The Small Things
The sermon emphasizes the importance of attending to small things in our lives for the sake of Christ our Master, as they play a crucial role in our spiritual growth and character formation.
Mary Wilder Tileston emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the details of our daily lives, highlighting the significance of small acts of kindness, regularity in prayer, good-humor, and avoiding temptations and annoyances. She explains that these seemingly minor actions are crucial expressions of a loving heart devoted to Christ. Frederick Temple underscores the value of upholding great sterling duties such as truthfulness, refusal to condone wrong, self-control, purity, and diligence, as they shape our character and prepare us to be instruments in God's hands for His divine purposes.
Text
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven.
MATTHEW 5:19
THE great sterling duties, the exact truth of word, the resolute refusal to countenance wrong, the command of temper, the mastery of indolence, the unstained purity,--these, and such as these, form the character, and fashion our souls into instruments in God's hands for high and heavenly purposes in His Providence. But the carefulness over details, the watchfulness against faults which we know to be faults, but which, notwithstanding, seem venial, the devout regularity and attention in our private prayers, the invariable good-humor of our manners, the seeking for occasions of kindness and unselfishness, the avoidance of little temptations, the care not to cause little annoyances and little troubles,--to attend to all this for the sake of Christ our Master is the natural and fitting expression of a loving heart.
FREDERICK TEMPLE
The sins by which God's Spirit is ordinarily grieved are the sins of small things--laxities in keeping the temper, slight neglects of duty, sharpness of dealing.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Small Things
- The Sins of Small Things
- Laxities in keeping the temper
- Slight neglects of duty
- Sharpness of dealing
Key Quotes
“The sins by which God's Spirit is ordinarily grieved are the sins of small things--laxities in keeping the temper, slight neglects of duty, sharpness of dealing.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“The natural and fitting expression of a loving heart is to attend to all things for the sake of Christ our Master, including the small things.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We should be careful and watchful against faults, and seek occasions of kindness and unselfishness in our daily lives.
- Attending to small things, such as our temper and duty, is a natural and fitting expression of a loving heart.
- We should strive to avoid causing little annoyances and troubles, and instead seek to be a blessing to those around us.