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Monday, March 24, 2014

Lessons from Naaman and the Slave Girl

 "Let us celebrate with a feast, 
because this son of mine was dead, 
and has come to life again; 
he was lost, and has been found." 
Luke 15:23-24

In Jesus' longest parable, 
the prodigal son asks his father 
 for his inheritance. 
This was tantamount to telling his father, 
 "I prefer that you die so I can have the money." 
The father sadly divided his estate
 and gave the son what he wished for.
 After a life of depravity and wantonness, 
all the money gone,
 the son goes back to the father, 
knowing his father's servants 
lived a better life than he did. 
It's a good thing the father 
was merciful and compassionate. 
The father forgave him and 
celebrated his return, 
was actually longing for him to come back!

It's also a good thing that 
God does not answer all our prayers with yes. 
Can you imagine how many people 
pray that they would win the lotto?

 The mother of Dionie Reyes 
kept praying that he would win the lotto 
and finally in April 2008, he did. 
He won 14 million pesos and after living 
the life of a millionaire for 3 months, 
he is now destitute and owes big sums of money.

"I wish it never happened," 
 William Post said. 
"It was totally a nightmare!" 
He won $16.2 million but after a year, 
he owed $1 million.

Like the prodigal son, 
a lot of people are under the illusion 
that having money would 
solve all their problems, 
and make them happy. 
Instead of money, 
why don't we bet on a sure thing?

The love of a merciful and compassionate father! ❤️

 "Sir, give me this water..."
the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well,
asked in John 4:5-42

"Our Father uses every part of our ordinary,
everyday lives to teach us about the 
extraordinary, heavenly life
that he is offering us."

Jesus would strike up conversations
with people and tell stories
to teach them about heavenly realities.
Today God does the same-
He uses the events, and people of our
every day life, to teach us.
We just have to be more observant,
to listen, and to be willing to 
cast away our expectations of how
God is supposed to move or speak or act.

Take the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-15.
He was a valorous army commander 
of the King of Aram,
but he was a leper!

A little slave girl, captured in a raid of Israel,
told the wife of Naaman that the master
would be healed if he presented himself 
to the prophet in Samaria.

So Naaman with a full retinue and 
presents for the King of Israel went to Elisha.
But Elisha did not even meet him!
Elisha just told him to go and wash
7 times in the Jordan.
"And your flesh will heal,
and you will be clean.,"
Elisha's messenger told him.

 Naaman went off angrily!
He had a lot of expectation about 
what the man of God would do!
"I thought he would surely 
come out and invoke the Lord His God..."

It was a good thing that his servants reasoned with him,
"If the prophet would have told you 
to do something extraordinary,
wouldn't you have done it?"

So Naaman swallowed his pride and
did as the prophet told him.
And he was healed!!!

Lesson number 1:
Even if we are a lowly slave girl,
we can be a messenger of hope and healing.
Perhaps we are too afraid of our boss
to speak to him or her about 
something he or she needs to hear?
Perhaps we think we should just be silent
even if we know something that would
greatly ease another's burden?

Lesson number 2:
Obedience may bring us to a 
closer encounter with God.
What is it that God is asking of us?
Our expectations of 
how God should act or 
who he will use to speak to us
(maybe a "slave girl")
should not be a hindrance to
what God wants to do for us,
and through us!



 
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2 comments:

  1. Do we really want what we think we want? Often times probably not. I'm glad God can see to the root of our need and meet us there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love how you have unfolded these stories so gracefully. You are a treasure.

    ReplyDelete

I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy