son, Elisha would be the leader of the family and would take over Elijah's responsibilities. Elisha was ready when he says, something like "I am ready."

In New Testament times, this is similar to Jesus and his disciples. Jesus would teach his disciples based on his own personal choices. Before he went to heaven, he told them (from Acts 1:8), "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." He passed the torch to the Disciples and their greatest goal was to be as much like Jesus Christ as possible.

Jesus didn't just give the responsibilities to his disciples, but he gave us the responsibilities as well. Just like the Disciples stepped up to act like Jesus, we should do the same. Don't just do it to impress others, do it to glorify the Lord.

How do you want to be more like Jesus?