This world celebrates big achievements
and has little regard for the small things. Recognition is given to those who do things sooner, better, or bigger
than others. Meanwhile, the ordinary and
mundane things that are also necessary and important go mostly unnoticed and
underappreciated. This tendency to
praise big achievements and overlook the small things can lead to serious
mistakes in judgment and failures in responsibility.
If we fall into the mentality of
focusing only on big accomplishments, then we are likely to undervalue and
neglect the small things. Consider the
example of the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity under Zerubbabel
to rebuild Jerusalem. They had begun
their task with zeal, but they soon became discouraged. They completed the new temple foundation, but
the old men who had seen the first temple wept when they saw it (Ez. 3:12). Soon construction was halted due to the
opposition of their enemies and their own discouragement (Ez. 3-4). To get them back to work, God sent the
prophets Haggai and Zechariah. In
Zechariah 4:10, God asked, "For who has despised the day of small things?" To the Jews, it must have seemed like the
temple foundation in the midst of the Jerusalem's ruins was a small thing compared
to the former glory of the city. They
despised (undervalued) the work they were doing, and this prevented them from
accomplishing anything.
Like those Jews, if we despise "the day
of small things," it can prevent us from accomplishing the will of God. For example, a Christian who sets his
ambition on converting the world to Christ may have a praiseworthy goal, but he
may not be satisfied with the much smaller goals that are actually within his
scope to accomplish. Likewise, a
Christian who determines that he will unite all of the churches of Christ also
seeks a high ideal, but he may overlook the small things that promote unity
within the congregation to which he belongs. Furthermore, if members of a church become discouraged because their
efforts in evangelism have not resulted in many conversions to Christ, then
they have despised the fact that the word of God has been preached, and they
may give up. These examples demonstrate
that Christians must avoid such attitudes concerning seemingly small things or
else they will fail in their service to God.
Remember, our God knows all things,
whether great or small. The same God who
created the vastness of outer space also created the microscopic single-cell
creatures and the subatomic particles that compose all things (Gen. 1). God knows every bird of the mountains (Ps.
50:11), every sparrow that falls to the ground, and every hair on every head
(Matt. 10:29-30). He knows the thoughts
and intentions of every heart, whether they belong to a king or a peasant (Heb.
4:12). He knows of the great, celebrated
deeds of man, and He knows of those deeds that go unnoticed in the world. Moreover, He remembers all of these things,
and they all matter to Him. He keeps a
record of every deed of every person, whether great or small. Because it is God's praise that ultimately
matters, we should seek Him in all that we do, regardless of whether we do
great things or small (Heb. 11:6).
Therefore, let us give diligence to all
good works, including those small things. Although few men will notice those small things, our God sees them in
secret (Matt. 6:4, 6, 18). Remember,
Jesus said, "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little
ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose
his reward" (Matt. 10:42). Be assured
that everything you do matters and is noticed by the Lord. Helping a widow, praying for the sick,
encouraging a weak brother, teaching a child, taking food to the needy,
mourning with those who are bereaved, caring for an aged parent, helping a
friend, or just offering a cup of cold water because you are a disciple of the
Lord are all small things that you may do, and each one of these is
important. Do not despise the days of
small things, but instead live by them. These small things accumulate to accomplish the big things, which are
the glorification of God and the salvation of souls. The Lord remembers the small things you do, and
you shall not lose your reward.
