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    Dive In to a Life of Freedom: Finding Healing in the Story of Naaman
    Dive In to a Life of Freedom: Finding Healing in the Story of Naaman
    Dive In to a Life of Freedom: Finding Healing in the Story of Naaman
    Ebook153 pages1 hour

    Dive In to a Life of Freedom: Finding Healing in the Story of Naaman

    By Lynne Modranski

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    About this ebook

    When the captain of the army gets advice from the maid, things get really interesting . . .

    Yeah, there's a Jesus lesson in there.

    Does Christianity seem too difficult? Are you tired of the rules and the façade?

    What if the freedom Jesus promised is as easy as dipping your head under the water?

    Naaman scoffed at the idea of finding healing by washing in the Jordan, but that's where he got his life back! It takes courage to come to the place of abundance Jesus promises in John 10:10, and Naaman's story offers lessons to help us find it. We might get a little wet in the process, but once we get there, we're never turning back!

    Lynne Modranski leads worship and small groups at Sycamore Tree Church. Raised on religion and caught in the trap of legalism for years, she understands the beauty and freedom of relationship with Jesus and she's hungry to share it. Her book, "Devotions for Church Leaders and Small Groups" has been bringing this idea to the world for 10 years.

    Lynne writes and blogs, sharing devotions and object lessons for kids. And when she's not sitting in her writing chair, you'll find her at the pool or the golf course with her daughters and grandchildren. But most of the time, you'll find her hanging out with the guy who doesn't mind being second to Jesus, her husband of 40 years, Steve.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLynne Modranski
    Release dateJul 30, 2019
    ISBN9781393072423
    Dive In to a Life of Freedom: Finding Healing in the Story of Naaman
    Author

    Lynne Modranski

    Meet Lynne Modranski Lynne began studying scripture in her youth but learned as many rules as she did memory verses. By her twenties she questioned just about everything she’d been taught. She wanted to know the truth. To that end she began digging into scripture, and there she found freedom. Through her studies and her new relationship with Jesus, Lynne discovered her passion to teach, encourage and evangelize. When she combined that with her love to write, she found her heart on paper in songs, devotions, Bible studies and more.             Currently Lynne leads worship and small groups at Sycamore Tree Church where her husband pastors. She golfs and swims with her grandchildren and crochets and colors all winter.             She’d love to hear from you! Go ahead and send an e-mail! Lynne@LynneModranski.com

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      Book preview

      Dive In to a Life of Freedom - Lynne Modranski

      © 2019 Lynne Modranski

      All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.

      The Scripture used in this book taken from

      The Holy Bible, The New International Version®, NIV®

      Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

      Holman Christian Standard Bible®, HCSB

      Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

      Used with permission by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      New Century Version® NCV

      Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      New Living Translation, NLT

      Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

      New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

      Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

      Step Up

      to the Riverbank

      Step Up to the Riverbank

      Preparing for the Dive

      Imagine standing on the edge of a diving board for the first time. The water runs deep and swimmers wait nearby in case you flounder. The precision of the dive isn’t important, you’re in it for the fun. The crowd cheers, anticipation builds, you give the board a test bounce, and . . .

      I don’t know if I could do it. I love the water, but the deep end scares me. Still, I wonder what diving would feel like? I think the taste of freedom would be amazing.

      Have you heard the story of Naaman? If newspapers had existed in B.C. Israel, Naaman would have made the news. Today he’s just a blip among the stories of Israel’s most miserable kings, so most haven’t heard of him. Naaman’s claim to fame? A miraculous healing from leprosy.

      Naaman’s story fascinates me. The enemy of Israel finds healing. Even more intriguing is the way his story foreshadows my own.

      I grew up in the church. They tell me I was born on one Sunday and in church the next. By my twelfth birthday I knew all the rules. I could find Bible verses faster than every kid my age and even many adults. Despite my scripture knowledge and my goody-two-shoes life, eight years later I sensed something was missing. Following the rules and meeting expectations had made me tired, and to tell you the truth, I wondered if it was worth it.

      Naaman’s disease plagued me. But instead of leprosy of the skin, my leprosy was on the inside. Every man-made rule oppressed me and put scales on my heart. The hurts and fears I kept bottled – because I was convinced that’s what good Christians do – hardened it more. Regardless of my infection, there was a smile on my face every time I stepped into the church. Sadly, I didn’t even realize I was sick.

      I’m afraid a lot of diseased people sit in churches every week. Most asked Christ to be their Savior and waded into the Christian life, still they’re not free. And a few haven’t even taken the first step into the water. Christianity isn’t fun. It’s too much work. Everything they think they need to do to please God is daunting.

      But what if it’s not?

      What if it’s easier than we imagine?

      What if it’s not any harder than stepping off a diving board?

      I remember my first dive. Not from a diving board; I’ve still never taken that leap. I remember the time I truly jumped into the Christian life with both feet, when I let the Living Water get me all wet. It frightened me at first, but the dive was worth it. Healing didn’t happen overnight; however, I experienced an amazing freedom when I go of everything I thought was Christianity and immersed myself in what I found in Scripture.

      Naaman thought diving into the Jordan was ridiculous. He wasn’t afraid; he expected his healing to involve more work. Are you like this Aramean, have you been diligently working to heal your heart and find joy in the Christian life without success?

      Maybe you’re like me. I’d been given the list of dos and don’ts for good Christians. Most who’ve been raised in church know it by heart. Even those who never go to church have a pretty good idea what it looks like. They helped write it!

      Alright. I know. No one has ever actually seen the list, but a lot of people try desperately to follow it. But what if the Christian life isn’t about the list? I found freedom when I let go of the rules, and Naaman’s story demonstrates at least seven steps that helped my heart leprosy heal.

      Meet the Cast

      Each of the players on Naaman’s stage has one or two lessons to teach us about letting go and diving in. We’ll start with Naaman himself, the commander of the Aramean army and the featured actor. His character traits are a part of the seven valuable lessons from his journey to healing.

      Two kings have a role in Naaman’s story. The first is Ben-hadad, Naaman’s boss and king of Aram – modern day Syria. And the second is Joram the ruler of Samaria – modern day Northern Israel. Sworn enemies, they come together to find a solution to Naaman’s disease, even if it did freak out the Samarian king.

      Elisha was the second greatest prophet in Israel. He performed more miracles than Elijah, his most famous predecessor and gave Naaman an unusual prescription. If you don’t know much about Elisha, you’ll find his story in the first ten chapters of Second Kings

      Gehazi, Elisha’s attendant, recorded the prophet’s words and witnessed every miracle. When Naaman returned to show appreciation to the man of God, Gehazi greeted him. Like King Joram, Gehazi teaches us what not to do.

      Finally, we’ll take a lesson or two from Naaman’s servants. Several are key players; however, the young Israelite girl stolen from her home by Aramean raiders is the most famous. She became a slave in Naaman’s camp, a gift to his wife. The Hebrew words used in scripture, ketannah naarah[1], tell us she was older than eleven and too young to marry. Only mentioned in one verse, she plays a significant role. You’ll find many studies and stories featuring this young servant. Since she plays such a vital part, I’ve decided to call her Naarah to make it easier to include her in the conversation.

      As we explore Naaman’s story and get to know everyone who contributed to his healing, we’ll find a prescription for our own healing. The Bible promises freedom. Naaman shows us how to step into the liberating waters.

      As we plunge into the commander’s story, we’ll discover this diving in and letting go doesn’t have to be difficult. It may be intimidating until you go under for the first time. Guaranteed you’ll get wet. Best of all, this kind of diving requires very few rules. That unwritten list won’t survive under the water!

      So, hold your nose if you need to. Wade in slowly or just let go and jump. Enjoy the dive, cause the Water is fine!

      2 Kings 5

      The Story of Naaman

      From the New International Version

      Now Naaman was commander of the army under the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

      ²Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³She said to her mistress, If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.

      ⁴Naaman went to his master and told

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