Daily Devotionals

Dead End Desperation Week 5: Tuesday

"One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:3

“I forgive you” are some of the most healing words to hear and to say. We think all the time about how hard it is to say, “I am sorry,” but we do not often talk about the fact that offering forgiveness can also be challenging. As hard as offering forgiveness can be, especially when someone has hurt us deeply, forgiveness is as healing for the giver as it is for the receiver of forgiveness. Will we have the humility to offer forgiveness and show kindness, even when we have been deeply hurt and wronged? 

Today we are looking at a young girl from Israel who offered extraordinary forgiveness in 2 Kings 5. During this time, Armenians had invaded Israel and taken several Israelites captive. One of the people captured was a young girl who became a servant to the wife of Naaman, the commander of the Armenian army. Now, if anyone had a right to be angry, it was her. She had been uprooted from her home and life to work for this family, who she did not know. While she was with this family, Naaman came down with leprosy. This was a dire situation because leprosy was a death sentence. This young girl who became Naaman’s wife’s servant could have thought, “That serves him well. He deserves this terminal disease after everything he has done to me.” This was not her mindset, however. Instead of anger, she responded with compassion. She said to Naaman’s wife, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy” (verse 3). She did not have to offer advice to Naaman. She could have kept the knowledge of the prophet Elisha and God’s healing power through him to herself. Instead, she shared what she knew with compassion and offered advice that could help Naaman. This, my friends, is incredible forgiveness and kindness.  

Imagine what the world would be like if we all lived with this kind of forgiveness and kindness. Imagine if we even offered help and compassion to those who have wronged us. This kind of forgiveness and love is radical, and it was modeled by Jesus, who laid down His own life while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). May we show this same compassion and forgiveness to everyone around us.

Moving toward action

Is there someone in your life who you need to forgive? Who is it? What step can you take today toward forgiveness? Maybe you need to say the words “I forgive you.” Maybe taking a step towards forgiveness means one small gesture of kindness today. Choose today to humbly take that step toward forgiveness.

Going Deeper

Romans 5:1-21 (NLT)

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."