Are you witnessing to others about Jesus’ greatness?
12 May 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
2 Kings 4
2 Kings 5
John 4:1-30
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did” (John 4:39).
Are you witnessing to others about Jesus’ greatness?
Jesus breaks the norms of His day to save one soul. He travels to, and not around, Samaria. Israel’s ancient enemy, the Assyrians, conquered that city centuries earlier, and some Jews intermarried with Assyrians, creating the Samaritans. Also, Jesus breaks another cultural norm by engaging a woman in conversation. Today’s text reveals, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus unmasks the woman’s questionable lifestyle by stating, “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband” (John 4:18). That revelation was instrumental in bringing her to the realization that Jesus is the Messiah.
Employment Point: Testify to the greatness of Jesus so that others may be saved.
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Reflections
“Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.””2 Kings 4:2 NIV
“A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ””
2 Kings 4:42-43 NIV
- for the widow who has nothing left except a small jar of olive oil, it felt hopeless. For us it may not even be enough to fry an egg. She has no idea how she can repay the creditors.
- Even for the man from Baal Shalishah, He cannot figure how the twenty loaves can feed one hundred
- This reminds me of the Lord’s provision. How He can feed thousands with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. In our eyes, we only see limitations. But in His eyes, this is not the end. So long there is still something, there is still great hope in the Lord.
- The learning point for me here is that regardless of how little I have, how small I feel, the Lord can still use us for His glory. Again it is never about us and all about Him. Therefore do not despair. There is still hope in Christ Jesus.
“She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.””2 Kings 4:7 NIV
“Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.”
2 Kings 4:44 NIV
- Elisha has specifically told the widow after selling the oil, there will still be enough for her and her son to live on what is left.
- Same thing for the man from Baal Shalishah. Whatever he brought was more than enough.
- Another reminder that the Lord not only can provide, He provides in excess! There is no lack!
“Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’ ” “Everything is all right,” she said.”
2 Kings 4:26 NIV
- it is interesting to read that the Shunammite answered that everything is all right when the child is lying dead on Elisha’s bed. What might be going through her mind? What made her say this?
- In my own opinion, I think she made peace with the Lord. Because she did not ask for a son in the first place but was blessed with one. And now since the son that was given to her was being taken away, maybe it was just not meant to be. No point to be angry or upset since he is like a bonus that was given. It was good to have but not necessarily needed. So then in that case, it was alright.
- the commentary said because she needs someone else to understand her grief, and it is not Gehazi. So she rather not mention anything.
“Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.”2 Kings 5:4-5 NIV
- Naaman definitely wants to be healed of his leprosy. So when he heard the young girl of Israel mentioned that there is a chance to be healed, he wanted that too.
“Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:10-11 NIV
- However, we sometimes have preconceived notions on how we want things to be done. Perhaps there is also pride involved as Elisha did not even come out to see Naaman. He only asked his servant to speak to him.
- It is a learning point that we cannot just allow our judgement to spoil the outcome. What we think is not important. What is more important is what the Lord wants to do and how He wants to do it.
“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!””
2 Kings 5:13 NIV
- Even Naaman’s servants have more wisdom than him. Never underestimate comments or suggestions coming from anyone. The Lord can use whoever He pleases.
- Also do not underestimate the power of obedience, especially when told to us by the Lord.
““Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.””2 Kings 5:19-20 NIV
““Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’ ””
2 Kings 5:22 NIV
- I saw how Gehazi himself thinks what he did was right but we know it was all his own doing. What is not good is that he used the Lord’s name when the Lord did not say so. He also lied in order to get this way. He did things his own way, just because he thinks it’s justified.
- We are the same like that sometimes. Thinking we know everything but truly we don’t.
- A reminder not to overdo things when not told to.
“When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered. But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?”2 Kings 5:25-26 NIV
- Gehazi ‘forgot’ that Elisha is a prophet of the Lord. He lied to Elisha thinking all that he did was not known to anyone.
- We too are like this, doing things as if no one was looking and have forgotten we have a Lord who knows all things. There’s no hiding and also no where one can hide.
“Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.”
2 Kings 5:27 NIV
- perhaps that’s part reason why Elisha was not willing to accept gifts from Naaman. Covetousness may lead ourselves to harm. So stay far away from it.
““I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.””
John 4:17-18 NIV
- this woman knows that Jesus is not an ordinary man for He knows all things. Things that are not known to men and are hidden from them and she later ran to tell the others that this guy may be the messiah.
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Make a Habit of Having No Habits
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
May 12
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are highly aware of what we are doing. If we are cultivating habits of patience and godliness, we might consciously think, “Look at how patient and godly I’m being!” This kind of conscious awareness is a stage we must pass through. If we get stuck in it, we’ll become spiritual snobs.
Our spiritual life continually calls us to look within ourselves. When we do, we see that there are some qualities we’re still missing. Our god may be our little Christian habit—praying at bedtime or reading the Bible in the morning. “I can’t do that right now; it’s my hour with God,” you say. No, it’s your hour with your habit. Watch how the Father will upset these times if you begin to worship your habit instead of him. If this is the case in your life, recognize that there is a quality missing in you, and look for the opportunity to set things right.
The right thing to do with habits is to lose them in the life of the Lord, until every habit is so automatic that there is no awareness of it at all. Ultimately, the relationship between our souls and Christ should be very simple: it should be based on love. Love means that there is no detectable habit. You have come to the place where the habit has been lost in the bliss of unconscious devotion. If you are consciously holy, there are certain things you think you can’t do, certain places you feel you can’t go. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and Jesus was at home with God anywhere.
Where do you not feel at home with God? Let God press through in that place until you find him, and your life will become the simple life of the child.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
The truth is we have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. The recognition of this truth is not flattering to the worker’s sense of heroics, but it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ.
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Reflections
It reminds me of a part of a Chinese proverb that says 出淤泥而不染-meaning to describe someone who is untainted by the world. The literal description is used to describe the lotus which grows out of the dirty mud but remains pure and untainted by it.
Quite similar to what the Lord expects us to be. That we are in the world but not of the world. The world can be in a terrible mess but we are not part of it or contributing to any parts of the mess.
Each of us is like a lotus in lotus pond. We grow from the mud and blossom out in full bloom due to the sun and rain. Our relationship is with the nature and it just so happens that the mud is where we grow from. When we embrace nature and let nature to be part of us, we are one.
When we say we love God and is seeking Him day and night, all the habits that Oswald mentioned, becomes just part of our devotion to Him alone. We don’t do it because we are used to it. We do it because we want to be closer to Him.
You send some gifts, good morning messages to your partners or you communicate with them out of love. You don’t do it out of habit-that is not love but something like obligations or tasks that are on our to do lists. You may be thinking “i’m doing every right thing so what is wrong?”
I think it questions why we do it. Our intentions. When we are in Him and He in us, our perspectives shift. We know He is right here with us, any time or minute of the day. No doubts about it.
Then there comes a yearning to just sit with Him, talk to Him because He is our love, right? Not because that we have to but because we want to. Do you experience times when you are so busy that at the end of the day, you realised you don’t even have time for God. I am guilty of that too. Cause if He takes centerstage and if our focus is on Him, it will always be Him first. The Lord wants us to just come to Him like that of a child. Like someone with a childlike faith.
Let’s pray:
Father thank You for allowing us to come to You so personally and intimately that it becomes a unique love relationship we have with You. May You help us to turn habits into actions of love for You so that we become children of God with childlike faith, that we will have no qualms or fears that we need to deal with before we come to You. Thank You Father for loving us so personally. Love You Lord. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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