Post by Woody Williams on Sept 24, 2012 4:09:15 GMT -5
Text for the Day -- II Kings 5:1-3, 8-14
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Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man
and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given
victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from
leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young
girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who
is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’
But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn
his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your
clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a
prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and
halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to
him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh
shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became angry
and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come
out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would
wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and
Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of
Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went
away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father,
if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you
not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash,
and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in
the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was
restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
Devotional
----------
Namaan's false pride almost kept him from the healing God was going
to give him. Oftentimes grace seems too simple. We try to make it
more complicated by adding "ifs" and "buts" to what is happening.
Or, we insert our egos into the situation, wanting to claim some of
the credit for making it happen. In that process we lose the gift
that God gives freely with no strings attached. When grace appears,
abandon your false pride and receive with joy and thanksgiving what
God is giving.
Prayer
--------
Help me, Holy Spirit, recognize grace when it appears. Amen
----------
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man
and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given
victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from
leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young
girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who
is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’
But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn
his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your
clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a
prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and
halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to
him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh
shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became angry
and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come
out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would
wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and
Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of
Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went
away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father,
if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you
not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash,
and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in
the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was
restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
Devotional
----------
Namaan's false pride almost kept him from the healing God was going
to give him. Oftentimes grace seems too simple. We try to make it
more complicated by adding "ifs" and "buts" to what is happening.
Or, we insert our egos into the situation, wanting to claim some of
the credit for making it happen. In that process we lose the gift
that God gives freely with no strings attached. When grace appears,
abandon your false pride and receive with joy and thanksgiving what
God is giving.
Prayer
--------
Help me, Holy Spirit, recognize grace when it appears. Amen