OT DAY 535 - God Would Punish Severely to His Servants (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

       Blessed be the Lord,
          for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
          when I was in a besieged city.

        

                                     Psalm 31:21 

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (2 Kings 5:15-27)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+5&version=ESV

20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me fromthe hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’” 23 And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25 He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants?27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow.                                              2 Kings 5:20-27

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

    My Listening

            Elisha healed Naaman's leprosy, but Elisha's servant Gehazi got leprosy because of his greed! What a contrast! Do you know God's punishment to His servants can be severe, terrible and without mercy. 

           

     Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

     (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) : 

            In Luke 4, Jesus hints at a different significance in Elisha's cleansing of Naaman rather than an Israelite with his disorder: it is a kind of judgment on Israel itself. If this is one warning note in the story, another is the tailpiece about Gehazi. You could say he is just being practical. He seems to be Elisha's senior aide, and maybe he has the job of making the household finances work. But his action confuses the message that emerges from the action of the man of God and the God who stands behind him, and he pays a terrible price. 

   

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.125-126.

      Do you think Gehazi learned from this hard lesson and became Elisha's disciple? I think so. You can read 2 Kings 8:1-6 and you know Gehazi appeared again and the Bible describes him as Elisha's servant again and he did something good for the woman whose son Elisha resurrected in chapter 5.
      Wow! God gives us many second chance! God allows crisis, sickness, tragedy to happen to our lives in order for us to totally trust Him. God gives us  punishment in order that we can learned some hard lesson, repent and become a teachable disciple.
      Count His blessings now to be certain of how God loves you and want to raise you up to be his faithful and powerful servant.

    Dear Lord Jesus,
    Help us to remove all those greedy desires so that we can totally trust you and your provision.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

    

Reflect on these questions:

    1. Do you think God can punish people like that, even His servants?

2. What would your respond to God's punishment if you were Gehazi?

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

四十天的"破. 立"靈修:

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