Daily Encouragement Net (Archive/Print Edition)

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

"Small Things"

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:9).

Allow me to share a story today illustrating with something that just happened in my life. We joined another couple for dinner in a restaurant. Following the meal I called the server over to thank him and also gave him a small magnet with a photo and Scripture verse on it. He looked at the card, read it and thanked me as he went back to his work.

Ten or fifteen minutes later as we were leaving the restaurant I heard someone behind me calling out, "Mr. Weber!" I turned around to respond and realized it was the server. He told me, "You just wouldn't believe how much I needed to read the message on this card today!" Boy, that little act sure made my day! (I'm not sure how he knew my name as I had never met him before.)

I believe that most of what will happen today to honor God and help others will be really small things. They may even seem insignificant at the time.

Today's Scripture portion is taken from the account of the feeding of the five thousand. Our human inclination in dealing with the dilemma described in this story would be to hire a huge restaurant like McDonalds or need a government agency to come in and deal with the problem. But it didn't work that way. And so often it still doesn't today!

I want to consider the boy in today's story. I wonder if, seeing the need, he approached one of the disciples with his lunch. I wonder if he was mature enough to feel sort of foolish to think that his offering could make any difference. I wonder if any of his friends might have taunted him for his apparent irrational thinking. But Jesus used that little lunch, miraculously multiplying its impact and meeting the needs of all who were present.

I recall a phrase from my years of ministry training, "Do something big for God" which is a great aspiration. But something big for God is really often only a series of small, apparently insignificant attempts to be the salt of the earth Jesus called us to be. Most of us are just not in a place today that we can do something really big for God, but we can all seek ways to let our light shine to a dark world around us in the small things. Let us do so!

Be encouraged today,

Stephen C. Weber

Brooksyne's Prayer: Jesus, my little becomes great as You inspire me to do good works in Your name. Help me not to look at my limited abilities, wisdom, or resources. I don't give to others according to my limitations but I give to others from the abundance of Your blessings that You've poured into my life. Today, direct my footsteps according to Your Word as You give opportunity for divine encounters this day. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

Last week we received a note from a reader that well expresses the message today (It was concerning the message I wrote about my Mom): "The older I get, the more I realize that it is in the small moments that we can affect others' lives forever. Grand accomplishments mean nothing. Brightening a single moment in even one person's life in a day, means the world to Christ, I am discovering."

Entire context of the feeding of the five thousand in John 6.

Photo of lighthouse with Scripture verse

Picture magnets: I want to share with others the idea of making picture magnets as a customized way of sharing your faith with others. For many years I have made small business sized cards with Scriptures and other inspirational messages and distributed them. On a few occasions I have even attached these business cards to a magnet. Recently I printed scenic photos I've taken over the years along with an inspirational thought and made these into magnetized business cards. I would like to share this idea with others and here's a page on this. Also if any readers would like a sample magnet I would be pleased to send one to you if you just send a self addressed stamped envelope to:
Stephen C. Weber
495 Kraybill Church Road
Mount Joy, PA 17552
(In the US a 1st class stamp (.39) is sufficient.)