Stolen from her family, yet never bitter

2 Kings 5:3 “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”

In this story we see this little girl being used by God to bring salvation to the man that stole her from her parents. Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Syria, took the girl from her land during one of the raids, and now she was serving at his house as his wife’s maid (2 Kings 5:2).

Can you imagine what that girl might have felt living in that house? I can easily imagine a person in her circumstances wanting to escape, revenge, I can see her being sad and missing her family very much. This sadness and grief could have even possibly formed her personality and character if she let those feelings rule her heart.

Naaman was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, but yet he was a leper (2 Kings 5:1) and the girl saw it. One day she said that her master can be healed by a prophet in Samaria. Looks like she wanted good for this man and not evil! Interestingly, Naaman believed her and went to the king to tell him what the little girl said about the prophet in Samaria. It is remarkable that the girl’s character made Naaman trust her. If the girl expressed anger and hatred towards her new master, I strongly doubt he would want to believe her words. On the other hand if the girl was bitter towards the man I don’t think she would even want to tell him about the prophet either!

This little slave girl that we don’t even know the name of, she is a great example of how God can use one person who is willing to follow Him. All this girl did was she forgave her enemy and showed love to him. This was enough for Naaman to start the process that will end up with his salvation!

Have you ever felt that God will never use you to bring people to salvation? You might have thought He can use you in social service or cleaning ministry, but never in leading unbelievers to Christ. Have you ever felt inferior to the other missionaries that are being used by God so mightily while all you can do for God is to serve Him behind the scenes?

This little girl served behind the scenes. Her ministry wasn’t public – she forgave her enemy and showed love to him. Was it hard? I can imagine! We also know that she remembered the God her parents believed in. She trusted God and loved Him truly, and her life showed it. God used her obedience to Him to bring the commander of the army of the king of Syria to faith in Yahweh.

You might never find out how God used your life and obedience to Him in other people’s lives until you meet with him face to face. Remember, your impact on the world starts with your relationship with the Lord. Don’t be discouraged by what you don’t see, but be refreshed in your faith and remember that God doesn’t waste lives. He will use every person who is willing to surrender to Him.

Fell asleep during sermon? Ha, I died during one!

Acts 20:9 “And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.”

Prior to Paul’s preaching that night, he has been fleeing many places due to persecution and now he took a five day boat trip to come to Troas for another 7 days to encourage Christian leaders and depart. This was the last day of his stay in Troas.

Can you imagine all the effort it took for Paul to come to Troas, then these 7 days of hard work of building up the church, and the joy that accompanied it all along the way! Now, at the very last meeting we see a tragedy happen – a young man falls out the window and dies.

Imagine yourself in Paul’s shoes: you have been preaching and it was so good that you went on and on till midnight, and all of a sudden a young guy falls out of a window and dies! Would you feel guilty for continuing your sermon for so long? Would you feel comfortable going back up, eating and continuing the teaching for a few more hours?

I could imagine Paul telling everyone to go home and calling the night, but what would be that one thing that stayed in people’s memories the most after Paul left? Fear, confusion, grief, sadness, anger? Seems like satan was trying hard to destroy the good work God was doing through Paul.

What could we learn about Paul spiritually from the fact that he made sure Eutychus was alive, got back up and continued teaching? Did he let the distractions of this world to put a stop to the work of the Lord? Paul seems to be very much focused on his mission.

Has it ever happened to you that you served the Lord and you did something He called you to, and all of a sudden something would try to distract you and put a stop to the fruitful work of God through you? When that happens, are you going to let people’s opinion about you and the circumstances around change the course you thought God was taking you? Are you going to stop the work out of guilt or embarrassment, or maybe even fear?

Of course God doesn’t want you to ignore the Eutychus! Paul did come down and said that the boy is alive. We are to take care of people and circumstances, but although they slowed down the work, don’t let those to prevent you from finishing the work God has put in front of you. Be encouraged that God is with you and you are not alone on the journey! The more Jesus is being glorified through you, the more satan is going to try to prevent you from going forward. However, Jesus has already defeated the enemy and we can walk in His victory!

I’ve worked so hard… and you send me a snake?!

Acts 28:3 “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.”

Right before the snake crawled on Paul’s hand, him and the whole crew of prisoners and soldiers experienced shipwreck and had to swim towards the island they saw close by. I can imagine what an exhausting experience that was! Now, as they arrived to this island, the natives showed them unusual kindness and kindled a fire for the whole crowd. Praise God the natives did not get scared and did not hide away or try to kill these people!

However, everybody who survived the shipwreck must have been really tired. What do you think they were doing while the fire was being started by the natives? I can imagine everybody to just lie on the ground, or come closer to the fire and try to warm themselves up, or sitting and observing the natives. Whatever they were doing, it is very natural that they probably tried to get their energy back.

What do we see Paul do? He was gathering sticks for the fire. I can imagine it wasn’t an easy thing at this point for him to do. However, he tried to use even this situation to show the character of God. Paul’s eyes were still on God and the mission he had.

What reward did he get for his efforts? Right, a snake fastened on his hand! Imagine, on top of everything now he is in danger of being bitten by a poisonous snake! How do we know the snake was poisonous? Look at the reaction of the natives: they thought that justice wasn’t going to let Paul live because this snake was on him. This snake made the natives expect Paul’s death!

Maybe some of you have been serving the Lord faithfully, sometimes giving more than you thought you had. However, you see something terrible happen in your life. Are you going to let this difficulty bring you down? Remember, God told to his disciples in Mark 16:18 that those who believe “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all.” Paul remembered the words of Jesus and it gave him confidence.

We have these words from God that we can rely on from 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [the spirits of antichrist], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Remember, whatever gets you in this life, God is stronger. Whatever He allowed in your life, pray and remember that He can use your trials for His name to be glorified in and through you! Nothing happens to us without God knowing it and watching carefully after us in those moments.

There is so much we can learn from Paul’s example of servanthood and trust in the Lord! Let’s pray today that God will show us areas where we still don’t trust Him enough and ask Him to help us grow in our faith.

Are you hiding?

Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they knew they did something wrong. They knew good and evil now, and they felt guilty and afraid. So, they decided to hide away from God and to hope He doesn’t notice their sin.

Both Adam and Eve have been in God’s presence for so long and could have known God’s nature so much better. Not only they decided to believe the lie about Him, but also they did not repent and ask for forgiveness. We see that even being in God’s physical presence doesn’t make your knowledge of Him complete. The Holy Spirit is the one who reveals the Father to us if we want to know Him!

Today, when we sin against the Lord, and we clearly know we have done something wrong, do we come before God and confess our sins, or do we hide away from Him instead? Hiding from God in today’s day looks a little bit different from hiding in bushes like in Adam and Eve’s case. Today some people decide to dive into sin even more, some try not to think about the conviction they feel, some justify their sins, and some try to make up for it.

Even as Christians a lot of times instead of facing our sin and confessing it to God, we might start reading the Bible more, praying harder, serve others more eagerly just to make up for that guilt we feel before the Lord.

Think today what are some of the sins that you haven’t faced yet? Have you been trying to hide them from people, yourself and God by trying to be more spiritual, and by doing more of good things? Take some time to think deeply about your life. Pray to God, confess your sins and He will forgive you! Let all of your service be done out of thankfulness and love for our God rather than fear and guilt.

What if my everything is the world’s nothing?

Mark 12:43-44 “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

In this passage we read about a widow who gave two coins which made a quadrans, which by today’s standards would be about 50 cents.  What do we know about this woman? First of all, she did not have a husband to provide for the family. Second, she did not seem to get much help from anywhere else, since Jesus said that what she gave was all that she had. God was the one to take care of her!

Now, right before this passage, Jesus was preaching in the temple and he said that scribes devour widow’s houses (Mark 12:40). Could the widow possibly hear the sermon that was preached right before her throwing in the two coins?

What other things could she have done with the money? She could have saved it and bought a little bit of food to survive a little longer. She could have been bitter against God that not only He allowed for her husband to be taken away, but also she lived in poverty. She could have decided not to trust the scribes, since they did not help widows very much as we know from Jesus’ words in Mark 12:40, or the widow could have possibly felt embarrassed to bring just two coins to God – what good is it going to do to anybody anyway?

However, despite all she could have done, she decided to come to the temple, and to worship the Lord with her offering. She knew that what she gives, she gives to the Lord, and that He will honor her offering and we clearly see that she did not have bitterness towards Him despite all what He allowed in her life. Her relationship with the Lord is remarkable! And we know that Jesus did see it and He did take a notice of her devotion to the Father.

How often do we trust the Lord with our everything even after we lost way more than we have left? When we give to the Lord, is it an offering to the people or to God alone? Whatever you bring as an offering: your time, emotional or physical care, service or money, do you feel that if it is not appreciated by people, then it is worthless to God as well?

Have you ever felt that you give everything you have, but compare to everybody else around what you give is almost nothing?

According to this story, what does really matter to God: the size of the offering or the heart behind it?

Keep serving the Lord with all of your strength and have comfort in the fact that He sees you and your offering matters so much. Don’t get discouraged by comparing your ministry to the people around. God sees your heart and devotion to Him!

Can I be myself and still bring glory to God?

The answer is YES!!!

John 17:4 “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (NLT)

As Jesus was praying to the Father before the crucifixion, He said that He glorified the Father simply by completing the work God assigned for Jesus to do.

We as children of God want to glorify Him as much as possible, and the good news is that God did not leave us there alone to figure out a way how we could possibly bring glory to His name. God has a plan for your life to be glorifying to Him.

Sometimes we might think that our lives don’t bring glory to God because we are not doing that one thing we think will bring glory to God the most. May be you haven’t adopted five children or served in Africa for ten years, or you never pastored a church – if you are faithful with whatever God has given you right at this moment, your life is glorifying to God in ways you might not even realize.

Luke 16:10 says “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” Do you work a job? Are you a university student? A full-time mom? Whichever lifestyle you lead, you are most likely surrounded by some people and entrusted with some responsibilities, some bigger, some smaller. For God every responsibility matters. What do you believe God gave you to do here and now? Maybe the main thing God wants you to do is to pray for Christians all over the world? There is no life that cannot bring glory to the Father.

Remember that the Father’s love for you will never change depending on the kind of work you are doing for Him. He loved you when you were still a sinner! His love definitely doesn’t depend on a specific way you are glorifying Him in this life. He doesn’t love a worship leader more than the one who cleans the church after the service. Look at everything you do today as an act of worship to the Father and don’t forget to enjoy the fullness of fellowship with Him!

Speaking the Painful Truth

Acts 24:25: Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

Paul was imprisoned and he knew his life and ministry was not over – God made a promise that Paul will go to Rome. He definitely wasn’t going to stay in this prison forever, He had to move on. Some of the quickest ways out would be to whether bribe Felix, or at least talk him into letting Paul go.

If Paul spoke a sermon about love, acceptance by God, eternal life and so forth, he would have more chances of having Felix’s favor. However, what did he decide to preach about? What does it tell you about Paul that he decided to preach about self-control, righteousness and the judgment to come? Paul was definitely not trying to get himself out of this place. He gave it all into the hands of God and used this opportunity to witness the whole truth about Christ to the ruler.

When it comes to difficulties in our Christian life, are we trying to find a way around God to get out of the uncomfortable and unplanned situations? Are we alert and able to use every opportunity to glorify God? Are you disabled by fear when it comes to witnessing the whole truth?

When you share the gospel with someone, do you tell the whole truth or just whatever the person wants to hear? When your friend is in sin, or injustice is being done to someone who cannot defend himself, are you there for God to use you or do you prefer to stay in your comfort zone and avoid any sort of confrontation? If you know your family will disown you if they find out you are a follower of Christ, are you going to lie and keep it secret or speak the truth and let God lead you in His ways?

If you feel like you just don’t have enough faith to be brave for God, ask Him to give it to you and then use every opportunity He brings around to stand up for what is true and right. He is the one to do the work in and through you, there is no possible way we could grow ourselves on our own. Your part is to be ready and available to do a step of faith when He calls you to it. So let’s pray and ask God to strengthen us and make us into the image of His Son day by day!

Did God forget to use me?

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Acts 24:25: Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

God told Paul that he will go to Rome, and Paul knew that God will fulfill His promises. However, at this point of the story the situation does not look very hopeful for Paul.

Paul preached to Felix and the Holy Spirit convicted the ruler. As we know from John 16:8 the Holy Spirit would come to the world to convict it of sin, righteousness and judgment, and this is exactly what Paul talked to Felix about: righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come (Acts 24:25). And as the text says, Felix was afraid and sent Paul away. He had a choice whether to repent or to turn away from the voice of the Holy Spirit. He decides to turn away. Later on we read that he would call for Paul and talk to him often, but only so that Paul would offer a bribe to Felix (Acts 24:26). After two years of Paul’s imprisonment, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and Felix left Paul in prison to do a favor to the Jews (Acts 24:27).

Does it seem like a very exciting ministry to you? Imagine Paul, a great preacher that he was, with so many believers all around the world wishing he would come and build up the body of Christ, is stuck in prison for two years preaching to one man that did not even listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit! Not only did not Felix listen to the Holy Spirit, he did not even have a favor towards Paul after all this time – Felix, wanting to do a favor to the Jews, left Paul bound.

Do you think it could have seemed to be a waste of time to Paul? Imagine how many people he could have visited and encouraged! However, Paul did not lose heart. Not only he refused to pay a bribe, although he could surely ask for help from the churches if he wanted to, but he also patiently kept doing whatever the Lord had put in front of him.

Have you ever felt that you are stuck somewhere and only if you could get out God would use you in so many different ways? Have you doubted yourself as a Christian because you did not see the fruit of your ministry for a long time? Have you felt frustrated because someone you have been ministering to over years never came to Christ? Well, in this case your situation is no different from that of Paul’s!

Just like Paul did not despair or doubt God in His promises, so let us not get discouraged and lose hope! As we know God did come through and Paul went to Rome just as the Lord said he would. It took time, patience and a lot of work of the Holy Spirit within Paul, but it did happen! If you are in a situation something like the one we read about today, pray for God to show you the purpose of this time and ask Him to grow you through this season. Rejoice that you get to experience a deeper work of God’s Spirit within your heart!

Spiritual Children

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John 1:35-37

“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

John had disciples that he invested in, spent time with and shepherded. John knew that he was raising these men for God and not for himself, so it was natural that eventually his disciples followed Jesus instead of John.

Today most of us have disciples or are being discipled by others. Can you think of one person that is dear to your heart that you are praying for and counseling from time to time? Many of us have spiritual children and we care how they are doing and whether they are doing well with the Lord. However, we always should remember that we are helping to raise those people spiritually for the Lord and not for ourselves.

There might come a day when Jesus will call this person out of your life and lead them some other way. Are you ready to let them go or are you going to hold onto them and worry that they will not make it out there without your help? Sometimes it might hurt to let those people go, but remember that the end goal of discipleship is for the disciples to follow Christ wherever He calls them.

It is loving for us as those who disciple to help others see the opportunities to follow the Lord in deeper ways. Sometimes Jesus might want to use you to show the way those people should go and sometimes it will lead them away from you. Are you afraid to help your people move on and leave you even though it will be more beneficial for their relationship with the Lord? Let’s not hinder God’s ways because of our emotional attachment to Jesus’ disciples. Praise the Lord that He lets us take part in raising of His children!

Your best Daddy

John 17:21

“ …that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Today we will look at what it means to be united in Jesus and the Father.

Interestingly, Jesus did not say “let them be one in all the kingdom of God, like all the angels and the rest of the creation dwell in unity, let them all be one in it.” He specifically said in Us, meaning Jesus and the Father.

How often do you look at God as some “big guy upstairs” that hears your prayers and requires a sacrifice of your daily praise in order for your life to be somewhat okay? How often do you spend time with God just because you like him and because He is your daddy that loves you more than anything in this world?

Being one in Jesus and the Father means to be literally adopted into God’s family. Speaking in earthly terms, you get to have God’s last name, call Him daddy, have a room in His house, spend time with Him and know that He loves you no less than an earthly father would love their children. Whenever you call out to Him, He is already there with you to listen. His heart breaks when you hurt. He has compassion for you and will pay any price for you to be made into the image of His Son. Nothing will ever snatch you out of His hand. He is a strong tower you can run to anytime and be accepted and comforted. How often do you look at your relationship with God like that?

Your Father is always with you, although you don’t see His physical form. Holy Spirit is a person and He lives inside of you. There is a person that always dwells within you and He is one with Jesus and the Father. If you remember this truth and actually engage in a living relationship with the Holy Spirit, allowing him to speak to you and guide your life, you will notice a radical change in your relationship with the Lord. Let your day be brightened by the fact that your loving Father chose to adopt you into His family and to dwell within you through the Holy Spirit!