Little Things with Profound Consequences

Elisha heard about his dilemma and suggested that Naaman come to him. When Naaman came he was in for a great surprise. First, Elisha, rather than coming in person to speak with him, sent his servant, which was in itself an affront to Naaman’s pride. Secondly, he was instructed to bathe in the Jordan River which was an act which seemed small, simple and insignificant besides being muddy and distasteful. While in the midst of his temper tantrum over the whole situation, “And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, `Wash, and be clean'?’” (vs.13)?

Showing the greatness that was in him, Naaman listened to his servant, washed in the Jordan and was healed. “So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kings 5:14). God uses the small, the simple and the seemingly insignificant to do His greatest works.

In our search to be included in the bigger picture of God’s work, we can be sidetracked into thinking that the only way we can be significant in the Kingdom’s work is if we do big and important things. Actually, God is the God of little things. He has the phenomenal ability of taking small, simple, and seemingly insignificant things and melding them together into a greater whole. Therefore, one shouldn’t despise the small, simple, and seemingly insignificant assignments and tasks to which he has been assigned. God is the God of protons, neutrons and electrons as well as of sparrows and of hair.

This is what Paul was speaking of in his first letter to the church at Corinth, when he said, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

God is not subject to the same value system that often governs us, our objectives in life, and the goals we have. The disciples struggled with some of the same foolish ideas for greatness that often plagues us. On the evening before the crucifixion they were struggling with their sense of inadequate identity while failing to see the significance of their individual roles in the most momentous event in history and the fact they had been chosen to be key players in that event. In their feverish grasping for significance, the mother of some even got in on the act. “Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’” (Matthew 20:20-21).

When God uses people to achieve His purposes, He will defy all conventional human thinking. Man inevitably seeks stature; doing those things that will guarantee him the esteem of people and that will provide worldly profit. Such values are the dross of the Kingdom. When God does anything, what He does is always predicated on bringing glory to Himself. He will not share His glory with any person, anywhere. Consequently, He often uses people without personal agendas, places them in positions that seem to have little consequence, and gives them resources with which to work that seem to be inadequate. When these things are blended together with His power and purposes, out of such a mix, God’s greatest works are produced.

When we are ignored by the multitudes, passed over by the mighty, unheeded by the great, we should remember – so treated they our Lord. In the Kingdom’s work, a different value system is in place. Human acclaim and acceptance is not necessarily a part of it. In fact, there are many personal and inner hazards associated with it. Jesus warned, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26).

What I’m saying should not be considered a license for ineptness, a justification for slothfulness, or an approval of irresponsibility. No matter how insignificant the task one is asked to do, he should do it with all of his heart and for the glory of God. Paul commanded: “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The essential ingredients of worth in the Kingdom do not necessarily include human fame, acceptance by the masses, and/or noteworthy achievements. To be valuable to the Kingdom, a person must be small, simple, and insignificant in his own eyes desiring only to please his Lord. One should know that the final assessment of the worth of his life and the value of his accomplishments will quite often not be properly made in time, but wait for the Father’s approval in eternity.

Jeff

• Jefferson H. and Norma R. Floyd, CO-directors • Jubilee International • P. O. Box 572 • Noblesville, IN 46061