Text: II Kings 5:1-4

Introduction.

A girl from Israel was taken captive by the Syrian army.

We don't Know her name,her age ,if she was with her parents.

We only know that she was a slave in a foreign country.

We do know other famous captives....Daniel,Joseph.

Can we learn something with this girl?

1. We can learn how to be people with no bitterness.

The text says: "taken as a captive"

I try to imagine what that girl had in mind,as a slave.

We all have our emotional suffering.

The intensity of pain can be different from one person to another.

The cause of pain can be different from one person to another.

And many of us have similar emotional pain.

And if you go on keeping your pain,it won't get any better.

Emotional pain usually becomes bitterness.

A bitter person doesn't live well and harms others.

Hebrews 12:15

This girl decided to be happy.

To her the yesterday no longer existed and the tomorrow was to come.

She lived the present with intensity.

Why can I affirm that she lived with no bitterness?

2. We can learn how to be full of compassion.

II Kings 5:3. Look at what she says to the woman she works for.

She could have chosen to hate her master.To laugh at his disgrace.

But she brings a word of hope.Have we done this to unhappy people next to us?

"if my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria."

Illustration:Joseph in prison.He was a counselor,he interpreted dreams.

The girl could do little,and she did.To show the way.

Application:We should show the way to salvation.

She even thought about going with Naaman.

But this wasn't what happened.

3.We can learn how to be people full of faith.

If General Naaman met Elisha ,he would be healed.

It was the girl's conviction.

Many times we don't have this kind of faith.

Matthew 8:26, Jesus says:"Men of so little faith"

Matthew 14:31 , Jesus says"Peter, man of little faith."

Luke 17:5-6. This should be our prayer:"give us more faith"

Illustration: Filipe,5 years old,son of brother Eder,in the bakery.

Jesus' recommendation:we should be like children.

Conclusion.

II Kings 5:1b. Naaman had many advantages and a great disadvantage.

He had leprosy.His body was covered with wounds and blood,all the time.

We have two points here:

1. Naaman didn't smell well.

This was his weakness.

Each one of us has a "weakness".We have some things in our lives that don't smell well.And only Jesus can resolve this.

We are surrounded by people like Naaman.with many virtues , but without Jesus, without salvation.

We learned: How to be people with no bitterness.
How to be people full of compassion.
How to be people full of faith.