The Little Things

When preparing this devotional, I was thinking about how many “little things” exist in this universe; about how without them, things just wouldn’t work.  You may be able to think of a whole host of things, but here are a few examples that make my point: In acting, there is a saying that “there are no small parts.”  This emphasizes the fact that even a small role in a movie or play, when performed well, has the ability to impact the success of the entire performance.  The actors in the leading roles are totally dependent on the smaller roles to be taken seriously and to be done well. A ship is a large vessel but without the small sized rudder, there would be no way to steer.  Planes zoom in the air, but one small piece of metal from the flaps may cause it to plunge to the earth. One corn seed will produce a stalk which generally has three to four ears of corn.  Each ear produces approximately 200 seeds per ear and if all of these were planted again the potential, in just one season, would be a harvest that increases by six hundred forty thousand times. A small part breaks on your dishwasher, or washer, or dryer, or another appliance which can sometimes render them useless.  Older buildings were marked by great towers and columns, but it was the nails and mortar that really held these buildings together.  I am pretty sure that if the plastic latch on my water bottle were to snap, I would toss it in the garbage. How many examples can you think of?

The encouragement that I wanted to give you today is this: sometimes we see ourselves as so very little in our own eyes.  We think because we don’t have a very public and/or dramatic ministry before the Lord that we somehow don’t measure up; since we aren’t a Billy Graham, well, our ministry doesn’t matter.  Of course, it does!!!  Let me repeat today’s verse.  If you are saved by grace through faith by the blood of Jesus, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”  As Paul beautifully illustrates in verse 17 of this same chapter, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?”  The first issue I would challenge you with is this:  Are you serving the Lord in some capacity?  Are you using the gifts He has given you?  Just for example, you love to host, and you have many of the church families over to your house to feed them and to fellowship.  This is a wonderful gift that you use for the kingdom.  Maybe your gift is “helps,” so every time the church needs a volunteer to break down tables, you are there.  This is important work to Jesus.  He loves every gracious act done in His name and in His honor.  You keep serving faithfully until He brings you home or He returns.  If you are not serving, what are you waiting for?  Get to work while it is still today.  The Lord loves His “little things!”

Dave F. 

   ‘69 / ‘76 / Egg Harbor Twp   NJ