The Small Stuff…

Who despises the day of small things? – (Zechariah 4.10a)

In their book, God Is in the Small Stuff and It All Matters: Stop Worrying and Invite God into the Details of Your Life, authors Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz tackle questions like, “Should we ‘bother’ God by asking Him for little things – like a parking spot?” Bruce and Stan use biblical wisdom and humor to remind us that God cares deeply about every detail in our life, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us or to others…

As the apostle Peter says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you.” – (1 Peter 5.7, NLT; see also Matthew 6.25-34; 10.29-30) Knowing this truth about God is a huge blessing and can make a big difference in the way we live!

The world loves the big and spectacular. God has proven that He is certainly capable of the extraordinary (Genesis 1.1), but He never overlooks the ordinary and seemingly insignificant… you know – the small stuff.  In fact, God often chooses to work in and through the small stuff to demonstrate His love and His power.

Throughout history, God's answer to a critical time was to send a baby. Isaac, Moses, Samuel, and John the Baptist were all born as answers to a time of need.

When God delivered the Israelites from the Midianites' oppression, He intentionally used an army of merely three hundred men to defeat a vastly larger army. He had more soldiers available, but He preferred to demonstrate His power in the way He accomplished His purposes.

When Jesus selected His first disciples He could have enlisted a multitude to follow Him, but He chose twelve – ordinary guys. It was not the number of disciples but the quality of their walk with Him that would determine how they affected their world. Later, following Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, we read this testimony regarding two of those twelve…

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” – (Acts 4.13)

When Jesus fed a multitude, five loaves of bread and two fish from a boy's lunch were sufficient in the hands of the Lord. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed (Matthew 13.31-32). The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to the Jews, yet it grew into an enormous tree. He also likened God's kingdom to leaven that is hardly noticeable but raises the entire batch of dough (Matthew 13.33).

When children came to Jesus, His disciples assumed they were an annoyance and chased them off (Matthew 19.13-15). But Jesus said that in order to enter His kingdom, people must approach God as a small child[1]. Now when you think about it, that’s how God ultimately entered our world… as a small child… that’s the most amazing thing of all… our Creator – God…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. – (John 1.1-3)

For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. – (Colossians 1.16)

…humbled Himself…

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! – (Philippians 2.6-8)

…and He entered our flesh and blood world at just the right time – through the womb of a young virgin…

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” – (Galatians 4.4.-5)

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. – (Hebrews 2.14-15)

…born in a small, obscure village…

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” – (Micah 5.2, NKJV)

…as a tiny, helpless infant to answer our greatest need… salvation from our sins and an eternal inheritance with Him…

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." – (Matthew 1.20-21)

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – (Luke 2.4-7)

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. – (John 1.14)

Who would have thought of accomplishing the biggest and greatest work of all time – the redemption and reconciliation of a world of sinners to a holy God – with such small, humble, seemingly insignificant beginnings? Who but God!

Who would have thought that long ago so very far away,
A little child would be born and in a manger laid.
And who would have thought this little child was born the King of Kings,
The son of just a carpenter, but for whom the angels sing.

And who would have thought this little child was who the prophets said,
Will return to judge the world, the living and the dead.

Oh, can’t you see that long ago so very far away,
This little child, our only hope, was born a King that day.

Yet in the midst of this darkness there is a hope, a light that burns.
This little child, the King of Kings some day will return.[2]

Christians often accept the adage “bigger is better.” We often measure success by the number of people involved in our ministry or the size of the attendance at our church gatherings. We seek spectacular displays of God's power. And it's awesome to rejoice in the big things; God wants us to do that. We must certainly not forget to be thankful for the times people are healed from cancer or when a natural disaster strikes without causing injury. But we can't forget about how God works in the little things either… like the times that He heals us from the flu just in time to take our final exam… or when we are so overwhelmed with friendships because God has blessed us with so many friends.

When we think about God, we tend to think of His magnificent power. But, we forget about His attention to intricate detail, which includes all the small stuff. God wants us to rejoice in the big and small; from the vast universe to a baby taking her first steps. We must learn to view success as God does. He is interested in the heart; He is pleased with obedience… to God – that’s the big stuff…

Okay, enough already… just remember, good things (God things) often come in small packages, so don’t overlook or sweat the small stuff, ‘cause a little is never small stuff when it’s in God’s hands… like that small band of ordinary guys Jesus chose as His messengers to the world… they “turned the world upside down.”[3] – (Acts 17.6b, NKJV)

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

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[1] Greek: paidiðon (Paidion, pronounced pahee-dee'-on), meaning a small, young child, a little boy, a little girl, infants.  Thayer and Smith. Greek Lexicon entry for Paidion. The New Testament Greek Lexicon.
http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=3813.

[2] "This Little Child." Words and Music by Scott Wesley Brown, © 1981 Sparrow Song/Cherry River Music Co., BMI

[3] There are probably no bigger opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others than during the Christmas holiday season – a time devoted by many to the recognition that God’s plan to save humankind had it’s earthly beginnings with a small baby - Emmanuel; and there has probably been no one who’s life and work has been used more to bring the gospel of Christ to more people than the apostle Paul (who’s name means “little”)… the small stuff.

Dealing with Sin’s Threat

You must purge the evil from among you. – (Deuteronomy 21.21b)

On March 28, 1979, America experienced its worst ever nuclear accident – a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. I was attending college in Philadelphia at the time and was advised to stay as far away from the Middletown vicinity as possible. During the tension-packed week that followed, sketchy reports and conflicting information led to panic, and more than one hundred thousand residents, mostly families with children and pregnant women, fled the greater Harrisburg area. I remember driving from Philadelphia to my parents’ home in central Pennsylvania for the weekend when the TMI disaster first occurred. Traveling through nearby Harrisburg, there was barely another vehicle on any of the roads – it was a bit eerie.

Government and TMI officials did not know for days the full extent of the risks to the public and the government had gone into emergency production of Potassium Iodide (abbreviated "KI") solution to help protect the public. Here’s a quote from the book "Nuclear War Survival Skills", regarding the serious nature of the TMI nuclear meltdown:

“When the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident was worsening and it appeared that the reactor's containment structure might rupture and release dangerous amounts of radioactive iodines and other radioactive material into the atmosphere, the Government rushed preparation of small bottles of a saturated solution of potassium iodide. The reactor's containment structure did not rupture. The 237,013 bottles of saturated KI solution that were delivered to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – mostly too late to have been effective if the Three Mile Island had become an uncontained meltdown – were stored in secret in a warehouse, and were never used.”[1]

Only later did facts of the TMI incident reveal the near catastrophic degree of the TMI meltdown that actually occurred…

According to National Geographic magazine, “more than half the unit's core melted.”

– National Geographic, April, 1989.

“It flowed like hot olive oil,” said the vice president of the company operating Three Mile Island, in reference to TMI's uranium fuel.

– Edward Kintner, executive vice president of GPU Nuclear.

Now imagine if Three Mile Island and government officials had not taken the nuclear reactor accident seriously and suppose the TMI containment vessel had, in fact, ruptured, as it well could have done… and what if corrective actions had been slower… why hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people could have been exposed to the dangerous levels of radioactive iodine and other poisonous radioactive materials within the first week or two. The death and sickness tolls would have been massive.

  

Like radioactive iodines and other hazardous materials that can be released into the atmosphere during a nuclear meltdown, sin poses risk, but of a far greater magnitude – eternal death and destruction. You see it is a dangerous and costly mistake not to take temptation to sin seriously. The sad testimony of many who have succumbed to sin's enticements is that they thought they were strong enough to remain in the midst of temptation to withstand and resist it. We find in our key Scripture text in Deuteronomy 21.21b that God requires that His people remove evil from their midst. One way to do this is to remove anything in your “atmosphere” or environment that may tempt you to sin.

When wickedness surrounds you, you are in danger of becoming desensitized and anesthetized to its destructive potential – that’s the deceptive nature of sin. Never assume that you are immune to succumbing to temptation. Do not underestimate the craftiness of the Evil One – he is by nature a deceiver and “the father of lies” – (John 8.44; see also 2 Corinthians 11.3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2.9-10; Revelation 12.9-10). Sin can be so seductive – that is obviously why there is “temptation”! (See James 1.13-15) Even Jesus, though God incarnate, was tempted in every way – just like us – (Hebrews 2.14-18; 4.14-16).

God does not tolerate evil, for sin even cost the death of His Son Jesus. Like radioactive poisons, sin causes untold pain and destruction to everyone it touches. And, like uncontained toxic, hazardous radioactive materials, so sin spreads, infiltrates, grows and destroys. That’s why the apostle Paul charges the church in Corinth to deal with sin straightaway – “You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth” – (1 Corinthians 5.7-8, GNT). Treating evil lightly shows foolish disregard for God's righteous character, redemptive work, holy wrath, and ignorance regarding the true nature and consequence of sin – it is absolutely hurtful, injurious, insidious, ruinous, pernicious, deadly (Romans 6.23a; Galatians 6.7-8).

An honest evaluation and inventory of your life will reveal temptations that you should remove, such as some forms of entertainment or ungodly relationships. As the apostle Paul clearly warns – “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character” – (1 Corinthians 15.33, AMP). When God convicts you of evil in your midst, remove it immediately – don’t mess around! Here’s what Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” – (Colossians 3.5-10) Notice the action words “put to death, rid, taken off.” We are to be vigilant, aggressive, relentless, ruthless, unwavering and unyielding in our dealings with temptation and sin. Sin is to the soul what cancer is to the body and should be addressed in the same manner – with radical measures to eradicate its terminal advances (Mark 9.43-47).

There are times, however, when you are powerless to remove ungodly influences, so you must remove yourself from the temptation. Paul urges us to avoid every kind of evil (I Thessalonians 5.22), and to flee from sexual immorality, idolatry, materialism, and youthful lusts (1 Corinthians 6.18; 10.14; 1 Timothy 6.11; 2 Timothy 2.22). When Joseph was enticed to commit adultery by his master's wife, he fled immediately! – (Genesis 39.12)

Do not lose your abhorrence of sin. Like the threat of contaminating radioactive materials that can prove fatal, take whatever measures necessary to avoid temptation and sin that can prove so destructive. Be diligent to keep any form of temptation out of your home, out of your relationships, out of your mind. You can do this only by maintaining preeminently your love relationship with God, recognizing that you are powerless to resist temptation in your own strength. And remember – God is faithful, He will provide a way of escape – but it is up to us to take it with all haste (1 Corinthians 10.12-13).

You will not be able to walk closely with God unless you see sin as He sees it. “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” – (2 Corinthians 6.14) You see, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” – (1 John 1.6) Darkness and light cannot coexist… run from the darkness to the light!

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” – (Ephesians 5.3-8)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

WebShepherd4U@Hotmail.com

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[1] Cresson H. Kearny, Nuclear War Survival Skills, published by Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, Cave Junction, Oregon, 1987. Original Edition published September 1979 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a facility of the United States Department of Energy.