A postcard to a lady and her kids

My second “Gem” is the book of 2 John. The entire book is only 13 verses long which, in the words of Charles Swindoll, makes this book more of a postcard. He calls it “A postcard to a lady and her kids.”

(Summary) John writes to an unnamed lady who is living a Godly life and teaching her children to do the same. He encourages her to remain strong in her faith and continue to live out Christ’s love. At the same time, she needs to be wary of false teachers – people who speak highly of Christ but do believe he is God’s son. At some point, she must have taken a false teacher into her home and been hospitable to him. He tells her that it’s important to discern who is not teaching the truth about Christ -- and that it’s okay to turn them away. In fact, he says they are the embodiment of evil and they could lead her down a dangerous path.

Read the 13 verses of 2 John and think about how they apply to us today. I will blog-in again in a couple of days with my interpretation (with a little help from Mr. Swindoll). I hope we will both be inspired by the Word. Check back soon.

Elisha and the woman from Shunam -- Part II

The story of the Shunammite woman is a great lesson of how to live out our faith. It's a lesson that I first read about in an autobiography by Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggietales. The book is called "Me, Myself and Bob" and it is a fascinating story about the rise and fall of his dream. In the end, he uses 2 Kings 4 as a turning point in his faith. You see, the Shunammite woman had her dream ravaged when her miracle son suddenly died. But, what did she do? She clung to her faith and eagerly sought out "the man of God." When Elisha sees her in the distance, she is asked, "is everything allright with your husband and son?" She says, "everything is fine". Then, she reveals her grief and refuses to return without Elisha. According to Vischer, "she doesn't understand what is happening, but she is going to hang on to God no matter what." This dramatic shattering of a dream is a parallel to what Vischer experienced when his Christian company collapsed around him. The lesson to be learned is that when God gives you a dream and the dream comes to life (with God in it), and then the dream dies, it may be that God wants to see what is more important to you -- the dream or him. Once you make the right choice, you may get the dream back (as the Shunammite woman did). Either way, God is in control and he is all you need. C.S. Lewis may have said it best, "He who has God plus many things has nothing more than he who has God alone."

Elisha and the woman from Shunam

Well, here goes. I am starting a new blog based on stories and passages from the Bible that may sometimes be overlooked. The format is very simple. First, I give the reference. Then, I'll summarize the narrative. The third part is the tricky part. That's where I will give a brief summary of what I think is a good application based on some of my reading and commentaries. My first choice of Scripture is from 2 Kings 4:8-37 -- the story of Elisha and the woman from Shunam.

(Summary) The story is about a wealthy woman who shows hospitality to Elisha whenever he comes to town -- even building a room upstairs to accomodate him. One day, Elisha asks whether he can put in a good word about her to the king or army commander. She declines. Later, Elisha tells her she can expect a son even though her husband is old. She can hardly believe her ears. When her son is older, he is working in the fields with his father when he dies unexpectantly. The father brings the boy to the mother and she lays him on the bed in Elisha's room. Then, she immediately sets out to see "the man of God". Elisha's servant meets her and asks if everything is allright. She says everything is fine -- but continues to seek Elisha. She grieves for her son and Elisha tells his servant to go with her and place his staff on the child's face. But the woman will not return without Elisha. The servant arrives there first and is unsuccessful in reviving the child. When Elisha gets there he lays on top of the child and he comes back to life. The woman is overwhelmed with gratitude.

Read the passage for yourself and think about its meaning and application. I will blog-in again in a couple of days with my interpretation. Check back soon.