In Christian preaching, 'little things' highlights the spiritual significance of small acts and gestures, emphasizing that God values humble faithfulness in everyday moments (Luke 16:10). Illustrations often use imagery of simple, unnoticed actions that carry great eternal weight, encouraging believers to honor God in all they do, however insignificant it may seem.
During a fierce storm, young Charles Spurgeon took refuge in a Methodist chapel. The sermon was by a deacon who was uneducated and repeated a few trite phrases over and over, but Spurgeon committed himself to Jesus nonetheless.
Little Things
Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.
Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, make our world and eden like the heaven above.
-- Julia Carney
A man dreamed that when he died he was taken by the angels to a beautiful temple. After admiring it for a time, he discovered that one stone was missing. All was finished but just one little stone that was left out. He said to the angel, "What is this stone left out for?" The angel replied, "That was left out for you, but you were waiting to do great things and so this was never finished." He was startled and woke, and resolved that he would become a faithful worker for God in little things.
-- D.L. Moody
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Another version from The Berean Call:
"A good many are kept out of the service of Christ, deprived of the luxury of working for God, because they are trying to do some great thing. Let us be willing to do little things. And let us remember that nothing is small in which God is the source."
-- D.L. Moody
A number of years ago young Matthew LeSage, a third-grader, wanted to do something to help the hungry in his city. So he started a program, Hams for the Hungry. In its fourth year, Hams for the Hungry raised $40,000 to brighten the holiday season for people with limited resources.
Matthew's story reminds me of another young man, 13 years old at the time, who read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer's missionary work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over Dr. Schweitzer's hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station broadcast the story about this young fellow's concern for helping others. Others responded as well. Eventually, he was flown by the government to Schweitzer's hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000 freely given by thousands of people. This, of course, would be the equivalent of millions of dollars today.
When Dr. Schweitzer heard the story, he said, “I never thought one child could do so much.”
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King Duncan, “You Feed Them”; Source: Weekend Encounter, by Dick Innes, Copyright (c) ACTS International, 2004, http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.php
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #9782]
A group of men were carrying on a friendly conversation. One of them remarked that he had learned to be especially careful about small things. "Would you believe," he said, "that a little thing like a pair of socks changed the entire course of my life?"
"I can hardly believe that," replied another man.
"Well, it's true! Once I planned to take a trip with some of my friends on a canal boat, but two days before we intended to leave, I injured my foot while chopping wood. It was only a small cut, but the blue dye in the homemade socks I wore poisoned the wound, and I was compelled to stay at home. While my friends were on their journey, a powerful preacher came to our town to hold revival meetings. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to attend. The message touched me deeply, and as a result, I surrendered my heart to the Lord. Afterward I saw that I needed to change my life in many ways. New desires and purposes took hold of me. I determined also to seek an education, for I trusted that this would enable me to live more usefully for my Lord."
The man who made these comments was none other than the former President of the United States -- James A. Garfield!
Don't treat lightly the "little things" in life. They often gravitate to great and important consequences.
See: Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 1:27-30
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[Illustration used in sermon found at illustration HolwickID #4701]
Recently a huge tree in Colorado fell to the ground with a resounding crash after having stood majestically on a hill for more than 400 years. A mere sapling when Columbus landed in San Salvador, over the centuries it had been struck by lightning 14 times, braved great windstorms, and even defied an earthquake.
In the end, however, it was killed by some little beetles. Boring under the bark, they chewed away its mighty fibers until one day that lordly king of the forest came thundering down.
So, too, apparently insignificant sins often make substantial inroads into our spiritual lives, and if left unchecked may cause our downfall. The idle word spoken, the prayer time omitted, and the occasional fleshly pleasure indulged -- these things “spoil” the vineyard much more than we realize. If Satan gets an entering wedge on inconsistency, the leverage he then exerts is greatly increased.
The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the goodness of Panama was made by a French company. Men and machinery tackled the mountains and jungles. The project was abandoned, however, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands.
American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes. When the mosquitoes were taken care of the mountains soon succumbed. There is a great difference between the size of mountains and mosquitoes, yet the small mosquitoes did more damage. More men perished from the bite of the mosquitoes than from danger in the mountains.
No one succeeds in the big opportunities of life who has not been faithful in small obligations. “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
My Source:
WORDS OF LIFE
Vol 4, #37, September 13, 1998
Waynesboro, Tennessee
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Author: John W. Schlatter
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A SIMPLE GESTURE
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove, and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball, and history, that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded Mark of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life.”
Giant Sequoia trees, also known as redwoods, are the biggest living things on earth. Heights of 300 feet and diameters of 30 feet are not uncommon. They can range in age from 2,000 to 3,000 years-some of which were living when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee. The largest specimen, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park, is 275 feet tall (84 m), has a diameter of 36.4 feet (11.1 m) at the base, and has been estimated to weigh 2500 metric tons. The Pacific coast redwoods in southern Oregon and central California range in height from 100 to 367 feet (30 to 112 m) - a size approached only by the eucalyptus of Australia.
What is fascinating about these majestic redwood trees that reach their leafy arms heavenward is that they stand for hundreds of years surviving raging fires, violent storms, and fierce winds. I have also read that they have a comparatively shallow root system which makes their survival even more amazing. So how do they survive? They survive because they live in groves with their root systems entangled with numerous other trees. In other words they support each other. They couldn't survive alone.
Neither can we. We need each other. We were never meant to go it alone. We need the support of one another to make it. One of the major purposes of the Christian church is for the very purpose of encouraging and supporting one another. If you don't belong to such a church, I urge you to do all you can to find one.
Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have designed the church, not only to help us grow spiritually, but also to support us emotionally and socially as well. Help me to find and be a part of such a church - one that is true to your Word and fulfills your divine purpose in the life of its members. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen.”
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From Humble Beginnings
The most massive living thing on planet Earth is the General Sherman, a giant sequoia found in central California’s Sequoia National Park on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas. This tree stands at nearly 274.9 feet and has a girth of 102. 6 feet near its base. It is estimated to weigh 2,756 tons. It is approximately 2,200 years old. The seeds of the giant sequoia are about the size of an oat flake, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records they weigh only 1/6,000 of an ounce.
Adapted from Deryl R. Corbittanger
During a fierce storm, young Charles Spurgeon took refuge in a Methodist chapel. The sermon was by a deacon who was uneducated and repeated a few trite phrases over and over, but Spurgeon committed himself to Jesus nonetheless.
Recently a huge tree in Colorado fell to the ground with a resounding crash after having stood majestically on a hill for more than 400 years. A mere sapling when Columbus landed in San Salvador, over the centuries it had been struck by lightning 14 times, braved great windstorms, and even defied an earthquake.
In the end, however, it was killed by some little beetles. Boring under the bark, they chewed away its mighty fibers until one day that lordly king of the forest came thundering down.
So, too, apparently insignificant sins often make substantial inroads into our spiritual lives, and if left unchecked may cause our downfall. The idle word spoken, the prayer time omitted, and the occasional fleshly pleasure indulged -- these things “spoil” the vineyard much more than we realize. If Satan gets an entering wedge on inconsistency, the leverage he then exerts is greatly increased.
Little Things
Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.
Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, make our world and eden like the heaven above.
-- Julia Carney
Giant Sequoia trees, also known as redwoods, are the biggest living things on earth. Heights of 300 feet and diameters of 30 feet are not uncommon. They can range in age from 2,000 to 3,000 years-some of which were living when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee. The largest specimen, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park, is 275 feet tall (84 m), has a diameter of 36.4 feet (11.1 m) at the base, and has been estimated to weigh 2500 metric tons. The Pacific coast redwoods in southern Oregon and central California range in height from 100 to 367 feet (30 to 112 m) - a size approached only by the eucalyptus of Australia.
What is fascinating about these majestic redwood trees that reach their leafy arms heavenward is that they stand for hundreds of years surviving raging fires, violent storms, and fierce winds. I have also read that they have a comparatively shallow root system which makes their survival even more amazing. So how do they survive? They survive because they live in groves with their root systems entangled with numerous other trees. In other words they support each other. They couldn't survive alone.
Neither can we. We need each other. We were never meant to go it alone. We need the support of one another to make it. One of the major purposes of the Christian church is for the very purpose of encouraging and supporting one another. If you don't belong to such a church, I urge you to do all you can to find one.
Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have designed the church, not only to help us grow spiritually, but also to support us emotionally and socially as well. Help me to find and be a part of such a church - one that is true to your Word and fulfills your divine purpose in the life of its members. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen.”
======================
From Humble Beginnings
The most massive living thing on planet Earth is the General Sherman, a giant sequoia found in central California’s Sequoia National Park on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas. This tree stands at nearly 274.9 feet and has a girth of 102. 6 feet near its base. It is estimated to weigh 2,756 tons. It is approximately 2,200 years old. The seeds of the giant sequoia are about the size of an oat flake, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records they weigh only 1/6,000 of an ounce.
Adapted from Deryl R. Corbittanger
The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the goodness of Panama was made by a French company. Men and machinery tackled the mountains and jungles. The project was abandoned, however, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands.
American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes. When the mosquitoes were taken care of the mountains soon succumbed. There is a great difference between the size of mountains and mosquitoes, yet the small mosquitoes did more damage. More men perished from the bite of the mosquitoes than from danger in the mountains.
No one succeeds in the big opportunities of life who has not been faithful in small obligations. “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the goodness of Panama was made by a French company. Men and machinery tackled the mountains and jungles. The project was abandoned, however, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands.
American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes. When the mosquitoes were taken care of the mountains soon succumbed. There is a great difference between the size of mountains and mosquitoes, yet the small mosquitoes did more damage. More men perished from the bite of the mosquitoes than from danger in the mountains.
No one succeeds in the big opportunities of life who has not been faithful in small obligations. “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
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