Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 2 Kings 5:13 NIV
The land of “much more” is found at the end of the road of small steps of obedience to God. For instance, consider a water droplet on the huge Mississippi River. It found its beginning as a small trickle from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota before traveling 2,348 miles to find its home in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Hebrew expression of “much more” is actually the same word, “aph”, repeated twice. It would be similar to a friend of mine, Eddie Taylor, speaking to the kids at camp…”listen, listen”. The servant is talking with Naaman and trying to get his attention, to cause him to stop his line of “stinking thinking” in order for him to think differently.
For Naaman the issue of obedience to the prophet did not make sense. The prophet asked him to dip himself seven times in a dirty river to be healed. There was no logical connection between the action and the desired result. It was easy to dismiss obedience for the gain at the end. How many times do we fail to obey because we don’t believe it will give us the results we have been praying for?
Naaman followed the instructions and was healed, because he followed the advice of taking a small step of obedience
Are there some small steps of active obedience that you have dismissed as trivial? Are there any whispers from the Spirit of God that you have shelved for later response? What would happen to your estranged relationship if you were the first to step out into true forgiveness? Do you struggle with putting small changes into your routines that would bring freedom in such areas as eating habits, exercise, entertainment time management, time alone with God? If you want to be wealthy, begin by learning the value of saving – starting with the first $1.00. God’s ways are higher than ours, and His always leads to the Land of Much More.
Let the servants wisdom guide you into the Land of “Much More”. Especially if what you have been doing is not working. Start taking the small steps toward obedience to God’s suggestions. May you experience the joy of transformation…though it takes 7 or more times.
Blessings Love y’all.
Hey Pastor Greg! It’s Clint and Stacey. Clint moved to FL a few days ago and we are in the car driving and just read your “much more” blog aloud. We talked about it and especially loved the simple acts of obedience part and how in the logical it doesn’t make sense but the Lord moves when we are obedient in ways we don’t understand. Hi to Pam, too! Come visit us in FL anytime.
Stacey Wesche
Blessings on you both.