Asides

May 8
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“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!’” (2 Kings 5:13, NIV)

The disciple of Jesus does well to guard against the popular temptation to be “heroic,” as in aspiring only to do something “big” for God.  God is not impressed with heroism; but God is impressed with obedience — including obedience in the smallest things.

Naaman (a hero in his own right as a warrior and as the commander of the king’s army), was ready to do the big thing for God. However, he became angry when he was asked to do a menial task toward the same result. 

Remember, it pleased God to deploy a youthful novice with a slingshot against Goliath’s sword and the shield; it pleased God to use a little boy’s lunch of fish and bread in the satisfaction of the multitude’s hunger; it pleased God to rely on the simple testimony of common women and men to announce the resurrection of Jesus. 

Be ready, always, to do the “small” thing in obedience to God.  – Luther

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May 7
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“So Elisha left him [Elijah] and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.” (I Kings 19:21, NIV)

Talk about burning bridges — with style!

As disciples of Jesus, when we are committed to Him, nothing/no one else matters; but it doesn’t give us license to be disrespectful or ungracious to others.

When Elisha received from God the call to become Elijah’s successor, Elisha asked for permission from Elijah to properly bid farewell to his mother and father (verse 20).  That was the respectful thing to do.

Elisha then sacrificed the implements of his former life (the plowing equipment and the oxen) and from them hosted a huge “barbecue” for his neighbors. That was the gracious thing to do.

We may not be able to choose our destination, but we are able to choose how we go. Let us strive to be respectful and gracious in all that we do.  – Luther

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May 6
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“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:38-39, NIV)

“You can’t go home again,” is the title of a famous book written by Thomas Wolfe (1940).  Returning home is not always a pleasant option. It certainly was not a cheerful thought for the man in today’s scripture, for whom Jesus had liberated from the tyranny of demon-possession.

Perhaps he feared the taunts of those who remembered him in his former state. Perhaps he thought that his new life warranted a fresh start in a new place.  Perhaps he thought that he could do more for the reputation of Jesus as a part of the Master’s entourage than he could by returning to the skeptical folks at home. 

However, Jesus had other ideas.  “Return home and tell how much God has done for you,” Jesus told the man. He is telling you and me the same thing today. 

Our task is a simple one: Tell what God has done for you. 

Be bold. Give God the glory. No one can tell your story better than you. Be faithful in this simple task.  – Luther

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