One Who Resists Authority

Scripture: Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2

Observation: Paul commands believers to obey the government. While it may be tempting to think that Paul's message could not apply to this day and age, for he did not understand the future state of government, Paul was - in fact - speaking to Christians living in Rome. These were individuals persecuted by the government for failing to worship the emperor himself. These were people who knew the government itself opposed God and opposed them. Yet Paul tells them to submit to authority ... not to disavow God, but to obey the laws and government.

Application: Once again, a word is invoked that today carries a different tone. Previously we have seen "love" and "pride" used by people who oppose God nature in manipulative or misunderstood way. Here, we see the same with the word "resist". In the U.S. today, "resist" is a hashtag proudly posted to fight the government. Paul was explicitly clear ... resisting authority is to be opposed to God.

Again, Paul is not saying this lightly, given the Roman context. Nor is this a "comply with societal norms" message. This is a "submit to normal governmental rule" message, and trust that God is in control when it comes to managing the nations. We can figure out the exceptions (like acts of state sponsored genocide), but certainly we can trust God in our current circumstances.

Prayer: Lord, I trust you in everything, also knowing that the times are indeed dark. We see brother against father, and ethnicities in opposition. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Fruit of the Mouth

Scripture:
From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is satisfied;
he is filled with the product of his lips.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:20-21

Observation: Proverbs is full of statements warning against the use of words. In this short passage, the writer attributes personal satisfaction and fulfillment to the use of the mouth. As one declares, they may therefore think about themselves and their lives. But of course, what they declare may be good or sin, life or death, humble or prideful, and how that fruit is produced then influences how one lives.

Application: While I am the victim of slander, but I must very, very careful not to retaliate in any way that is hurtful or dishonest. I have a challenge set before me by God ... and challenge to grow and mature in humility. I can choose life or death - potentially to myself or to others - and I must choose life. I must remain silent, truthful, and humble. I must not attack and hurt. I may defend myself, but I need to do so with proper attention.

No, this will NOT be easy. Often have I thought in the last two weeks about how my righteous anger will burn. However, I must absolutely not do that. My mouth must produce fruit, not fire.

Prayer: Lord, I pray again for my accusers. They have problems in their lives beyond any I have experienced, and I honestly feel sorry for them. May they learn of your love, and may they at least receive kindness that aids them in discerning a better life for themselves. I trust in your protection, so please assist me in patience and goodness so I do not hurt others. Amen.

Giving God all my Worship

Scripture:
Oh, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments
and untraceable His ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?
Or who has ever first given to Him,
and has to be repaid?
For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36

Observation: Before entering into his full instructions about how to live the Christian life, Paul gives us a worship song. He calls out that God is all powerful and all knowing. God is wise and just. There is no one who can give counsel or gifts or riches to God, for he owns and commands all things.

This is the ultimate summary of Paul's discussions about our state as believers. We believe in Jesus, but we have nothing more to bring to the table to offer God. As believers, we cannot then advise God or give him any earthly things. God doesn't need our earthly stuff. Paul has spent several chapters discussing the meaning of our faith and how it came to be given to us as a gift from God, and he is about to state that therefore what we must give to God is simply ourselves body, mind, and spirit. But in between is this song of worship ... God have given the greatest love to us, and there is nothing of earth that we can give in return.

Application: I see an irony in Paul stating we can give God nothing ... as the lyrics of a worship song. We can give God our worship, adoration, thanksgiving, praise, honor. Yes, these are the giving of ourselves that Paul is about to speak of, but worship is what we have. It is not of earth, but it is also of spirit, and it is eternal.

I give to God my heartfelt worship. Lord, you are worthy to be praised! May my lips forever sing of your glory and love.

Prayer: Lord, I will sing of your love forever. I know my help comes from the Lord, the creator of heaven of earth. To you my heart belongs. When I stumble daily in my walk with you, and I do stumble daily, I will still seek to praise you and worship you as the Lord of my life. Forever may I honor you, my Lord and my God. Amen.

Seeking Simplicity from Complexity

Scripture: These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn, but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. Although Judah became strong among his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright was given to Joseph. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2

Observation: The position and treatment of Reuben is complicated. He is the firstborn of Jacob. He is born to Leah at a time she is 'unloved' by Jacob, though we know later Leah is honored in her burial as the first wife of Jacob. There is this issue of Reuben's defilement of Jacob's bed. One interpretation is that he slept with Bilhah, Rachel's maid and mother of Dan and Naphtali.

Another interpretation is that he literally destroyed Bilhah's bed so that Jacob would stop sleeping with her and thus favor his mother Leah. There is a Jewish tradition that he was truly penitent of this by taking oaths associated with fasting and daily meditation, confessed his sin to protect his brothers, and made it his life's mission to protect his brothers as the eldest despite the punishment from his father. Reuben is the one who convinces the other brothers not to kill Joseph, lament's Joseph's sale/disappearance, and interprets famine as punishment from God.

For all of this, he loses his birthright to Joseph, loses ancestral leadership to Judah and Levi (both also son's of Leah), and (by their choice) his tribe becomes one of the tribes that does not cross the Jordan.

Reuben is complicated. He might be conniving and lustful, violating his stepmother's maid and manipulating circumstances to gain forgiveness and position. He might be misunderstood, seeking only to protect his mother and later his entire family while actively practicing reverence to God to forgive any misdeeds. Today, while limited texts and documented traditions remain, only God knows for certain.

Application: God knows the truth of all people's circumstances. He knows the truth about me. He knows I seek good, but am very flawed. He knows I truly want to love others, while often thinking poorly of others. He knows I am a joyful and funloving person, who is way too quick to anger. God knows I am ... complicated.

I wish I was simple. Complexity comes from being dual-minded - a problem Paul wrote about several times - seeking to do one thing, but yet doing something else. This complexity is the source of many sorrows in all lives, including mine. I do wish I could find a way to be single-threaded in my thinking, with that thread being to follow the way of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, please simplify my mind and my heart. I ask that you help me to place all things into the single context of Jesus' love and your kingdom on earth. May my every thought and deed begin and end with the focus on "thy will be done". Amen.

Christ is the End State

Scripture: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4

Observation: In one sentence, Paul summarizes this thought ... the entire concept of Jewish law culminates in the Lordship of Jesus. For this reason, while the Jews are zealous for God, they fail to "know" God because they do not yet know Jesus. Instead, they look inward to their efforts associated with legal compliance, and as a result fail to discover the righteousness of God in Jesus.

Application: In the end, God's righteousness is found in a loving relationship. This is where I have most often failed. I defend doing the "right" thing, and not the "loving" or "kind" thing. This is the only reason I exist - to worship God, and be kind to others. One without the other isn't enough.

Prayer: Lord, I do see my flaws and faults. I have never claimed to be perfect, and some days I have never claimed to be average. May I become better most days. I desire to serve and worship you, but serving others with kindness. May I embrace joy, and be a source of joy. And mostly, may I pass your love onto others. Amen.

Shepherd for a Day

Scripture: Jacob fled to the land of Aram.
Israel worked to earn a wife;
he tended flocks for a wife.
The Lord brought Israel from Egypt by a prophet,
and Israel was tended by a prophet.
Hosea 12:12-13

Observation: In his proclamation against Israel, Hosea uses two examples of how a faithful act is performed ... by shepherding. Jacob served 14 years to earn his wife. Meanwhile, God himself called the shepherd Moses to become the prophet that led Israel from Egypt.

A shepherd has patience. A shepherd stands watch and cares for those in his care, protecting them from harm. A shepherd leads the flock to a new pasture when needed, and provides them water at the proper time. A shepherd steps forward when harm is near to protect everybody else, even when those others have little earthly value.

These are the men Hosea speaks of as examples for Israel, and as the prototypes that the Lord calls to perform his purposes time and time again.

Application: Today, a former employee told me of my impact on her life. I cried. I had no idea I had ... comforted her through deaths in her family, given her strength with the challenges of her son, provided her hope for her career, mentored her success, and become a "father figure".

I feel like maybe - just maybe - I was a shepherd for a while. And perhaps that is the role I should really be seeking in life.

Prayer: Lord, today was a great day, in a way that only you could have provided. In the midst of struggle and pain, who gave me great joy and hope. I love you, Lord, SO much!! As you guide me through this dark valley, please feel free to take me to wherever you need me. Amen.

Good for Those who Love God

Scripture: We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. Roman 8:28

Observation: As Paul examines the struggles of life, he outlines an entire treatise on the power of God's love to sustain the faithful through trials and challenges. He says that suffering is meaningless in the context of eternal glory, that our struggles exist explicitly to reveal the joy of God's love that emerges from the struggles, that even when we are distraught the Holy Spirit knows our needs and joins with us, and our victory is sure because God himself is with us ... so who can be against us.

In all of this, Paul acknowledges the struggles themselves, but treats them as a symptom of this world that God uses to both grow faith and increase joy.

Application: I never thought I would have reason to blog on this best-known and oft-quoted verse of Romans ...

I have often thought that mighty trials have not befallen me. Well, they are here, and the attack is aggressive and oppressive. I wasn't ready for it, and as I become stronger I know the attack will strengthen too. I can see a lot of bad outcomes ahead, and very few "good" outcomes. And honestly ... that is why God's victory will be all the more loving and joyful for me! It is probably true that I needed my faith to grow, and now that I have nothing left but that faith, I feel it swell within me. Sure, sometimes it ebbs as well, but certainly I am confident even this thing works together for the good, as I love God.

Prayer: My Lord and my God. Abba. Please provide for me. I lean into your promises, with full faith in your love and might. I don't see a way forward, but I don't need to, either. You are with me while I walk through this valley of my enemies. Thank you for your great love. Amen.

I am Just a Man

I'm not a saint, I have no doubt,
Here in my weakness working it out ...

Give me courage, give me faith,
Wherever you lead, I'll follow you ...

I can't walk on the water,
I can't stand in the fire,
I can't conquer a giant,
Or shut the mouth of a lion ...

You can.

Rejoice in our Afflictions

Scripture: And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Observation: This is a promise of God ... our afflictions and tribulations and trials and challenges have a purpose, and that purpose is to strengthen - not damage - our relationship with God by strengthening our hope and dependence upon God. We will instead learn of God's love, poured out upon our everyday lives, and reinforce our understanding of his love for us through Jesus.

Application: I sit in a time of affliction, attempting to endure, and actively striving to place my hope in God. Honestly, I am wavering a little, but that is certainly because of my nature to control, and today I have little control over anything. I am seeing that praying for and hoping for God's love and God's control is, in fact, my best-case scenario. And that encourages me! I am indeed confident in his love, and I understand that any outcome is by his plan and purpose.

My life, my family, my career, and all that has come with it ... it has always been a gift from God, and completely under his command and control. I know better than anyone that I have not earned anything that I have. Ever. It is foolish of me to ever consider how I can then manage these things. So I surrender them to the Lord, knowing that this affliction will, in fact, fulfill his promises of love and protection. As I sit here today, I trust fully in the Lord, as his love is poured upon me.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love this day, and every day. I prayed for a promise, as I have done often, and you delivered within seconds. You alone are my hope, my Lord, my savior. I praise you in this storm. Amen.

I am Poor and Needy

Today, I simply pray into this ...

Listen, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Protect my life, for I am faithful.
You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I call to You all day long.
Bring joy to Your servant’s life,
because I turn to You, Lord.
For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,
rich in faithful love to all who call on You.
Lord, hear my prayer;
listen to my plea for mercy.
I call on You in the day of my distress,
for You will answer me.

Lord, there is no one like You among the gods,
and there are no works like Yours.
All the nations You have made
will come and bow down before You, Lord,
and will honor Your name.
For You are great and perform wonders;
You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, Yahweh,
and I will live by Your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.
I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor Your name forever.
For Your faithful love for me is great,
and You deliver my life from the depths of Sheol.

God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men seeks my life.
They have no regard for You.
But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.
Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give Your strength to Your servant;
save the son of Your female servant.
Show me a sign of Your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because You, Lord, have helped and comforted me.

Psalm 86

A Context for Lawful Knowledge

Scripture: Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. Romans 3:19-20

Observation: As one of the reasons Paul gives for salvation coming through faith and not works are two statements here. First, that the law applies only to those who are subject to the law, which may be interpreted as only the Jews, or only those who know the law. Second, that since the purpose of the law is to educate about sin, that the law itself only creates a context for sin - without knowledge of law, we do not know sin - and therefore the law cannot be a good end-result, but rather just a way to avoid the badness of sin.

As Peter says, Paul's writing is confusing, and this section is certainly that. However, at its foundation this principle is sound. Those who do not know the law, know nothing of God. Therefore, while they will indeed someday be judged, that judgment will not be based on legal compliance. Likewise, for those who know the law, they will not be justified and found innocent by compliance with the law, but rather only their iniquities will be judged based upon the law. In this way, then, the law cannot ever be protection from judgment, for Jew or Gentile, for believer or non-believer.

Application: This section outlines the ignorance of legalism, and of judgment of non-believers. Paul leads directly into justification by faith in Jesus, and includes "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" as verse 23. There is no way to achieve justification before the father but by faith in Jesus as the son of God.

It is in this context that non-believers should be treated. If the goal is to love them and aid them in seeking salvation, there is only one topic and issue of importance. It is belief in Jesus, not law, sin, or behavior. When it comes to these concepts, those of us who now know - and are thus subject to - the law, would be well enough to worry about ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, may I represent only a concern about faith in Jesus this week to others. I strive to comply with the law, as a person who loves you and thus seeks to do your will, but when it comes to others please aid me in focusing on faith alone. I am open to your appointments this week. Amen.

Applauding Others Who Practice Them

Scripture: For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Romans 1:21

Observation: What follows after this verse is a perfect description of ... society today. Mankind claims to be wise, worships things they have created, pursues wealth, are greedy and wicked, are overly proud and boastful of their own success, hate their parents and are disobedient to all authority, are untrustworthy and unmerciful, practices immoral acts and sexual practices, and in the end actually celebrate and applaud each other for these practices. This happens even though they know that the results are death. In fact, they have given up on life, expecting only death.

Again, Paul wrote this to the Romans ~1,950 years ago, but he could have been writing it to the USA last week and it would be spot-on accurate. Everything he said describes our current state of attitude toward God: refusing to acknowledge the creator, praising ourselves, doing as we please, openly celebrating sins ... and so collectively desponded in our hopelessness that depression and drugs are uncontrolled epidemics among us.

Application: I do not see a way forward when our society is so clearly called out in this way. Yet Paul did see a way forward. Paul viewed this condition as terrible, but with an answer. Today, even though that answer - Jesus - has been openly and actively rejected by many, it remains the way forward. Jesus is the hope of this world, and he always has been. The Church is his only plan for delivering this message.

Prayer: Lord, please give us the strength and courage and hope to present Jesus to this lost and hurting world. The resistance seems insurmountable to us. May we, as your body of believers, have faith enough to say to the mountains 'move'. And may your kingdom come. Amen.

Better is One Day in your Courts

How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Lord of Hosts.
I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2

Concluding the Historical Narrative

Scripture: Therefore, let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen! Acts 28:28

Observation: The last recorded words of Paul are this ... that God is redeeming the Gentiles, because the Jews won't listen. Paul has used the Jewish scriptures, laws, and prophets, to persuade the Jews about Jesus, but concludes it with a passage straight out of Isaiah predicting that the Jews will refuse to listen and will turn away from God. Again. The Jews ... with God now leaving them behind, and soon their nation to once again removed and Jerusalem overrun and occupied ... are once again in exile.

And with that, Paul - and by way of the narrative of Acts, the Church - turns its focus on the Gentiles, and in partnering with the people of "Roman world". We know Paul spends two years teaching in Rome, and we know from history how others spread the word to the rest of the Roman empire.

Application: This is the moment of the closure of the 'historical' accounts of the Bible, as the remaining books are letters written mostly prior to this moment and sent to believers. It is sad. God chose a family through whom to bring about salvation to the world, and that family repeatedly ignored him.

Just like I do. How God puts up with my daily wandering and stiff-necked attitude, I do not know. My pride and failures are profound and continual. I deserve to have God turn his back on me, and go forward to other people to save them.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus! I believe in salvation through faith, and I know that I could never possibly be saved through any other means. I cannot be good enough. I fail you daily, and I am so very, very sorry for that. Please forgive me, and please continue to be patient with me. I honestly seek and new, softer heart, a heart that yearns only for your goodness, and that loves others greatly. May I continue to grow, with your aid and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Someday Everyone will Know

Scripture:
Cover their faces with shame
so that they will seek Your name Yahweh.
Let them be put to shame and terrified forever;
let them perish in disgrace.
May they know that You alone -
whose name is Yahweh -
are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 83:16-18

Observation: As the psalmist seeks punishment against - and protection from - enemies, yet he concludes not with a curse, but with a hope. The hope is that these enemies will learn that Yahweh is the true God and Lord of all the earth. He may want the enemy struck down, but he also wants them to discover the truth and find a belief. It isn't desired just to shame them or kill them or defeat them, but rather to also convince - and maybe convert - them.

Application: I was thinking just this Sunday about Revelation, and the idea that "every knee will bow" someday. There will come a time when everyone will know the Lord is God, and Jesus is the source of salvation. Everyone will know these truths. It may not change their destiny, and it may just be that they will discover they chose wrongly ... but all will know.

I still pray that many people I know do not learn this the hard way. I wish they would learn and believe while there is time to receive the gift of salvation. I pray they are not like the Assyrians, who will learn only when God kills their army and drives them away, so they learn to simply return to their faithless lives. It may be comforting to know that, someday, all will know the truth, yet I still hope that many do not simply 'know' but can believe soon.

Prayer: Lord, I have friends who remain far from you. They hear, and they ignore. They see, and they turn away. They perceive, and yet they do not learn. Please call them. I understand their free will, yet I ask that your love be renewed toward them and manifested in ways they must acknowledge and reconsider. May we awaken this corner of the world, Lord, for your glory alone. Amen.

Honoring God and Not His Gifts

Scripture: He [Hezekiah] did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned incense to it up to that time. He called it Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. 2 Kings 18:3-5

Observation: As the kings of Judah continue back and forth in their obedience to God, Hezekiah is a special king. His obedience rises to the level of David. However, he goes one step further ... he destroys the bronze snake of Moses. This was a snake made in the wilderness during a time when the Israelites were grumbling against God, and God has sent a plague of poisonous snakes into their camp. Looking upon the snake could heal them of the poison.

The fact the snake still existed is new information in the narrative of Israel, and the fact they were burning incense to it is troubling. It was not listed an as item to go into the tent of meeting, nor is it included as part of Solomon's temple. Where and how this honor and worship toward this item is done is not previously stated. It was always a disturbing thing - a cast image of an animal upon which God had ordered a certain level of trust to be given to it. However, that was always intended for just one time, during the plague in the wilderness. It is unclear when the bronze snake received an elevated position within Judah, but Hezekiah is the first to recognize it for the sin it has caused and purge it along with the Asherah poles, high places, and other practices.

Application: God does create special items from time to time to help us with our faith. However, they are not themselves to ever replace God. Any meaning or honor placed upon them must be honor to God, not the item. This includes events and places. When I prayed for direction related to this summer, and received clear signs ... those signs must not become honored things, but rather acknowledged to be of the Lord.

This is another way that things can become idols - when things "of God" are given independent honor. This is a trap to keep my eyes open for.

Prayer: Lord, you have richly blessed my family. May I never look upon your blessings as things to be independently honored or worshiped. I see you in all elements of my life, Lord. I seek to honor you alone in all those things. Amen.

The Failure of Public Argument

Scripture: When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all. Acts 23:7-8

Observation: Paul recognizes there are both Pharisees and Sadducees present at his questioning, and so makes the declaration that the real source of his persecution is his claim in the resurrection of the dead. This is true - Paul has declared Jesus is resurrected and alive, as the Messiah. However, the fact that these two major religious groups disagree about this theological point kicks off a heated - and then violent - argument.

It is an interesting approach. Paul pronounces a statement in support of a theological principle, and then sits back and watches the religious leaders fall apart. They have lost sight of the "real" reason they are mad at Paul - he declares Jesus as Messiah - and have turned their attention to a single element of religious understanding about which they have specific and limited disagreement ... to the point that eventually the Romans come, ignore the foolish religious leaders, and get Paul out of there and let the Sanhedrin continue in chaos.

Application: This is, of course, how Satan attacks the Church. He identifies those areas where we have minor disagreement, tricks us into public argument, then allows outsiders to simply recognize that Christianity must be crazy. Some of our disagreements are obscure (proper baptism practices, prayer methods, sainthood), and some resonate with all people (leadership standards, the handling of moral failings, drinking and eating of certain things).

Church people engage, and non-believers scratch their heads and think "religion" is stupid. Every one of these arguments is immediately lost by all of us in the context of Jesus and the great commission.

Is one side right and the other wrong? Yes, but I am more convinced than ever that that 'yes' is conditional on situation. At levels that need to care and teach about scriptural authority, yes these things matter. At levels that need to address basic human needs and demonstrate God's love of all people ... no, these things not only may not matter, but likely hinder. As the Church, we need to start figuring this out.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me, my brothers and sisters, and our entire community when we fail to demonstrate Jesus to the world. Jesus, your Church is comprised of flawed humans, of which I count myself in both membership and failings. May we find enough of the wisdom of your Spirit in our daily walk to at least not fight in public. Amen.

Obedience Doesn't Need Drama

Scripture: But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” 2 Kings 5:13

Observation: Naaman, seeking to be cured of a skin disease, receives a simply instruction from Elisha - go wash in the Jordan river - and gets mad about it. He expected ... magic. He thought Elisha would see him, chant, waive his arms, and 'poof' a miracle would occur. "Go wash" seems useless at best, if not insulting, and certainly without greatness and drama. It is Naaman's servant who puts it all in context. Effectively, if Elisha would have assigned Naaman a great and epic quest for redemption, Naaman would have done it gladly, so ... how awesome is it that all he has to do is go wash!

God's ways are mysterious, but that is because they are often simple. Their difficulty lies not in the work to be done, but in the faith to be applied. Naaman had washed his skin many, many, many times. Therefore, washing his skin seven times was not point. Obeying the instructions of God was the point.

Application: What simply thing has God asked me to do, but I am not due to a lack of faith? I seek humility in my service, but am I listening to the small requests of God, or just taking on projects? I feel somehow this applies to the stress in our family. My big job is to care for my family, but I am not doing some little job that would make a difference for my wife, my son, and/or my daughter. This may be because I am not seeking that little job.

Prayer: Lord, I come to you and know on your door. You do not need to come see me, just send a word. What should I be doing? I want to serve my family and help them through all this stress and change. Please provide me with your instructions, and in faith I will obey. Amen.