[CS-FSLUG] "The Most Powerful Position in the World"

[Fred Miller]

A WORD WITH YOU
By Ron Hutchcraft
#4580 - "The Most Powerful Position in the World"
2 Kings 5:3 

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        Since I was a boy, I've been a fan of Abraham Lincoln. No, I never saw 
him in person. I do know he was born in a log cabin, I read about him 
studying by candlelight, splitting rails as a young man, grieving over the 
death of the love of his youth, and then becoming an unlikely political 
leader. And then the dark days of trying to hold a nation together during the 
Civil War, and then, his tragic death just five days after the end of that 
war. His name, his life, his face - they're known around the world. But only 
a couple of years ago, I learned something about Abraham Lincoln's life that 
really thrilled my heart. I read a Lincoln scholar's description of him 
making a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. It was 
during one of the darkest days of the Civil War, and God used a surprising 
person to lead Abraham Lincoln to saving faith. 

        I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The 
Most Powerful Position in the World." 

        Abraham Lincoln, in the most powerful position in the world, was 
introduced to the Savior by the White House seamstress; a precious black 
woman with a deep faith in Jesus Christ. Now, imagine Abraham Lincoln, the 
legendary President of the United States, brought to Jesus by a seamstress. 
But maybe that's not such a surprise. See, when someone serves you, they have 
a unique, non-threatening, trusted position in your life - perhaps the most 
powerful position in the world for real. 

        Which leads us to our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Kings 
5, beginning at verse 1. We're talking about Naaman, a great military 
commander of Syria, but it says he was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 
Bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, 
and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master 
would see the prophet who was in Samaria! He would cure him of his 
leprosy" (vs. 3). As it turns out, he does go to the prophet, and his leprosy 
is healed. 

        Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl had said. And the 
king said, "By all means go" (vs. 5). So he goes out and finally gets his 
cure. Here's the most powerful military figure maybe in that part of the 
world, being told where the answer is by a little Jewish servant girl. But he 
listened, just like Lincoln did. Now there's an important and encouraging 
secret here. If you're going to be in a position to get through to someone 
spiritually, be their servant. Being a servant to someone is the most 
powerful position in the world. 

        Can you think of someone you're spiritually concerned about? I hope 
so, because Jesus has called you to be His ambassador. Think about this 
question: how could I serve him or her? How could I be there for him, for 
her? Sharing Christ isn't just a matter of dumping the Gospel on someone. You 
need to get in a position where they'll listen to you. You need to win the 
right to be heard. Serving that person may mean listening a lot before you 
start giving answers, helping them when they're sick, when they're hurting, 
when they're broke. Maybe it will mean looking for moments of need, and then 
quietly finding a way to lighten their load. God will show you a way to 
serve, and serving will open the way for you to tell that person about your 
Jesus. Remember, it was a servant girl who was in the best position to lead 
Naaman to the cure. 

        I'm so thrilled that Abraham Lincoln will be in heaven because of a 
woman who served him faithfully and served her Savior faithfully. There is no 
more disarming, powerful position on earth than to live as a servant in 
someone's life - and as the personal ambassador of Jesus Christ to the person 
that you're serving.

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-- 
"Ballmer is no more designed for the art of persuasion 
than the Abrams tank is for delivering meals on wheels."