Naaman's licence

NAAMAN’S LICENCE



Naaman, who had just been "converted" to believe in the only true God, received a licence from Elisha (the Prophet of the Lord) to regularly accompany the Syrian King into the temple of the heathen god Rimmon. (2 Kings 5:14-19). God gave Daniel a licence to be the vice president in heathen Babylon. Joseph had a licence to be the prime minister in heathen Egypt. From her very birth, God had preserved a licence for Esther to become queen of the heathen Persia. (Esther 4:14). It will be licences like these that will make our children the captains of industry, fashion, entertainment and the media etc., in the midst of heathen majorities.

Your licence allows you to go wisely, where you can force darkness to make way for the light you carry. Your licence lets you be among worldly people and places. The Apostle Paul used his licence to mix with the Romans, Greeks and Jews so that he might bring them to Christ (1 Cor 9:22-23). He did so with God’s presence and Christ’s command. (Matt 28:18 & Mark 16:15). People inside and outside the church may not understand how you openly mix with the world and apparently ignore traditional church customs and restrictions. The Pharisees even condemned the disciples of Jesus and judged them for openly plucking and eating corn on the Sabbath, and Jesus himself was condemned for openly healing the infirm woman on the Sabbath (Matt 12 & Luke 13).



In their day, John the Baptist and Jesus himself had their share of attacks. The critics condemned John as a demon. They judged and condemned Jesus as a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of the worst sort of sinners. (Matt 11:18-19). Some people judge and condemn because they do not have all the facts. It could be that they have deep-seated malice against you. Some critics have traditional ideas of what "being in this world yet not of this world" is all about. When you exercise your licence and do what you were born to do, keep a good heart attitude and let God be the ultimate judge of your critics



Like Jesus, the very author of our faith, you too can expand your circles beyond only "church" people. Like Paul the foremost pioneer of our beliefs, you can be proud to serve the Lord in unusual places and among all types of people. You can go where sinners are and there, find people to whom you can minister and whom you can lead to Christ. Only those who dare, make a difference in the world. To make a difference in a sinful world you have to go into it. That is the licence you have. Use it.



Mike Abel©