Today Daily Devotional

A WET SYRIAN

2013-06-19T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-19
“Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
—2 Kings 5:10

Naaman was an important man, favored by the king, a decorated, successful army commander. But this high and mighty man had a terrible problem—leprosy. Then Naaman heard there was someone who could help, so he desperately sought out this “prophet … in Samaria.”

Imagine the great general’s disappointment as he was greeted by a servant with a message to go wash in the muddy Jordan River. Was this a joke?

Not a joke, but a test. Was Naaman willing to humble himself in order to be cured?

With the help of his wise servants, Naaman submitted to the instructions he had received. He went down to the river, got into the water, and got down on his knees before the God of Israel. The wet Syrian came out praising the Lord God Almighty, saying, “Now I know there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”

The good news of this story is not just that Naaman is healed but that a Gentile (non-Israelite) is converted to faith in the true God through a sort of baptism in the Jordan River. Naaman returns home a changed and healed man—healed not only of a disease of the skin but also of the disease of sin in his heart and soul.

Jesus wants to heal us of all that is ill in our hearts and souls. Are we willing to kneel in humility before him and ask?

Prayer:

Lord God, may all that is ill in my heart and soul be healed by your touch. Wash me in the waters of your grace. Amen.

Thea Leunk

SMALL LOAVES

2013-06-18T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: John 6:5-14
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
—John 6:9

When Elisha received twenty barley loaves and some grain, he saw that by God’s power the food would feed a hundred people (2 Kings 4:42-44). Jesus took five barley loaves and two fish and fed a crowd of five thousand. At both meals there was so much that there were leftovers.

As in the days of Elisha, the Lord often did miracles to help with the personal needs of his people. Jesus, the bread of life, is concerned that we have not only food for our souls but also our daily bread. Sometimes we don’t appreciate how much God cares about our day-to-day needs.

But notice that Jesus does not feed the people by himself—he uses the disciples to distribute the bread and serve the people. As Jesus’ disciples today, we should expect the same—Jesus will use us to share in his many ministries of compassion. He is eager to bring us into his work. He not only wants to feed us but also wants us to help him feed others.

Of course, like the disciples, we will look at our resources and wonder how we can make any difference. Our supplies will seem small and inadequate.

But Jesus doesn’t care about that. Our call is to offer what we have to him and to trust that it will be enough. We are to stand by, ready to serve and to be surprised by what he does with the resources we have.

Prayer:

Bread of life, we turn to you for all our needs. Give us this day our daily bread, and help us provide your bread of life for the world. Amen.

Thea Leunk

FUELED BY HOPE

2013-06-17T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44
“Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: &lsquoThey will eat and have some left over.’”
—2 Kings 4:43

In his work as a prophet of the Lord, Elisha was both a public figure and a private individual. He advised a multinational military alliance and spoke in the courts of kings. But he was also a prophet in private, personal ways. He helped to free a woman from debt, to provide a family with a son, and to bring that son back to life again. By God’s power, he purified a spring of water and also a pot of stew, and he fed a hundred hungry men so well with twenty barley loaves that there were leftovers.

Elisha was a rescue worker whom God used to transform harmful situations and times of deep need into times of plenty and shalom—promises of full, flourishing life.

Elisha could see above, beyond, and through immediate ruin and misery to what God had planned instead. His prophetic faith was fueled by hope.

Hope is the message all prophets bring from God into a troubled world. We prophesy that this world is a new creation, that we live in the era of new life. We proclaim to one and all the hope of transformation and new starts, the hope of justice and peace, the hope of reconciliation and forgiveness, the hope that is at work in us all.

Our work as prophets, like Elisha’s, is to witness to that hope and to be agents of that hope to people who have none.

Prayer:

God of hope and of new beginnings, thank you for your plans for us, plans of hope and a future. Strengthen the hope that is within us. In Jesus, Amen.

Thea Leunk

RESURRECTION HOPE

2013-06-16T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 7:11-17
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
—Luke 7:13

Jesus did many miracles, but when he raised someone from the dead, that was very unusual. So when Jesus gave the dead man of Nain “back to his mother,” the people knew a great prophet had come among them.

This was one of three resurrections in the record of Jesus’ miracles (see also Luke 8:49-56; John 11:38-44). But there’s another resurrection even more important: Jesus himself came back from death to life forever! And the implications of this for us and for all creation are as deep and as simple as the word spoken by the Shunammite woman of Elisha’s day: “Shalom” (“It’s all right”).

Death, grief, and despair no longer rule the day; Easter morning has ushered in a new age, a new era of light and life and joy that transform all things. Whatever failed us in the past can be replaced by certainty and hope because now it will be all right.

For every mother mourning a child; for all who suffer the grief of persecution, imprisonment, and loneliness; for all who wake up each morning wondering how today can be any different than yesterday—there is hope. Shalom is possible; all will be well.

The Bible’s stories of resurrection insist that God’s world—our world—is a world of miracles, a world of possibilities, a world of hope.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, we know you are at work among us, bringing healing to our world and to our lives. Help us to proclaim to others that they can live with hope in you. Amen.

Thea Leunk

SHALOM

2013-06-15T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4:18-37
“Everything is all right,” she said.

—2 Kings 4:26

A boy old enough to help with the harvest but too young to handle the harsh heat of the sun—what desperation the woman must have felt as she helplessly watched her son die in her arms!

Hiding the news from the household and even from her husband, she turned to Elisha for help even though he was miles away. Elisha’s heart went out to her in her grief.

When Elisha traveled to her home, he asked God to bring the boy back to life. Though we aren’t told why Elisha stretched himself out over the boy, perhaps God used this method to transfer the power of life through Elisha into the child. Another child had also been restored this way through Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:17-22).

What a compelling story! But notice something that may be even more compelling—the words the woman spoke twice: “Everything is all right.” In Hebrew she was saying, “Shalom.” In spite of the death in her arms, in spite of her grief and loss, she was able to say, “Everything is all right.”

In our lives too, everything is all right when we know that all our grief and sorrow can be placed in the hands of our Savior, who exchanged his life for ours so that death could be defeated once and for all.

Is everything all right with you?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for taking our grief and heavy bur-dens onto yourself and carrying them for us. Thank you that because of you, everything is all right. Amen.

Thea Leunk

WELCOME HOME

2013-06-14T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-3
These women were helping to support [Jesus and the disciples] out of their own means.
—Luke 8:3

Jesus’ followers were a motley group of people: fisher folk, tax collectors, zealots, a woman who had been demon possessed, the wife of a royal official, and others. Some of them we know by name: Peter, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna. Others remain anonymous.

Like the Shunammite woman of Elisha’s day, Mary Magdalene is named for the village she was from, Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Like the Shunammite woman, she was a person of hospitality. Since Jesus was a traveling rabbi, she and others went along, helping to provide for him and his disciples with money they had earned.

Traveling with Jesus, Mary Magdalene watched, learned, and profoundly loved this wondrous person who had saved her from demon possession. Even better than that, Jesus saved her from the curse of sin and the affliction of a life without God’s love.

Later Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection, and he told her to go and tell the others (John 20:11-18). She was blessed with the honor of being the first to bring this good news!

Have you exercised that honor today as well? Whom might Jesus want you to share the good news with next?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, may we always remember that every cup of water poured, every offer of help, every visit, every act of hospitality done in your name is the same as offering it to you. Help us to share your love and good news with oth-ers. Amen.

Thea Leunk

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

2013-06-13T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4:8-17
“You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you?”
—2 Kings 4:13

Shunem was a small town. A wealthy woman who lived in the village offered her home to God’s prophet whenever he traveled through. Going far beyond the hospitality of offering a meal and bed, she had a special room built just for Elisha—a home away from home.

Elisha wanted to return the favor—but how? Offering to put a good word in for her with the king didn’t seem to impress her. “I have a home among my own people,” she replied.

Well, what then? In that time, no blessing was greater than to have a son, an heir. So Elisha, apparently hearing a word from the Lord, told her the good news that in about a year she would give birth to a son. And she became pregnant and had a boy the following year. A baby in return for a spare room—what a generous gift of God!

Opening a home to a stranger, feeding someone who needs a good meal, offering a place for a traveler to stay—simple acts of hospitality are never unrewarded when they are done in the name of Jesus.

God has welcomed us into his home. How could we do less than open our hearts to others who need a gracious space to rest, or recover, or find refuge? There are so many possible ways we can help others—and these might also provide opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with someone who may not know him.

Prayer:

Lord God, you have opened your heart to us and urged us to call it “home.” Help us to offer a heart of love to others looking for a place to call home. Amen.

Thea Leunk

MORE THAN ENOUGH

2013-06-12T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11
They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
—Luke 5:6

The widow in Elisha’s day had only a little oil, but with God’s help she ended up with every jar filled to overflowing (2 Kings 4:1-7). The disciples in Jesus’ day had fished all night and hadn’t had a nibble, but at the advice of Jesus they cast their nets one more time.

That was as “foolish” as trying to fill many containers from a small jar. You can’t catch fish in deep water in the middle of the day! But just as the widow trusted Elisha and collected jars from her neighbors, Peter and the others trusted Jesus and let down their nets. And the results were amazing!

God’s love for us is amazingly abundant. We are not loved in small drips but in flowing streams. God’s love is not measured in minnows but in boats nearly sinking under the weight of their catch.

Grace doesn’t just sprinkle our forehead; it flows down our face onto our chest and legs, soaking us with God’s compassion and mercy.

Whether we are new Christians or Christians of long years of discipleship, Jesus calls us to generously share God’s grace and love with others. Soaked to the skin with God’s abundant love, we can’t help wanting to pull others into that reviving pool with us.

Go and pour; go and cast! Then come and follow Jesus as we spread the good news of God’s love.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for loving us so generously. Help us to be as generous with your love to the people we meet to-day. Amen.

Thea Leunk

NOTHING BUT A JAR OF OIL

2013-06-11T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7
Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
—2 Kings 4:2

Olive oil was a “miracle ingredient” in Elisha’s time; it was a staple for everyday life. It was useful for fuel, lotion, medicine, and cooking.

When the widow tells Elisha that all she has is a little oil, she is saying that once her jar is empty, her last resource for light, heat, medicine, and food will be gone. Her final resort will be to sell her sons into slavery so that debts can be paid and they will not starve to death.

No wonder she has turned to Elisha for help!

But Elisha doesn’t produce a handful of shekels. Instead, he asks her what she has. That question turns her despair to hope. She sees that she has resources: oil and a God who cares for her. The miracle that happens results from her remembering that God is still present in her life, still watching over her and her family.

Sometimes we find ourselves in seemingly impossible and tragic circumstances. It’s then that we need to be reminded that God never leaves us without resources, that God is there in both the big and small tragedies of our lives.

Our problems may never be much bigger than the dilemma of daily living, but no problem is too big or too small to bring to God’s doorstep.

Prayer:

Father, hear our praises as well as our cries for help. We know that you always watch over us and care for us. Help us to see what we have instead of what we don’t have. And provide for us, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thea Leunk

BLASPHEMOUS WORDS

2013-06-10T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Mark 3:20-30
The teachers of the law … said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out de-mons.”
—Mark 3:22

Jesus had returned to Galilee, but his presence resulted in a noisy crowd surrounding the house he was in and keeping everyone from eating. Rumor had it that Jesus was crazy. How else to explain what the people had heard about him?

Jesus had rebuked demons, cured many, forgiven sins, and healed people on the Sabbath. All this, plus parables that nobody quite understood—and with an authority that astounded them.

The Jerusalem authorities gave a darker explanation. They claimed Jesus was using greater demonic powers to overcome lesser demonic powers. They said he was a sorcerer bound to the powers of evil.

That was blasphemy, speaking profanely of God. To say that Jesus, who was anointed by the Holy Spirit, was actually anointed with an evil spirit was to deny his divinity and mission. That’s why Jesus said that whoever blasphemed against the Holy Spirit was “guilty of an eternal sin.”

Jesus was responding not to a careless comment spoken in haste but to entrenched, hardened hearts that willfully denied the work of the Spirit of God taking place in their midst.

Today Jesus is still the miracle worker, teacher, and forgiver he was then. With what kinds of words do we describe him?

Prayer:

Teacher, Savior, Son of God, may all our words about you be worthy of you and your love for us. Forgive us when we dishonor you in what we say or do. Amen.

Thea Leunk

MOCKING WORDS

2013-06-09T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2:23-25
Some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said.
—2 Kings 2:23

Bethel, which means “house of God,” was named by Jacob when he had a vision and received a promise from God (Genesis 28:17-19). In Elisha’s day Bethel was the house of a false god—a golden calf set up there by King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:25-33; 2 Kings 10:29).

At the outskirts of Bethel, Elisha is mocked by a group of boys. What happens is not pretty. Angered by their teasing, Elisha curses them. Wild bears come out of the forest and maul 42 of them. Is Elisha just a vain man who doesn’t like to be reminded of his lack of hair? What is going on?

The “boys” are teenage apprentices to the priests serving the golden calf. “Go away,” they threaten, “or else!” Baldy? They could be mocking Elisha’s head shaved in grief for Elijah (see Numbers 6:9). In any case, this is not a playful group of children but a gang of thugs. To mock another human being is to insult someone made in the image of God, precious to the Creator. To mock God’s prophet, though, is even worse, directly insulting the Lord.

We don’t know if Elisha saw his curse fulfilled or if he was long down the road to Mount Carmel by the time the bears carried out God’s justice.

Prophets are people of healing. But they also must stand against evil and the powers of darkness in this world—and name them for what they are. Do you name the evil you see—and rebuke it?

Prayer:

Lord of all, you are a God of compassion and a God of justice. Help us to be agents of both in your world. Amen.

Thea Leunk

A POLLUTED MAN

2013-06-08T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.”
—Luke 19:9

If you visit Jericho today, you will see two important sites. One is Elisha’s spring, where Elisha healed Jericho’s toxic water more than 2,800 years ago, making it pure again. The spring stands in a park, marked by colorful tiles. “To this day” the water is pure (2 Kings 2:22).

The second important site is in the center of town. It’s a sycamore tree in a park. If you visit there, you will be told that while it might not be the same tree Zacchaeus climbed, it’s located in the same area where Zacchaeus met Jesus.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector—a traitor to fellow citizens because he worked for the oppressive Roman government, and a thief because he could charge whatever he wanted for taxes and keep the extra money for himself. Zacchaeus was a polluted man.

But Jesus saw beyond all that, and he offered Zacchaeus a chance to separate himself from everything that defiled him. Zacchaeus showed by his response that from that day onward he was a changed man.

Jesus can do that with anyone. To those who seek him, he will be found. If people don’t know they are lost, Jesus will seek them out.

The name Zacchaeus means “clean, pure.” How happy Zacchaeus must have been to finally live up to his name!

Prayer:

Lord, you came to lift the curse of sin and to cleanse us of our unrighteousness. Where we are dirty, cleanse us; where we suffer under the curse of sin, free us. Amen.

Thea Leunk

A POLLUTED SPRING

2013-06-07T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2:19-22
“This is what the LORD says: &lsquoI have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unpro-ductive.’”

—2 Kings 2:21

Jericho was the city whose walls had come falling down when the Lord God of Israel had led Joshua and the people into the land of Canaan. After the battle of Jericho, the city was destroyed and a curse was put on it: “Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho” (Joshua 6:26). About 550 years later, in the time of King Ahab, a man name Hiel of Bethel rebuilt it—and lost his sons in the process (1 Kings 16:34). By Elisha’s time, people were living in Jericho again, and a company of prophets were there. The water, though, was bad. It was life-taking instead of life-giving.

Using salt in a ritual of separation, Elisha, with God’s power, restored the water permanently. This act points us to a time when every spring will be pure and every city will prosper, and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:1-7). Elisha’s miracle points to the One who will bring complete blessing and wholeness to all people.

Prophets are like conduits, pipelines between God and the world. A prophet stands between the One who speaks and the ones who need to hear. Sometimes a prophet’s message is one of pure hope and grace, light and love. A prophet’s words can be a blessing.

What blessing has God called you to bring today?

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for the water of life that flows to us through Jesus, the Savior. Help us to bless those who need that water today. Amen.

Thea Leunk

THE REAL THING

2013-06-06T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:21-28
The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

—Mark 1:22

Some would say that it’s not important who you are; it’s who people think you are—so just pretend to be the person you want to be. Act smart, and people will think you are smart; pretend that you can cook a gourmet meal, and people will think you can. But watch out! Don’t pretend you know how to fly a plane or deliver a baby!

Another thing you can’t fake is God’s authority. Someone who has God’s authority is the real thing.

The people were amazed at Jesus’ authority. He was clearly doing the work of God. He was totally authentic in his actions and fully confident in his words. His authority went far beyond that of the teachers of the law. Jesus had the authority to command even demons to get out and be silent.

Prophets carry on their shoulders the authority of the One who made the world, owns everything in it, and claims every inch of it. We can speak confidently with God’s words of life based on his Word, the Scriptures.

We need to take our real authority as God’s prophets seriously. God sends us out to minister in his name and to spread the good news of his grace and truth.

How can you act with the authority of the one true God?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help us to speak up for you when we need to, to share the good news with confidence, and to honor with our lives the trust you have placed in us. Amen.

Thea Leunk

I TOLD YOU SO

2013-06-05T06:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2:15-18
They sent fifty men, who searched … but did not find [Elijah]. When they returned to Elisha … he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
—2 Kings 2:17-18

When Elijah was taken into heaven, Elisha was left behind with the great prophet’s cloak. The community of prophets from Jericho weren’t convinced that Elijah was gone for good, so they wanted to search for him. Elisha said there was no point in doing that, but they went anyway and then returned empty-handed.

“I told you so,” Elisha said. That wasn’t just a petty complaint. Elisha was saying, “Don’t you get it? I am the Lord’s prophet now. From now on, you’ll have to deal with me. I am the real thing.”

A prophet of God is an awesome person and is to be treated with respect. A prophet is someone with God’s authority—and someone who holds God’s authority is the real thing; you can’t fake that.

Today we are prophets engaged in proclaiming the truth about God and his kingdom. Does that make us awesome people? We may need to accept that there is an aura of awesomeness about us—but we can’t let that go to our heads. We need to take our genuine authority as God’s prophets seriously—and thus honor God in all we do.

Will the people you meet today know that you are a prophet of the Holy One of Israel? If so, how? If not, why not?

Prayer:

You are awesome, O God, and we give you thanks for the ways you will use us to proclaim the truth about you to our neighbors and friends. Help us to speak your words faithfully. Amen.

Thea Leunk