Christian Devotional – July 27, 2020

Double Portion – #20

What’s bigger, our ego or our desire to be obedient? For Naaman as he was seeking a cure for his leprosy, that became the question. Read 2 Kings 5:8-14.

It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:8‭-‬14 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/2ki.5.8-14.NASB

Naaman thought he was “someone.” He held a high position and felt that should entitle him to be treated a certain way. He had to make a tough decision. Was he willing to humble himself to be obedient or would he refuse to do what was told to him on the basis of his own pride?

This is a tough choice that most of us face every single day. Are we willing to do what is right, even if it doesn’t exalt us? We must be willing and able to humble ourselves in order to see God worknin our lives. God doesn’t share the spotlight with anyone, including us. Naaman was asked to do a simple things, but he felt it was beneath him and that he wasn’t shown the proper respect. Will we continue to be obedient and be more focused on showing God respect than on receiving our own respect?