Naaman
Naaman was the captain of the host of the king of Syria. He was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him, the Lord have given victory to Syria. He was a man mighty of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Kings 5 verse 1. As we read the story of Naaman, a maid to his wife said that there was a prophet that could heal him. Naaman gets a lot of treasure to give to the man that can cure him. When he goes to see the prophet Elisha sends a messenger out to him. He tells him to dip in the Jordan seven times. Naaman is offended. He thinks that the prophet should have done things a certain way, and he didn't want to wash in the Jordan River.
There is a lot to be learned here. First look at Naaman, he was honorable, a great man, but he was a leper. We can give this story a look in today's eyes. We know people of good moral character, they even hold positions in church, they give to charities, they feed the poor, but they are lost without Jesus. Society thinks that they are OK. They will put them on the boards of churches and big companies. They admire the titles behind their name, the education they have, but they overlook the most important thing. Are they saved? Do they have a relationship with Jesus Christ? The second thing we see here is that Naaman thought that taking all of these gifts to the prophet would ensure his healing. When the only thing Naaman had to do was follow the instructions of the prophet. There are times we miss God's best because we don't do what He tells us. We have God figured out. You can never figure out how God is going to work a situation out. All Naaman had to do was dip in the Jordan seven times. There are times when God gives instructions that don't make sense to you. While I was applying for my disability, my unemployment stopped. The only income that was coming in was my husband's. It was hard because we had the bills and were used to two incomes. Someone invited me to speak at their church and they give me a love offering. God said put it in the First Fruits offering at church. This didn't make sense to me, I could have used that to pay on a bill or to buy groceries, but He said to give it so I did. In the Bible Samuel told Saul to wait and he would do the sacrifice, well, Samuel didn't come when Saul thouight he should so he did the sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice...
Thirdly we must realize that God sometimes moves quietly behind the scenes. We expect a great big thing, a flash of lightning, an experience that leaves us in awe. He asks of us to follow Him and we want fire. Naaman wanted the man of God to come out stand over him, call his name and be healed. The prophet didn't come out, he just sent word to Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan. His servant had to remind Naaman that if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing, he would have done it. There was a man who almost missed out on his healing, because he thought that it would happen a certain way.
We need to be open for God to use us anywhere and anytime.
There is a lot to be learned here. First look at Naaman, he was honorable, a great man, but he was a leper. We can give this story a look in today's eyes. We know people of good moral character, they even hold positions in church, they give to charities, they feed the poor, but they are lost without Jesus. Society thinks that they are OK. They will put them on the boards of churches and big companies. They admire the titles behind their name, the education they have, but they overlook the most important thing. Are they saved? Do they have a relationship with Jesus Christ? The second thing we see here is that Naaman thought that taking all of these gifts to the prophet would ensure his healing. When the only thing Naaman had to do was follow the instructions of the prophet. There are times we miss God's best because we don't do what He tells us. We have God figured out. You can never figure out how God is going to work a situation out. All Naaman had to do was dip in the Jordan seven times. There are times when God gives instructions that don't make sense to you. While I was applying for my disability, my unemployment stopped. The only income that was coming in was my husband's. It was hard because we had the bills and were used to two incomes. Someone invited me to speak at their church and they give me a love offering. God said put it in the First Fruits offering at church. This didn't make sense to me, I could have used that to pay on a bill or to buy groceries, but He said to give it so I did. In the Bible Samuel told Saul to wait and he would do the sacrifice, well, Samuel didn't come when Saul thouight he should so he did the sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice...
Thirdly we must realize that God sometimes moves quietly behind the scenes. We expect a great big thing, a flash of lightning, an experience that leaves us in awe. He asks of us to follow Him and we want fire. Naaman wanted the man of God to come out stand over him, call his name and be healed. The prophet didn't come out, he just sent word to Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan. His servant had to remind Naaman that if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing, he would have done it. There was a man who almost missed out on his healing, because he thought that it would happen a certain way.
We need to be open for God to use us anywhere and anytime.
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