Exceed Expectations

 Scripture:

“The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.””  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭13:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Jehoash, king of Israel came to see Elisha near the end of Elisha’s life.  Elisha told him to shoot an arrow, which he did.  Elisha then told him to take his arrows and strike them on the ground.  He didn’t say how many times to strike the ground with them.  He struck the ground three times and then Elisha said he wished he had struck it more because the number of times he struck was to be how many times Jehoash would strike and defeat the Arameans.

Application:

When you don’t know what your limits are, always press a little farther than you want to.  When God asks you to do something, take it a little farther than what you thought.  Exceed the expectations of what You said you would do for God.  We should always exceed, even what we think is adequate.  Go a little farther, strike a little harder, work a little more diligently than is expected and we will be prosperous.  We should always go the extra mile for God.

Prayer:

Father, help me to never settle for second best for You and Your kingdom.  Help me to strike hard and strong on anything You give me to do.  Teach me to give You my very best.  I don’t want anything You give me to do, not to be done and done better than expected.  I want to serve You well all the days of my life.

Yours,

Jeff