Advent Devotional for Monday, Dec. 1
For an post introducing the Advent Devotional, see four or five posts down...
Monday, Dec 1 2 Kings 5:1-14
Healing makes us re-think things.
In this story, Naaman comes down with leprosy and Elisha advises him to dip 7 times in the River Jordan. This is of course reprehensible to the sophisticated Naaman, but in the end, his servants convinced him to try what the man of God said. In the end, he does and he is healed.
What are your boundaries? We all have them, especially in suburbia. Our neat little houses have neat little fences which keep our neat little property away from our not-so-neat little neighbors. More than just physical boundaries, though, we often have a sense of what is beneath us. We see this perhaps most often in the way we practice our faith. Our erudite suburban faith sometimes boils down to what we will not do: handle snakes, raise our hands in worship, preach about hell, speak in tongues.
Naaman’s story profoundly challenges people like us, because it asks us to consider that part of following God might be doing things we consider beneath us. What if God asks you to move to a “lower” part of town? What if God speaks to you through a person more conservative or liberal than you are? What if you are forced to depend on someone you don’t find dependable or even likable? The story of Naaman reminds us that God uses all people and all sorts of ways of bringing healing, not just those we find palatable.
In your quest for healing, may you be willing to dip into a muddy river seven times—no matter what that means in your life.
Monday, Dec 1 2 Kings 5:1-14
Healing makes us re-think things.
In this story, Naaman comes down with leprosy and Elisha advises him to dip 7 times in the River Jordan. This is of course reprehensible to the sophisticated Naaman, but in the end, his servants convinced him to try what the man of God said. In the end, he does and he is healed.
What are your boundaries? We all have them, especially in suburbia. Our neat little houses have neat little fences which keep our neat little property away from our not-so-neat little neighbors. More than just physical boundaries, though, we often have a sense of what is beneath us. We see this perhaps most often in the way we practice our faith. Our erudite suburban faith sometimes boils down to what we will not do: handle snakes, raise our hands in worship, preach about hell, speak in tongues.
Naaman’s story profoundly challenges people like us, because it asks us to consider that part of following God might be doing things we consider beneath us. What if God asks you to move to a “lower” part of town? What if God speaks to you through a person more conservative or liberal than you are? What if you are forced to depend on someone you don’t find dependable or even likable? The story of Naaman reminds us that God uses all people and all sorts of ways of bringing healing, not just those we find palatable.
In your quest for healing, may you be willing to dip into a muddy river seven times—no matter what that means in your life.
posted by Michael Jordan at 6:00 AM
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