Editor’s Note: The AMI Quiet Time devotionals from August 6-7 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church in Boston.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
2 Kings 5:19-23: He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’” And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi.
In this passage, Elisha had just healed the Syrian man Naaman of leprosy. Upon being healed, Naaman requested to give a gift to Elisha, but Elisha refused. But Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was not so willing to say no to a gift. More than likely Gehazi was thinking, Elisha spared this Syrian man, this oppressor of Israel, so of course we deserve a gift from him! Gehazi then proceeds to tell a story of the family of prophets in need of silver and clothes, and Naaman quickly agrees to provide. Gehazi, taking advantage of Naaman’s generosity, receives the gift for himself.
On the surface, we may look at this and think, Wow, what greed! But remember, Gehazi was traveling with Elisha, a man who did not live an easy life. They likely had very little possessions as well as their lives being quite tiring and difficult. For once, someone was willing to give to them, to provide some much needed resources—but Elisha refused. Gehazi, eyes wide with anticipation, found disappointment once again. Yet, this time, he would take matters into his own hands because, as Gehazi likely believed, they deserved this gift.
Have you ever had a long battle, whether a season of emotional struggle or a period of difficult circumstances? In those seasons, we often can justify giving into temptation, giving into self-centeredness. We may think, Just this one time, it is ok for me to feed my desires. I deserve this. Self-justification is much easier in a time of struggle. But remember, our whole lives are a battle. This world is a battle and when we give in, we give room for the enemy. We are called to stand firm in all seasons, to stand firm without ever giving in, regardless of circumstances.
Today, let’s search ourselves. Are we facing any struggles that we use to justify greed, to justify selfishness, to justify self-centeredness? Let’s release those to God and pray for the strength to, again, stand firm in Him.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for being the giver of all strength. I know You always fight for me. Help me to stand firm, knowing that You are my shield and my strength. Let me be girded in the full armor of God that I may stand strong until I see You face to face. May temptation and selfishness have no way in me, for my heart is Yours.
Bible Reading for Today: Micah 6
Lunch Break Study
Read Ephesians 6:10-13: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Questions to Consider
- What does it mean to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”?
- What do we fight against? What does this mean?
- What will enable us to stand firm?
Notes
- Being strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might means that we do not find strength in ourselves. How easy it is to try to take matters into our own hands and fight for ourselves. That is what culture tells us to do: be strong, be independent, and protect yourself. But true strength only comes when we see ourselves as wholly dependent on God
- We fight against the powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil. This means we do not fight against other people. Yes, confrontation is necessary with others; yes, people can hurt us. But we are all sinners in need of grace. Let us not make other people our enemies, but rather remember we have one Enemy who has already been conquered by Christ on the cross.
- We stand firm when we put on the full armor of God! This requires surrender, letting go of our own strength and trusting in God’s strength and protection. Only He can truly protect us in the battles we face in our lives.
Evening Reflection
Reflect on your current circumstances. Have your present circumstances made you more self-centered? Take some time to repent of any self-centeredness and pray for your heart to be reoriented to God. Pray that God would provide His strength that you may stand firm in every trial.
Israel and Aram had been at war against one another. Because of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness, God gave them into the hands of Aram and caused Naaman, the captain of Aram’s army, to be successful. In the eyes of their enemies, Israel was weak and there was little evidence that God was among them. The king of Israel’s response to the king of Aram’s letter reflects Israel’s unbelief – “Do you think I am God? I am not able to heal leprosy!” He didn’t consider inquiring of Elisha, the prophet of Israel, but instead he worried that Aram was stirring up a fight against him. Though the king displayed a lack of faith in God, the author of 2 Kings highlights the faith of a young Israelite servant girl, who remembered Elisha and believed in God’s power in him. Furthermore, Naaman himself showed faith in the God. He asked his king to prepare a letter and a gift so he could go and meet Elisha. Though he was reluctant and prideful at first to wash seven times in the Jordan, he eventually listened to Elisha’s word, experienced complete healing, and declared, “I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel…”
When I am going through a tough time, my natural tendency is to withdraw and isolate myself from people and from God. Usually it is because I’m afraid to face my troubled emotions or I turn to my own strength to deal with the matter. The faith of the Shunammite woman encourages me to do the exact opposite. When I want to isolate myself, I should instead run with all my determination and might to the presence of God.
In this story, we meet a widow in great distress. Her husband is dead and she is not able to pay off her family’s financial debt. Her creditor threatens to take her two sons as slaves. In the ancient world, a widow is vulnerable to poverty and social alienation. After her husband’s death, a widow’s security is her son’s ability to provide for her. To lose her sons to the creditor would be a tragic loss for her. Here, she cries out to Elisha for survival and protection.
One of my favorite movies is the original Karate Kid. The main character, Daniel LaRusso, is the new kid who gets picked on by bullies who know karate. To learn how to fight back, Daniel asks his neighbor Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate. Mr. Miyagi agrees but immediately instructs Daniel to begin washing cars, polishing floors and painting fences. After a week of frustration, Daniel confronts Mr. Miyagi about the lack of training; but only after sparring with Mr. Miyagi does he realize that those exact chores were the means to develop his muscle memory for karate.
The first miracle I ever experienced was when I was 7 years old. I used to be a coin collector when I was in elementary school, and although most of my collection comprised of pennies and nickels, my prized possession was an old silver dollar coin. At least once a week, I’d open my little coin box and just gaze at each coin, especially at the silver dollar. But one evening, I took my coin box to church to show off to my friends, and as I was going through each of the coins, to my horror, the silver dollar was missing! I looked everywhere for it; I emptied the box, searched under the seat… nothing. It was gone! So, I got down on my knees and prayed the most sincere prayer I had ever prayed until that point in my life, “God, please help me find my coin!” And when I opened my eyes, I looked back into my box, and there it was— shining like it had never left the box. I had never felt so much excitement and relief! That was my first taste of the power of God.
Wars require water. Especially in ancient times, having enough water for your army could be the determining factor in the outcome of a battle. In fact, water was so important to maintaining an army that poisoning enemy water sources was a common practice of ancient warfare. In this chapter, three armies (Israel, Judah, and Edom) join together to fight against the enemy Moabites. An incredible force! But they seem to have run into a major problem… they had no water. Hundreds of thousands of thirsty soldiers and many more animals are all but useless without water. In this dire situation, we see two distinct responses from two different kings: Jehoram, the king of Israel, said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab,” while Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”
Have you ever longed to be one of Jesus’ twelve disciples? To have walked, talked and eaten with Him? I am sure that most Christians have, and who could blame them? The idea of seeing Christ in the flesh, witnessing His miracles, hearing all of His teachings firsthand – these are the things that dreams are made of. I bet that’s similar to how the “company of the prophets” felt after Elijah was taken up to heaven. Yes, they recognized that “the Spirit of Elijah [was now] resting on Elisha,” but there was something within them that still longed for Elijah – his ministry, his power, and maybe even just for the man himself. Therefore they insisted on organizing a search party to recover their spiritual icon. There efforts, however, would be in vain, as God had another plan – His work would be continued and would lack nothing through Elijah’s successor Elisha.
“Carpe diem. Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary”: In Dead Poets Society, John Keating (played by Robin Williams) used these words to inspire a group of young English students to aspire to live lives of significance. He reminded them that in just a few short years, they would be dead and fertilizing the flowers of the field. Much of our millennial generation would agree with Keating – that life is short and therefore should be lived to its fullest. How this plays out, however, varies greatly by individual. Some throw themselves into making the next hot app, dreaming of millions (if not billions) as they program away into the night. Others look for meaning in experiences, whether through travel or thrills or drugs. Still for others, romantic love is the answer. Whatever the path, meaning is the goal.