THE LEAST OF THESE
Have you ever felt as though the plan God has for your life is something that is “future tense”?
Have you ever wondered how your “ordinary life” could ever glorify God?
If this is you, then read on…
As I head into my sixties, I am in a season where I am free to apply myself to writing the books and articles that God puts on my heart. It is a season I am greatly enjoying as I lean in close to Him. Yet there have been many seasons where I often wondered what was the point of living – and did my life even matter? Granted, this was before I knew Jesus, but I know many Christians who have grappled with these same issues.
Each of these seasons shared a common thread woven throughout – each one was made up of single moments, becoming hours, stretching into days. Within each of these days a million different thoughts and actions kept me moving onwards – day by day: breathing in, breathing out. Day by day, I did many things over and over, an endless cycle seemingly stuck on repeat. And then slowly but surely, life opened up in a new direction and a fresh season emerged. Can you relate?
The Book of Ecclesiastes is a wonderful book which speaks to us about the ordinariness of life. One of its recurrent themes is that “there is nothing new under the sun”; and everything has a time, a season, and a purpose under heaven (Chapter 3). We are advised to live our lives for the Lord, enjoying our work, enjoying our spouse, and doing everything we undertake with all our strength: Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.
To us, the events which make up our lives may seem ordinary and insignificant but, according to Scripture, these are not something we should resent or minimise (Zechariah 4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? For even these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel). Wherever you are in your life right now, whatever you are going through, you can make the choice to trust the God who created you without knowing why things are happening in a certain way. You can make the choice to give yourself wholeheartedly to the things that God is asking you to do, believing that He will meet you exactly where you are, to give you courage and strength. Trust that God will bless these small things and cause them to prosper and grow. Remember, as you are faithful with little, God will entrust you with more, as in Matthew 25:21 (The Parable of the Talents) “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
There are many Scriptures which speak about those things that we consider small and insignificant but which God has used to accomplish great things. Consider The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32) “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 “which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Later, in Matthew 17:20 Jesus speaks about faith as a mustard seed being so mighty it could move a mountain. Remember the widow who gave her last two coins in Mark 12:41, or the little boy whose small lunch was multiplied in John 6:9. These are just a few examples of the
“small” things being used mightily by God. Even the Apostle Paul’s name means “small or humble”. The Bible is equally as full of Kings as it is with “ordinary” people – tentmakers, fishermen, shepherds, housewives and prostitutes (to name a few). God used them all as He saw fit, as explained in Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
In the Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 3, we see the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem accomplished by many different people, each contributing and doing their bit. In God’s plan, and as His people, His hands and feet, we are called to be obedient to what He would want us to contribute; to do our bit. As 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually advises, each of us has a part to play that is unique and precious.
It is clear from Scripture that we are to faithfully discharge our responsibilities. God has given us all gifts and talents, and we are to use these wisely so that what is entrusted to us results in greater opportunities. If we neglect to do this, we run the risk not only of the of the loss of more opportunities, but of that which was entrusted to us.
Make the commitment to trust God and pray that your will and His will are in alignment. You are so important to God! The way He loves you and His promises for you are all throughout Scripture (for example, Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope). He loves you so much that He sent His only son Jesus to die for you, to take on your sin, so that never again would you be separated from your Creator. As 1 Peter 2:9 tells us: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s treasured possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Obedience, trust, faithfulness, and willingness are all necessary to serve the God we love – the God who, through Jesus, has set us free into eternal Life with Him.
I want to encourage you today to remember that we serve a God who is magnificent in His love for us and mighty in His power. He is for us! Romans 8:31 (God’s Everlasting Love) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? This applies even if you are so lost in the challenges of a season of your life that you are questioning God and His plan for you. Always remember and rest secure in the knowledge that you are God’s treasured possession, and by His might and power you will accomplish all that He has in the plan for your life. We are small, but our God is immense – far beyond our comprehension. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5)
Remember that what we perceive as small and mundane is anything but that in the eyes of the Lord. So long as we are obedient to Him, and stay close to Him, fixing our eyes on Him, we will be glorifying Him. The Bible is full of people with “ordinary” lives – just like me and you – serving an extraordinary God. He is a God who will meet us exactly where we are at. And every step that we walk with Him brings us closer to the time we will stand before Him, never again to be separated from Him, and hear those words that we are longing to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.
