Letting Go

Read It: 2 Kings 2:2-3 (NRSV)

2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” 

Learn It:

Elijah had been a prophet for quite a while in the land of Israel and it was time for him to be taken up into heaven.  He had been training Elisha to take his place and it was time for Elijah to be taken up into heaven.  Elisha, knowing this, follows him everywhere to try to keep him in his sight so that God won't take him up into heaven just yet.  Elisha does this 3 times in fact...see verses 2 (above), 4, and 6.  Even a prophet as wonderful as Elisha had doubts and reservations about his calling and about letting someone who had been his mentor go.

Share It:

What kind of reservations do you have about things going on in your life right now?  Are you holding onto something from the past that you need to let go?  Talk with your family about something that you might be holding on to that you know you need to let go of but can't seem to do it.  Is there anything holding you back that prevents you from fully being yourself or keeps you from doing the things that you really want to be doing?  What are they and how can you help each other work with them?  Share these thoughts and others with your family as they come up during your time together.

Live It:

Take some time this week thinking about those things that you need to let go.  Maybe it's a grudge or maybe it's something you've been mad about or sad about.  Give a prayer up to God to ask for God to take those things from you and help you to move one and let go of the thing you need to let go.  I hope as you move forward in the week that that 'thing' no longer dwells on your heart or mind.

God's Ways

Read It: 2 Kings 5:9-14 (NRSV)

 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. 

Learn It:

Oftentimes we think of God as doing mighty works and miracles and we sometimes even think that they do need to be hard or difficult for them to be real or genuine.  In this reading, however, we learn that God can work in simple and small ways.  What a wonderful thing to learn...God at work in the simple ways of life.  Sure God created the world and even destroyed it in the flood but God works in the small a simple ways of life.  Sometimes we are baffled by what God does or how God does it but we need to always remember that God's ways are not our ways.

Share It:

What are some ways that you have seen God at work in the world that were small and simple ways?  What ways have you seen God at work in mighty ways?  Would you prefer to have God ask you to do something simple or something difficult to be changed like Namaan?  Talk about these questions and other things as they come up during your share it time together.  

Live It:

Spend the week listening for God's voice and listen to how God wants you to do things.  You might be surprised at how God's ways might be simpler or easier than you think.  

Costume Change

Read It:  1 Corinthians 9:16-23

16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. 19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Learn It:

What an interesting conversation Paul is having here.  I always like to tell people to be true to themselves.  Don't change because God has called you just as you are to do the work with the gifts you already have.  Paul, however, seems to say that we (or maybe he's just speaking about himself and not necessarily to us) need to be all things to all people.  It would be as if we needed to act like a politician to be able to have politicians understand us. Or we need to act and think like a small business owner to get through to small business owners.  Now I'm not sure if Paul is saying this but it reminds me of Martin Luther's great saying that we need to 'sin boldly'.  The whole reason Luther said that was so that through our sinning the grace of God might work even harder in the world.  I think there might be some connection here but I think the whole point of Paul's talk here is to say that we need to go and interact with other people so that they too might be saved through the Gospel.  

Share It:

What are some ways that you might be able to do things differently so that you can fit in with people that you might not normally hang out with?  What are some creative ways that you can come up with as a family that could help you share the story of Jesus with other people?  What are some creative or new ways that you have experienced the Gospel shared with you or that you have seen?  Come up with some solid ideas and ways that could help you be 'all things to all people' so that you can share God's love.  

Live It:

This week simply try one of the plans you came up with to share the Gospel with someone that is different from you.  See how maybe thinking like them might help you share God's love with them.  

P.S. Sorry the weekly devotionals haven't been up.  We lost internet the other week and this being internet only it got put aside and forgotten about...but now it's back!