All of God’s great people in the Bible were faithful in the small things. In Matthew 25 Jesus told the parable of the talents. In it He referred to the one servant who had taken his master’s money and multiplied it. In verse 23, his master said to that man, “…Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” In Zechariah 4:10, the Lord asks the prophet, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” There is a powerful principle in taking small steps.
Many people are not moving with God today simply because they were not willing to take the small steps He placed before them. If you have received a call into any particular area, you should leap at the opportunity – no matter how small – to move in the direction in which the Lord has called you. If you are called to be a youth pastor, and are sitting at home waiting for an invitation from some large church, you should know that it will never come. You need to find the first young person you can, put your arm around him, and begin to minister to him.
Don’t be afraid to take small steps. The Bible promises us that if we are faithful in small matters, one day we will be rulers over many larger things.
The impossible, many times, is just simply the untried.
I can remember a time in my life when I was literally frozen with fear at what God had called me to do. It seemed so huge a task that I was unable to bring myself to face it. A friend came to me and spoke two words that broke that paralysis in my life. He said simply, “Do something!” If you are at a point of paralysis in your life because of what God wants you to do, the word for you today is “Do something!” Don’t worry about the goal, just take the steps that take you past the starting point and soon you’ll get to a point of no return. As you climb higher, you’ll be able to see much farther.
We should all learn to grow wherever we’re planted.
As you begin, don’t be afraid. Eric Hoffer said: “Fear of becoming a has-been keeps some people from becoming anything.” Every great idea is impossible from where you are starting today. But little goals add up, and they add up rapidly. Most people don’t succeed because they are too afraid, even to try. They don’t begin because of that old fear of failure.
Many times, the final goal seems so unreachable that it keeps us from even making an effort. But, once you’ve made your decision and have started, you are more than half-way there. God will begin with you today – no matter what your circumstances. Just think how thankful you would be if you lost everything you have right now and then got it all back again. Wouldn’t you be ready to go? Choose to think eternally, but act daily.
Culled from AN ENEMY CALLED AVERAGE by JOHN L. MASON
