2 Kings 5:1-14
Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. The LORD had helped him and his troops defeat their enemies, so the king of Syria respected Naaman very much.
Naaman was a brave soldier, but he had leprosy. One day while the Syrian troops were raiding Israel, they captured a girl, and she became a servant of Naaman's wife. Some time later the girl said, "If your husband Naaman would go to the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his leprosy."
When Naaman told the king what the girl had said, the king replied, "Go ahead! I will give you a letter to take to the king of Israel." Naaman left and took along seven hundred fifty pounds of silver, one hundred fifty pounds of gold, and ten new outfits. He also carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, "I am sending my servant Naaman to you. Would you cure him of his leprosy?"
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in fear and shouted, "That Syrian king believes I can cure this man of leprosy! Does he think I'm God with power over life and death? He must be trying to pick a fight with me."
As soon as Elisha the prophet heard what had happened, he sent the Israelite king this message: "Why are you so afraid? Send the man to me, so that he will know there is a prophet in Israel." Naaman left with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent someone outside to say to him, "Go wash seven times in the Jordan River. Then you'll be completely cured."
But Naaman stormed off, grumbling, "Why couldn't he come out and talk to me? I thought for sure he would stand in front of me and pray to the LORD his God, then wave his hand over my skin and cure me. What about the Abana River or the Pharpar River? Those rivers in Damascus are just as good as any river in Israel. I could have washed in them and been cured." His servants went over to him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. So why don't you do what he said? Go wash and be cured."
Naaman walked down to the Jordan; he waded out into the water and stooped down in it seven times, just as Elisha had told him. Right away, he was cured, and his skin became as smooth as a child's.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A few weeks ago, our telephone began to crackle and buzz when we tried to call someone, so we did all of the recommended troubleshooting procedures suggested by our telephone service provider. When these did not work, I contacted the company and filed a request for repairs. I was told that a technician would come out and repair our phone – within a week! Thankfully we had cell phones for backup. For many folks, this “solution” would have left them without phone service of any kind for several days. And just as promised, the phone was repaired – about five days later!
I was using the Postal Service online options to mail a package, and a question arose for which I could not find an online answer. So I engaged in a LiveChat option. Before I could even ask my question, the rep came online and began typing a long, “canned” answer to what she perceived to be my problem. When I was finally given a chance to type, I asked, “May I have time to ask my question now?” Immediately afterward, we were disconnected. Apparently I was supposed to accept her comments and make them work for my situation.
In both of these cases, the agencies with whom I spoke appeared to take the attitude that “this action is as good as any.” Just like Namaan, who tried to cut corners and take shortcuts to heal his leprosy, I felt like they were saying… “Take it or leave it.” It appeared to me that these people were not willing to put in the time and effort to get the best result – to do their very best. And the outcome was less than satisfactory. Apparently they were satisfied to operate in “blemished skin.”
This is what happened to Namaan… he didn’t listen, and he concluded that bathing in any old river was good enough. And this is what we often do… in life, and in our life in Christ. Our best should be the only option. Nothing else is good enough. We should not give half-hearted efforts to our studies, our family, our jobs, our community, or our church… and most certainly to our Heavenly Father!
We’ve come to a point in this society where a lot of people are doing the bare minimum. Getting by and “making do” are good enough. As long as we make it through another day without the sky falling in on us, we figure we have achieved our goal! Nothing could be further from the truth!
It’s time for us to re-prioritize. We must prayerfully consider what God is calling us to do… in everything from our service to Him to the simplest hobby in which we engage. We need to be striving to do our very best at all times… not just when it is convenient or serves our purposes – and we need to always be listening for God’s voice and guidance.
Ask God to show you what He expects of you… then do everything possible to accomplish this to the very best of your abilities. Make your best the only outcome that is acceptable. Live in a way that honors God and your role as His precious child and servant. Never wear the “blemished skin of a leper”, so to speak… but live your best life every day in the “smooth skin” of a precious child of the Most High God.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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