Focal Passage: 2 Kings 5:1-14
Think about this: You go to the doctor when you are sick and he determines what is wrong with you. What happens next? He tells you what needs to be done to fix it. But, does him TELLING you how to fix the problem make it better? No. Does him JUST HANDING you the medicine to take home fix it? No. What must be done? You actually have to take the medicine. You have to internalize it, or it doesn’t work.
Many of us have heard this story from 2 Kings before. Here we have a commander of the army of the king of Syria who is a leper. The king was given a letter with a request to heal Naaman of his leprosy. The King in anguish tore his clothes saying, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” Elisha, a prophet of God, hears this and sends a messenger to Naaman telling him to go wash in the Jordan seven times and he will be clean. But, this only made Naaman angry. Not only did Elisha himself not come to him, but he sent him to the Jordan to wash, instead one of the “better waters of Israel.” He turned and went away. But, his servants didn’t give up on him. They talked him into taking Elisha’s advice and dipping himself in the waters. Naaman went to the Jordan and dipped seven times and he was made clean.
What do you think would have happened if Naaman only dipped five or six times? What do you think would be the outcome if Naaman decided that he wasn’t going to listen to Elisha’s advice because it was coming from a messenger instead of Elisha himself? What do you think would have come about if Naaman decided he was above dunking in the Jordan? He would have missed the beauty of being clean. He would have missed what God had for him.
It’s the same way with us. Just like Naaman, we have to “take our medicine.” And all of it. If we are sick and only take our medicine until we fill better instead of the entire prescription, we often get sick again. Why is this? Because we aren’t truly healed yet. If we would have just listened to the doctor and taken our medicine as prescribed, we wouldn’t be in this situation. We would be clean. With Christ, we’ve got to do the same thing. We have to make it personal. It’s not enough to KNOW and admit there is a cure. We have to accept it, giving ourselves up to it. We have to GIVE HIM control of our life. ALL we have must belong to Christ. We often think, or I know I do at least, that I know what’s best for myself. This is not the case. Just as the doctor knew what would best heal you, Christ does as well. He has your best interest in mind when He commands us to give it ALL to Him. He knows that when we give it all up, it’s then that we will we truly receive the greater blessing, Himself.
In order to do this, to give all to Christ, we must first come to the truth of who we are. We must realize that just talking about meeting needs and our desires does nothing. We can’t just hold our medicine, even if it’s the cure we are holding. We must take it. In order for it to be effective, we must first know who we are personally. We must embrace that person, those talents and gifts we’ve been given. We must search our lives and see where our pursuit is. We must be willing to look deep and see what we are willing to trade in. We then must be willing to do just that. Just as in the video we watched, action is a must. What good is a cure if it’s not administered? A light bulb without power? Food not given to the hungry? They are worthless unless they are put into their proper places. There must be action. I know this is not easy. It’s not easy for me. Yet, this is my heart. My prayer is that you, along with me, will be willing to take all of your medicine. Regardless of what we must endure to do that. Regardless of what that might cause us to trade in. My prayer is that neither of us misses the beauty of being clean. My prayer is that we all take action.
