REPOST Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on January 31, 2019, is provided by Pastor Ryun.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“How John Tran Became Equal to Benjamin Netanyahu”
2 Kings 5:1-5 (ESV)
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet [Elijah] who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
We often overlook seemingly insignificant characters who play pivotal roles in great narratives. While we’re well acquainted with General Naaman and the Prophet Elijah—the two central figures in the passage above—we rarely mention the nameless Israelite girl who set the entire story in motion. It was she who led Naaman to declare, “I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel” (1 Kings 5:15). Without her quiet act of faith, Naaman might never have encountered Elijah—and the story might never have been told.
Now met John—a Vietnamese believer (and my former student) who not only learned to play the harp but also crafted harps, all without formal training, and all within just two years. How? John’s unwavering answer: “God.”
So, how well does John play? Well enough to be the only Vietnamese invited among fifty harpists to lead worship at the All Nations Convocation Jerusalem 2018, where 5,500 delegates from 150 nations gathered. And what about the quality of his harps? Remember the thirty harps he believed God had called him to make? Every single one was used at that international convocation.
So moved were the conference organizers by John’s story that they invited him to share his testimony before thousands—including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is not known for overt religious expression. John’s testimony made it unmistakably clear: his ability to play and build harps came from Christ, who empowered him through the Holy Spirit.
Afterward, Netanyahu sought John out. Upon finding him, this powerful leader said to John—an “insignificant” man from Vietnam—“You cannot show us [Jews] that you are smarter than us; you cannot say to us that you are richer than us; but I can see now that we are the same because you have the Holy Spirit.” Suffice it to say, the prime minister was deeply moved.
In both the world and the church, people like the nameless servant girl and John—ordinary individuals simply desiring to serve the Lord—are often overlooked. Yet Zechariah 4:10a asks, “Who despises the day of small things [or people]?” and follows with this promise: “Men will rejoice” when God uses these small things for something great.
This gives us profound hope: that God can use us, too, for His glory. And if your contributions to God’s work go unnoticed, do not be discouraged. For “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).
So let us remain ready—in prayer and preparation—so that when God calls us to something beyond our ability, we will respond with the first step of obedience, in faith.
Prayer: Father, in a world where we get beaten up because we are not good or talented enough, it is comforting to know that You choose “the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” So whenever I am called to obey Your next assignment, strengthen me to do just that: Obey You.
Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Romans 3
Lunch Break Study
Read Proverbs 22:27 (ESV): “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men”; Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NVI):“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success; Ps. 33:3 (ESV): “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
Questions to Consider
1. Based on these passages, what is expected of us with respect to what we do for work, profession and/or ministry? What is this about?
2. What are some benefits of improving our professional/ministerial skill-set?
3. How can we improve our skill set (1 Cor. 11:1)?
Notes
1. The expectation is for our skill sets to improve, not stay at the same level. This has to do with our stewardship: getting the most of out of the talents and gifts God has given us.
2. First, our improved skill set can lead to enlarging the sphere of influence for Christ (“before kings”); second, it can also lead to less energy spent while working and gain more.
3. First, “practice makes perfect”; second, apprenticeship (i.e., learning from those who are skillful); and third, praying for God’s wisdom so that we are wise in improving our skills.
Evening Reflection
Before going to bed, consider one tendency of ours that is counterproductive: Once we have reached a certain level of skill-set (“It’s good enough”), we become satisfied and then try to coast thereafter. Instead of continuing to improve, we focus more on leisure and recreation. Are you like that right now? What is one area in your life in which your ability to handle it is not your best (e.g., parenting, making power points, etc.). Pray to the Lord that He will give you desire and determination to enhance and improve your skill-set, so that you will stand before “kings,”; and work less and with the time saved serve the Lord more.
