GOD
HAS A REMARKABLE LOVE FOR THE SMALL
BREAD
6 So
he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor
by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. 7 What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you
will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God
bless it! God bless it!’” 8 Then
the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of
this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD
Almighty has sent me to you. 10 Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice
when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:6-10 (NIV)
11 “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV)
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who
are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in, 36 I needed clothes and you
clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to
visit me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see
you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in
prison and go to visit you?’ 40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)
15 He
said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves
in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men
is detestable in God’s sight.” Luke
16:15 (NIV)
42 “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these
little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly
not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42 (NIV)
13 Then
little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and
pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 Jesus
said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When
he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-15 (NIV)
13 From
heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from
his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--15 he
who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No
king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great
strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all
its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on
those whose hope is in his unfailing love.
Psalms 33:13-18 (NIV)
11 Command
and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are
young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in
faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:11-12 (NIV)
BUTTER
“God has a remarkable love for the small. He sets his eye
upon small people in small places during small moments (Psalms
33:18; Matthew 6:4). The Son of God, who ‘did not count equality with God
a thing to be grasped,’ even became small to save us (Philippians 2:6-8).” Scott Hubbard
“It’s the prayers and grace we weave into
the cleaning of the house, the matching of the socks, the working of our hands,
that survives the fire.” Ann Voskamp
“Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at
each moment, without anxiety, according to the strength which He shall give me,
the work that His Providence assigns me.
I will leave the rest without concern; it is not my affair. I ought to consider the duty to which I am
called each day, as the work that God has given me to do, and to apply myself
to it in a manner worthy of His glory, that is to say, in exactness and peace.” Fenelon
“While the elders of Israel wept over this day of small
things, the God of Israel did not. Despite his big plans for his people, he is
not afraid of the small. Nor is the small any sure sign of his displeasure, as
we so often are tempted to think: If God were really in this, things
would be bigger by now! No: God had rescued them, God was
with them, and God’s plans would prosper — even through a day of small things.”
Scott Hubbard
“Our motivation
behind our works is to please the Lord – to do His will from our hearts –“doing the
will of God from your heart.” Ephesians
6:6 (NIV) as one expositor states: “Mark
how this motive sweetens, sanctifies, ennobles our earthly work. It then becomes a part of our worship. Animated by such a thought, the school boy
diligently, joyfully applies himself to his task. The clerk needs no other master’s eye over
him to keep him to his work. The
tradesman carefully executes his orders to the last stitch, when he feels that
he works not merely for men, but for Christ.
The merchant no longer sells spurious or adulterated goods, when he
feels that he sells, not to men, but to the Lord Himself. The minister, the physician, the lawyer, are
no longer content with a formal or perfunctory discharge of duty. The creditor, presenting his account, asks no
more than is really due, and the debtor faithfully pays it.” W.
Grant
“If we are genuinely faithful in the day of small things, our
small obedience will become big — but not usually right away, and not often in
the ways we expect.” Scott Hubbard
“Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all
things for your good. Take up your own
daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove
most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of
God. Down busy self, and proud
impatience, it is not for you to choose, but for the Lord of Love!” Charles
H. Spurgeon
“The big God is apparently patient enough to endure centuries
of small days. His kingdom, which will one day cover the earth, does not begin
big. It grows from one old man and his barren wife (Isaiah 51:2). It grows from
“the fewest of all peoples” (Deuteronomy 7:7). It grows from a mustard seed and
a bit of leaven (Matthew 13:31-33). It grows from an embryo in the womb of a
virgin (Isaiah 9:6-7). It grows from twelve uneducated men (Acts 1:8).” Scott Hubbard
“Keep sowing faithfully. God sees. He knows. In Christ, your labor will
not be in vain.” David Mathis
“What, then, is big in the eyes of our Lord? A partial list
would include praying, giving, and fasting in secret (Matthew 6:1-18); humbling
yourself among the last and the least (Matthew 23:11-12); spending time with
children (Matthew 19:13-15); visiting forgotten people in forgotten places (Matthew
25:36); giving a cup of water to one of Jesus’s little ones (Matthew 10:42);
remaining faithful with however many talents you have (Matthew 25:14-30). What
is small among men is big in the sight of God (Luke 16:15).”
Scott Hubbard
“Forget the numbers in your work. Focus on the net
value of your work.” Ann Voskamp
“The day is coming when this world’s carnival of mirrors will
give way to clear sight and just judgment. Then “many who are first will be
last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30). Then we will see just how small were
all the world’s big things, and just how big was the day of small things.”
Scott Hubbard
HEART SAVOR
- · We are not to disdain the small rather maintain
faithfulness in all our Lord sets forth for our hands to do. God is always working. Christ was always about His Father’s
work. He has prepared works in advance
for us to walk in as well. Some are out
front, most are hidden in a closet. Be
faithful.
- · The mustard seed is little – be faithful where you are
planted.
- · What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s
sight.
