There are no mundane tasks in God’s kingdom

II Kings 5:1-14 has one of the coolest stories in the Old Testament (in my humble opinion). It is a story about a man named Naaman. This guy was a powerful general of the armies of Aram/Damascus. He was a pretty big thing.

Anyhow, he contracted a disease called leprosy. This was an incurable skin infection that basically destroyed your body. Did I mention it was incurable?

Anyway, you can read the rest of the story, but spoiler alert, the cure was to bathe seven times in the river Jordan. Now, when Naaman heard this, he went ballistic. He expected an extravagant showing of Jehovah’s power. He wants lightning and chanting and to be given a quest to find some ancient totem. Instead, he was told to take a bath. He wasn’t happy.

It wasn’t until his servants reminded him of his willingness to do anything for a healing, that he stopped his hissy fit. Naaman took the baths and was healed.

The reason this story intrigues me so much is that it shows human nature at its most comical. Here you have a great general willing to fight dragons to be healed. He’s given a mundane task to be healed and he balks. You can’t get more human than that.

I remember going on a trail ride once and inviting a friend. This friend told me that the trail I was going on was not difficult enough, so he elected to stay home. What he didn’t know was that at the end of the trail was a cowboy breakfast for the books.

Many folks when they decide to serve Christ, want the big opportunities. They want to be the head of ministries and stand in front of the masses. For them following Christ is a means of becoming important. The problem is, they miss the true reason for ministry if all they focus on is the grand extravaganza.

Christ worked in the mundane. He healed everyday people. He fed with bread and fish. He washed feet and made things of wood. His teachings were not ornate, but true. Even his last supper was as simple as bread and wine.

To follow Christ is to see glory in the mundane. It is to realize that whether you are the preacher, preparing the sermon, or the janitor, cleaning the restroom, you are building the kingdom of God. No job is too small for God.

In fact, it is the small jobs that bring the most glory. It is the people behind the scenes that have the biggest impact on lives. The friend who invites a friend to church has a bigger impact than the well-prepared sermon. The simple kind word can change a life.

In the kingdom of God, there is no mundane task. Every task builds the kingdom, when done in Christ name. Mother Teressa was no great preacher, it was her heart that shared Christ. Whether you author a great spiritual thesis, or simply pray for a neighbor, you are doing the work of God.

Oh, and by the way, you have been called into work.

See you in church.

Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.