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by Max Lucado
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD
rejoices to see the work begin"
(Zechariah 4:10 NLT).
Begin. Just begin!
What
seems small to you might be huge to someone else.
On
one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas
tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the
plane.
On
the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German
shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune.
Technicians
opened the missiles and found them void of explosive charge. They were clean
and harmless and with one exception, empty.
The
exception contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it a message had been
scrawled in the Czech language.
Translated, the note read: "This is all we can do
for you now."
A
courageous assembly-line worker was disarming bombs and scribbled the note.
He
couldn't end the war, but he could save one plane. He couldn't do everything,
but he could do something. So, he did it.
God
does big things with small deeds.
Against
a towering giant, a brook pebble seems futile. But God used it to topple Goliath.
Compared
to the tithes of the wealthy, a widow's coins seem puny. But Jesus used them to
inspire us.
And
in contrast with sophisticated priests and powerful Roman rulers, a
cross-suspended carpenter seemed nothing but a waste of life.
Few
Jewish leaders mourned his death. Only a handful of friends buried his body.
The people turned their attention back to the temple. Why not?
What
power does a buried rabbi have? We know the answer.
Mustard-seed
and leaven-lump power. Power to tear away death rags and push away death rocks.
Power
to change history. In the hands of God, small seeds grow into sheltering trees.
Tiny leaven expands into nourishing loaves.
Small
deeds can change the world.
Sow
the mustard seed. Bury the leaven lump. Make the call. Write the check.
Organize the committee.
Moses
had a staff.
David had a sling.
Samson had a jawbone.
Rahab had a string.
Mary had some ointment.
Aaron had a rod.
Dorcas had a needle.
All were used by God.
What do you have?
David had a sling.
Samson had a jawbone.
Rahab had a string.
Mary had some ointment.
Aaron had a rod.
Dorcas had a needle.
All were used by God.
What do you have?
God
inhabits the tiny seed, empowers the tiny deed.
He
cures the common life by giving no common life, by offering no common gifts.
Don't
discount the smallness of your deeds.
Max Lucado says he
“writes books for people who don’t read books.’ Even so, his best-selling books
have sold over 100 million copies across 54 languages worldwide. Perhaps Lucado
is converting non-readers with his poetic storytelling and homespun humor.
Perhaps readers can sense that his encouraging words flow from the heart of a
pastor.
Every trade book Max Lucado has
written during the last 30 years began as a sermon series for his home church
Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Max presses every word of his sermons
through this sieve: Why would this matter on Monday
morning? How can I relate the promises of God to every person, wherever they
are, regardless of the burdens they carry?
