The Little Things

“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because

He is a disciple,

Truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward”

Matthew 10:42

What I am showing you here I am sure looks to you like nothing more than a simple three ring binder.  For me it is so much more.   To me this is my folder for leading worship.  Every week part of my preparation for worship involves getting this folder ready.  I put a printed out, full copy of the worship service in this folder.  I write out the prayers and place them in here.  I put a typed out copy of my sermon in here.  Any announcements I want to make, I type out and put in here.  Normally, this is all I have to have with me to lead worship.  I have used this folder for leading worship for almost 13 years.   Where did it come from?  Well the leader of Vacation Bible School at Lamb of God gave it to me as a thank you gift at the end of VBS, 13 years ago  To her I am sure this was a small gift she has long forgotten about.  Yet God has used this small gift to help me lead God’s people in worship almost every Sunday. 

This is a pen.   To you that’s all this is.  To me it’s the one pen I have never lost.  The reason I have never lost it is simple.  It sits, or should I say stands on my desk in this pen holder.  When I am gone using I put it right back in its holder.  Thus, whenever I have needed a pen in my work as a pastor, for the past 13 years this pen has been right there on my desk.   Where did I get it?  Thirteen years ago someone gave it to me as a gift.  I am sure this was a small gift that the giver has long forgotten about, but God has used this little pen in His service ever since.

I am sharing this as a way of saying, “Don’t underestimate the little things that God gives you the chance to do.”  Too often in life and ministry we are focused on the big things, the large events – the Easter or Christmas service… singing a solo… building a big building… taking on a huge task… the big project at work that will make lots of money…  that we miss the little opportunities God gives us to help or serve someone.   We run right over people in order to get our important work done.  I remember early in ministry, that I was so caught in my “important work” that I would often not notice or ignore when a little child wanted my attention.   It shames me that too often people had to get my attention and point out the little one following me around.  What was wrong with me that I thought I was too busy, or too important to notice?   Jesus wasn’t like that.  There is one incident that sticks out in my mind.  Jesus is on his way through Jericho to Jerusalem.  He is going to do His most important work of all – dying and rising again for the salvation of the world.  As he walks by a blind beggar named Bartimaeus cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, Have mercy upon me.”  Everyone tries to silence Bartimaeus.  The believe that Jesus doesn’t have time for such a trivial person.  Well the text says, “Jesus stopped!”  He took time for Bartimaeus.  He healed him. 

Too often we are like the Priest and the Levite in the parable, to busy or focused on our big important task we have to do for Jesus, that we go out of our way to avoid helping or even seeing the man who was just robbed and left by the side of the road.    Sometimes the thing God wants us to do is to put off our supposedly important work, to take time to do something that may seem small and unimportant to us.    Who knows how our God will use the little things.

I heard a story about a salvation army volunteer who years ago went out of his way for a widowed mom anher two daughters.  Once a week, on his way home, he would drop off a bag of groceries and play with those two little girls who so missed their daddy.  I am sure he thought nothing of that little time he gave to those girls each week.  Well 70 or 80 years later one of those two little girls remembered that small act of kindness.  In her will this lady left something like a billion dollars to the ministry of the Salvation Army.   Don’t underestimate the importance of the little things.  You may never know how God will use them, but use them H e will.  Jesus said it, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple.  Truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward”