Eternal Approach

“For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)

Whoa! That really does not fit the modern goal-setting mentality of Evangelical and Fundamental churches today. We are goal obsessed. We are results oriented.

Christian leaders have been seduced by the dream of large ministries. Bible churches today, seem to have no resistance to the Church Growth movement’s emphasis on secular-marketing philosophy and strategy. We have become moths drawn to the light.

Where are we told to build big things? To go for big goals? To build a big church or outreach? To build huge arenas and call them churches?

Please, call them something else; just not a church.

We are obsessed with opportunity and outreach. As if more is better. I had an old friend that used to comment on all the people that would come forward at evangelistic crusades. He said that these evangelists specialized in making babies and then leaving others to do diaper duty on those new-born Christians. So now, the church wants to get out of its primary discipleship duties and become baby makers too.

However, from the above verse, we are told to be thankful and attentive to whatever God has put in our hands. However simple and unpopular it may be. Not to look to some other, more worthy work while we have a job already at hand.

An Act of Creation

I have found, in my own experience, that God will bless faithfulness in small things. In fact, He requires it. Some perfect examples of God’s use of small things is when He fed thousands of men, women and children with just a couple loaves of bread and a few fish. And He did this on at least 2 occasions that we know of in the scriptures.

In the same way, Jesus Christ wants to demonstrate His own power through us. And He wants to do it when we do not have any abilities to bring to the table. In other words, He needs our weaknesses and inabilities to establish that the work is both from Him and by Him. So that those looking on will see God’s hand and glorify Him. Not us.

In the feeding of the thousands, He performed an act of Creation. Something that only the Creator of all things could do. He demonstrated His power over the natural elements of this world. But that could not have been done if there had been enough money or food available to do it. God loves to do the impossible in the midst of our desperate need.

The End of Our Rope

So, we may find ourselves in a really bad place. We may not have enough resources to do the job. Not enough money to pay the bills. Faced with taking jobs that don’t pay enough to cover all that is necessary. Even taking on multiple jobs that seem pointless toward meeting the needs at hand.

It is when we are at the end of our own resources. At the end of our own rope.

I like what Bob George (People to People Ministries) says on this. “When you are at the end of your rope, grease that sucker and let go!”

Exactly!!!

God is underneath us to catch us. In fact, He is above us, before us, behind us, and all around us. He is our safety net and our help. He is our First Resource.  And He will still be there when all our secondary resources and hopes for help are gone.

He is Able

When we find ourselves with just the simple things that other people don’t have much respect for. When we are doing the jobs that others are not impressed with or that keep us working in obscurity. When we are faced with doing the mundane tasks that make us feel “doomed” to do for the rest of our lives, let’s do them with thankfulness.

Yes, find something that you like to do, and then do it with your heart and soul. Then trust the Lord to bless it in His time. Be “faithful in that which is least” (Luke 16:10).

Forget the numbers and results. He is the One responsible for all that. Scriptural unfaithfulness will never be justified by amazing outward results. He is the Lord of the harvest. He is the One to bring abundance of fruit. He is the One to bring prosperity.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:24)