God is infinite in His simplicity and simple in His infinity. Therefore He is everywhere and is everywhere complete. He is everywhere on account of His infinity, and is everywhere complete on account of His simplicity.
MEISTER ECKHART
Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean.
2 KINGS 5:10 NASB
This morning in my reading I read the story of Naaman who was a great military general for Aram, a country north of Israel. The whole story is about obedience and understanding the simplicity of God. Naaman was a leper, and had no human cure. There was a young girl from Israel who had been taken captive and she worked for Naamans wife. She said, I wish my master were with the prophet in Samaria he would cure him of his leprosy. Naaman needed help so he got permission to go to Israel and meet with the prophet. When he saw Elisha, who is one of my all-time favorite heros of the Bible, Elisha told him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman took offense, and was furious at this. Naaman expected Elisha to come out in person and call on God and wave his hand over the place and some big miracle would take place, but it didnt happen that way. Elisha only sent a messenger and said to go wash in the Jordan. The rivers in Damascus are clear and, the Jordan was a small muddy little stream. He said are not the rivers of Damascus better than this? Then the servants of Naaman came and said, If he had asked you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? The light came on and Naaman realized the simplicity of God working through the prophet. Naaman was obedient and was cured of his leprosy. This story reminds me of the simplicity of being obedient to what God says. Simple things like baptism and communion. They wont save you; they are only an outward _expression of an inner change. Last night my church went down to Bryants Creek, one of the clear streams that are found in southern Missouri. We had our Sunday evening service right at the creek bank. We sang a few songs, several were baptized, we all took communion, and then we fellowshipped with food, swimming and a little fishing. What really touched me was when some of the adults who had come out of serious life threatening situations were baptized, how the tears they shed flowed freely to the stream below. It was an outward _expression of a profound inner change. No one got saved because of the baptism, they just shared with us what God had and is still doing for them. God also worked a work in me last night; I am closer today to God and my fellow man. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself ..JRE
We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.
T. S. ELIOT
MEISTER ECKHART
Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean.
2 KINGS 5:10 NASB
This morning in my reading I read the story of Naaman who was a great military general for Aram, a country north of Israel. The whole story is about obedience and understanding the simplicity of God. Naaman was a leper, and had no human cure. There was a young girl from Israel who had been taken captive and she worked for Naamans wife. She said, I wish my master were with the prophet in Samaria he would cure him of his leprosy. Naaman needed help so he got permission to go to Israel and meet with the prophet. When he saw Elisha, who is one of my all-time favorite heros of the Bible, Elisha told him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman took offense, and was furious at this. Naaman expected Elisha to come out in person and call on God and wave his hand over the place and some big miracle would take place, but it didnt happen that way. Elisha only sent a messenger and said to go wash in the Jordan. The rivers in Damascus are clear and, the Jordan was a small muddy little stream. He said are not the rivers of Damascus better than this? Then the servants of Naaman came and said, If he had asked you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? The light came on and Naaman realized the simplicity of God working through the prophet. Naaman was obedient and was cured of his leprosy. This story reminds me of the simplicity of being obedient to what God says. Simple things like baptism and communion. They wont save you; they are only an outward _expression of an inner change. Last night my church went down to Bryants Creek, one of the clear streams that are found in southern Missouri. We had our Sunday evening service right at the creek bank. We sang a few songs, several were baptized, we all took communion, and then we fellowshipped with food, swimming and a little fishing. What really touched me was when some of the adults who had come out of serious life threatening situations were baptized, how the tears they shed flowed freely to the stream below. It was an outward _expression of a profound inner change. No one got saved because of the baptism, they just shared with us what God had and is still doing for them. God also worked a work in me last night; I am closer today to God and my fellow man. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself ..JRE
We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.
T. S. ELIOT
