READING: 2 Kings 4
“And she said to her husband, ‘Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.’”
2 Kings 4:9
I wonder what people think of me when they’ve had a little bit of time with me. I hope they find me to be a caring and fair person. It’s important to me that they see me as person of integrity. I know I’m an introvert, but I nevertheless want them to see me as a fun person. I’m not sure I think enough, though, about whether they see me as a holy person. I do think about my responsibility to be holy, but I don’t always consider whether I’ve left that impression.
Elisha, however, did leave that impression with the Shunammite woman. She was a wealthy woman, and her home became a regular stopping place for Elisha when he came through the town. Apparently, he shared more than one meal with the woman and her family. Having spent time with the prophet, the woman asked her husband about building a room for Elisha so he had a place to stay. She sensed that responsibility because was “a holy man of God” (2 Kgs. 4:9). Something about him—perhaps the conversations they had, the spirit in which he spoke, the message he told the woman and her family—made it clear that he was uniquely a man of God.
I read this text, and that becomes my prayerful goal: that others would see me as a holy man of God. I don’t want to betray that idea by wrong words I might use, off-color jokes I might tell, ungodly programs I might watch, unhealthy books I might read, etc. The choices I make will determine how others see me, so I want to make the right, godly choices.
ACTION STEPS:
- Make decisions today that will cause others to see you as holy.
- Where you know you’re not achieving that goal, confess and repent.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to live a godly life today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 5:1-8:15
