Brown's Daily Word 8-31-11

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day, the last day of August. Praise the Lord for sweet summer. Alice and I are planning to take our nieces and nephews to the great New York State Fair in Syracuse today. The last time we visited the fair was in 1979.
Alice and I walked under starry sky last night for 4 miles between 8:50 and 10 PM. It is exhilarating to walk, gazing at the "Spacious Firmament on High". King David was probably walking at night and gazing at starry skies as he composed Psalm 8.
Praise the Lord for the way He lavishes us with so much love and so much beauty. He is the Lord whose nature is to perform miracles time after time. I am always intrigued by the miracle the Lord performed in the life of a pagan general called Naaman. The miracle unfolded as three lives were woven together by God’s timely providence. The three people were a young slave, a Syrian general, and a prophet.
The Lord used an ordinary slave girl, whose name we do not know, to be a partner in His miracle. She was a young girl, perhaps a teenager. Taken captive by Syrian raiders, she became a servant in the Syrian commander’s house. We can Imagine what slavery meant to the young girl. The burdens of loneliness, separation, and obedience must have been almost unbearable. Certainly her heart ached to go home, but she knew that she would very likely never see home again.
What is remarkable in this young slave is that she did not succumb to bitterness. She did not let her circumstances control her thoughts or her faith. She rose above and triumphed over circumstances. Not only did she maintain her faith, but she also became a witness for her faith. She told her master about the prophet Elisha and the possibility of healing. If this young slave had not had the right spirit, the miracle never would have occurred. Her master would have remained a leper, and God would have had one less member of His kingdom.
The message rings loud and clear. Our joy in the Christian faith must not be linked to our external circumstances. Our faith does not have to be equal to life’s challenges. It can and should be greater. Then we will seize every opportunity to shed some of our light into the darkness of other lives. Through our triumph, others might win.
Naaman had one flaw — he was a leper. That disease threatened to end his career if not his life. No doubt it had already robbed him of social contacts. In short, Naaman was miserable despite his power, position, and wealth.
We all have such a flaw. We may not have a physical disease, but we certainly have an inner leprosy. This spiritual sickness permeates our lives until it eventually robs us of all we value. We must not be fooled by outward appearances. Beneath the armor of wealth, power, and glory lurks a soul needing the touch of the Physician’s hand.
In this story Elisha’s keen insight into people is evident. Like the slave girl, Elisha’s function was to give the directions which would lead Naaman to God and to healing. Elisha was aware that each person is unique, with a different set of hang-ups. The barriers which keep people from God vary, so Elisha had to understand the individual first and then map out the directions which would lead to God. Notice how Elisha dealt with Naaman.
First, Elisha refused to meet Naaman before the cleansing (vv. 9-10). This struck at Naaman’s sense of power and position. Elisha wanted Naaman to learn that what would happen was not the result of wealth, position, or power. Naaman was important to God but not any more so than the slave girl or any other person.
Second, Elisha refused to perform any elaborate ritual connected with the healing. Through a messenger, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times. That’s all there was to it. Already angry because of the impersonal nature of the visit, Naaman grew angrier as he considered Elisha’s laziness. He wanted Elisha to earn his pay. All religions have some rituals, and Naaman’s religion was no exception. The simplicity of Elisha’s directions mystified him. They were intended to show Naaman that the ritual was unimportant. The important thing was to follow the directions in giving oneself totally to God.
Third, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the “Big Muddy”, the Jordan River. This was incomprehensible to Naaman. He knew of at least two rivers which offered better prospects of cleansing his disease. The Jordan was a dirty, insignificant little river. How could it possibly help him?
To wash in the Jordan seven times was a totally humiliating, humbling experience. That was precisely Elisha’s point. If Naaman complied, he would be stripped of his pompous, self-centered attitude. After the shock and anger wore off, and after prompting from one of his servants, Naaman complied with Elisha’s directions. He was healed. More importantly, he became a follower of Israel’s God. From Jordan’s murky waters emerged a new person.
God still gives directions today, signposts which point the way toward the ultimate goal. These directions may come through the Bible, preachers, the laity, or the still small voice that calls our names. The directions themselves may vary in detail, because we all have different starting points as we journey toward the ultimate goal. That ultimate goal is fellowship with God. The final direction God gives us it to wash in the blood of the Lamb, and follow Him in service.
In Christ,
Brown


http://youtu.be/iB-yX5p0p4I
Saturday Evening Worship Service

Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, NY
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church
Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Speaker: Rev. Earle Cowden
Ministers from First Baptist Church in Owego, Crossroads Church in Binghamton, Cornerstone Christian Church in Endicott, and Hawleyton United Methodist Church will be participating in this worship service. Special Music will be led by various praise teams. Information : call 607-748-6329

Come! Share! Rejoice!