What Do YOU Do?

No, I haven't been on vacation or otherwise engaged, it's just been difficult to add anything meaningful to what we've been reading this week. I was going to force myself to write today just to prove I wasn't dead, but luckily (and I think you can infer my thoughts on "luck"), there was something for me today.

Naaman wanted to be healed of leprosy and traveled to Israel to eventually meet with Elisha. He's willing to pay:

10 talents silver           750 lbs.     $416,160

6,000 shekels gold      150 lbs.  $3,616,800

10 sets of clothes                                   ???

And you think health care is expensive today--I don't think Dr. Pratt bills $4 million for a colonoscopy, but then again, I have been to his house...

So, if you're willing to shell out $4 million to be healed, I'm going to assume that you would follow the advice of the healer. Elisha tells Naaman to wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River. In terms of healing, this is pretty easy. Consider some modern-day health issues and their solutions:

Obesity                     Eat less, exercise

Heart disease           Stop smoking, eat better

Lung disease            Stop smoking

Acid reflux                Stop drinking, stop smoking

As far as health solutions go, washing in a river 7 times is pretty easy. Naaman's servants wisely pointed out if he had been asked to do something monumental, he would have done it, so Naaman did the relatively mundane and was cured. This has DIRECT relevance to us today. We can all tell when God wants us to do something. God plants a bug in our ear that will not go away, and often, this is not a major item (become a missionary, sell your home and give everything to the poor), but something minor (call someone, do something at church). As often as not, we act JUST LIKE NAAMAN--we huff and puff instead of just doing the small (not unimportant, just not difficult) task that God asked us to do. In other words, we want things OUR way, just as Naaman wanted it his way.

I wish I could say this will change for us and we'll eventually accede to the Lord willingly, but I doubt that will happen--we're just as stiff-necked and stubborn as ever. No, we'll continue to fight with God, but our job is to constantly ask him to remove the scales from our eyes. If he did it for Naaman, he'll certainly do it for us.

Scott