Naaman....Part 4 and finally, my family....

I know some are not into long
devotions.... Now a days, one can read devotionals in a minute or
less....they have books and everything! Instant society....everything
quick! Well, I know for me when I fudge on my time with God, it
shows!!! I am not as patient, I worry more, I am not as productive and
the
list goes on... Most of all, I lose sight of what is
important.
Satan would love nothing more than to take me down and
have
me question my
confidence and victory in
Christ!

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Above are pictures of my family....this was taken in May of 2009, Jacob's graduation, the last time my kids were all together. Joe's daughter Jenae (who is not pictured) just graduated in California and is going into the Navy to be a Nuclear Physicist! Here is Joe, Jacob, Josh (the other tall guy), Melody and Isaac, the one who has a few years left with us....thank goodness! It is for these people first and foremost that I need to stay on track....to stay humble before the Lord and thus we are ending with Naaman in Part 4...

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Before leaving the story of Naaman let's observe two more things: (1) Everybody needs help. Not just the down-n-outers, but the up-n-outers. Being a five-star general doesn't mean a thing when someone's dying of leprosy. "But they wouldn't listen to someone like me," you say. Maybe not today, but when things get bad enough you'd be surprised how they listen. Just serve with excellence and be ready with an answer when the time comes. (2) God's hand is on you to minister where He's placed you. It was the encouragement of someone who got close enough to see Naaman's real problem, then introduced him to God, that brought about his healing. When God puts you close to someone and makes you privy to certain information, He does it so that you can give them "a word in season" (Is. 50:4). God used a cleaning lady who worked in his own house to reach Naaman. What if she'd rebelled against making beds and washing dishes? Or decided to go out and gossip about the problem instead? Today you have a role to play in God's plan. The servant who challenged Naaman to humble himself and dip seven times in the Jordan River is not named in Scripture--but he was indispensable to the process. So are you. Few athletes have more fans than basketball star Michael Jordan. Yet when a reporter asked him why he liked his dad to attend his games, he replied, "When he's there, I know I have at least one fan!" Everybody needs encouragement.

You can speak a word that changes someone's life!

~Ron Traub

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Be an encourager!!!