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2 Kings 5:11-14 - But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.' "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"
So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean. NASU
He was the captain of the army of Aram. He was considered a great man, he was highly respected and he was a valiant warrior. It would be easy to see how this man could be a little puffed up with pride. Naaman only has one problem. He has leprosy. He has heard he can be cured if he could make contact with the prophet of Israel who is in Samaria. So he receives permission from the king to go and connect with this prophet.
What Elisha did was not what Naaman had envisioned. Naaman thought the prophet would come out and meet him after all he is a great man in Aram. Elisha doesn't respond the way Naaman thought he would. He tells him through a messenger to go dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman becomes furious because Elisha doesn't heal Naaman the way he thought he would be healed and he goes away enraged.
Elisha, through a messenger, tells Naaman to go dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and be healed. Naaman doesn't want to do this he wants to argue about his two rivers in Damascus being better than the Jordan River. He departs in a rage. His servants approach him and speak logically to him. They ask him a question, "If the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?" The answer to their question is "Yes, he would have done it." They convince him to do what the prophet said and when he does he is healed of his leprosy.
Naaman did and because they weren't afraid to confront him he was healed of his leprosy. Friends like this are rare but count yourself blessed if you have even one. Think On This: A true friend thinks of you when all others are thinking of themselves. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Proverbs 30:8-9 - "….give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” NIV
I can't tell you the times I have heard it said and wished for it myself. "If only I could win the lottery." We all believe we can handle money better than the ones who win it. We could do so much more with it "if only" we had won the lottery. Agur does NOT want to win the lottery. His only wish is for his daily bread. He doesn't want to win the lottery nor does he want to be poor. Then he blesses us with his reasoning for only wanting his daily sustenance. If he has too much he may disown the Lord or if he is poor he may steal and dishonor his God.
When was the last time you walked to a well with containers to get water for you and your family? When was the last time you went to the store and bought just enough food to feed your family for that day and had no idea how you were going to purchase tomorrow'sfood? Yet, some of our Christian brothers and sisters live this way everyday. We get upset when our electricity goes out for an hour but some live in homes where there is no electricity, at all, ever. I wash my clothes in a washing machine and yet I have pictures of children washing their clothes in a creek.
Think On These: Two great tests of character are wealth and poverty. No person is so poor that he can't give a compliment. Children who are reared in poverty have two meal choices - take it or leave it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Mark 7:24 - Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.
NASU
Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate. There you go that has to be one of the biggest sins known to man, eating without washing your hands. Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees and scribes and they want to know, "Why His disciples don't follow the tradition of the elders?" Jesus, as is His custom, doesn't answer their question. He either quotes a scripture about them or asks them a question which if they answer gets them in trouble. Jesus quotes to them words from the prophet Isaiah: Mark 7:6-8 - And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."
They read their Bibles everyday, they are able to quote scripture, they use their lips to praise God but their hearts are far away from Him.
Yet, it was exactly the opposite because the Pharisees became the hypocrites and were moved further away from God. Do yourself a favor today and inspect your life. Do you need downtime because you are tired of dealing with people's pettiness? Or is it your pettiness which is causing others to want some downtime? Think On These: Christianity doesn't fail. It is people who fail Christianity. If Christianity means something to you, live so it will mean something to others. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 1 Samuel 14:6-7 - Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire." NASB
One thing life has taught me is we all need one friend who will protect our back. We all need what I call a "Back to Back Brother." A "Back to Back Brother" is one you can always count on especially when you are in one of life's battles.
The Lord is not constrained to save by many or by few. What a powerful declaration of one's faith. Jonathan didn't need the Israeli Army to conquer the Philistines. God could use Jonathan and his armor bearer and He will do exactly that.
The armor bearer tells Jonathan "turn yourself" or in other words take off towards the Philistines for I am right behind you. The armor bearer was saying, "where you go, I go." I have been blessed in my life to have had a few friends exactly like this armor bearer. Friends who have had my back when I like Jonathan desired to do something crazy for the Lord. To my "Back to Back Brothers and Sisters" I say sincerely, "Thanks for your amazing trustworthiness." You know who you are and I could not have accomplished what I accomplished without you having my back.
Think On These: We are on the wrong track when we think of friendship as something to get - rather than something to give. A loyal friend is one who sticks up for you even when you are not there. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Prov. 23:9 - Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words. NASU
Why? There mind is made up by what they believe. They believe they are correct in spite of the truth or reports contrary to what they believe. This type of person is called a "fool" in the Bible. I had a professor in college who would tell us men you are going to meet a lot of people in the world who you will not be able to convince with the truth, the Word of God. Why? They are traveling around with this motto: "Don't Confuse Me With The Facts, My Mind Is Made Up." In other words, no matter what you say to them they are not going to change their mind. We sometimes call this type of person "stubborn" but God calls them "fools".
I can not begin to tell you how much more money would be in my bank account if I had only listened to my parents. I simply and incorrectly thought I was smarter than others and would not get caught like others. I was a "fool" for many years.
This one passage of scripture has helped me more times than I can count: Prov. 15:22 - "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed." Did that nugget of gold grab you like it did me? Here is my interpretation of that passage of scripture: "Without Consultation" or in other words without talking your plans over with others your plans are going to experience frustration, BUT with many counselors or many consultants your plans will succeed.
Let me give you an example: If you wanted to know something about learning how to wrestle (for yourself, your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter) my advice, find a coach who knows about wrestling. Every year successful coaches offer wrestling camps and I would enroll my child in one of these camps near you. Just Google any one of these names and you will find out about their camps. Some top wrestling camps in the US (Cary Kolat, Tom or Terry Brands, Pat Santoro, Tom Ryan, Sean Bormet and these are just a few) Remember don't lose the key: finding someone you trust. Think On These: The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance. A wise man learns from the experience of others. An ordinary man learns from his own experiences. A fool learns from nobody's experiences. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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