"Do Little Things with Great Love"

The other day, I saw a bumper sticker that the Lord used to gently remind me of His work in my life concerning the "little things."   I think the quote on the bumper sticker might have been taken in part from an original quote by Mother Theresa . . . "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

I often struggle with thinking that my day-to-day little tasks of mothering, homemaking, and ministering to my husband seem so insignificant.  Pastor Dean has given some awesome messages recently in this regard that have sure helped encourage me in this area.  ("For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Eph. 2:10  Usually, if we're seeking to serve and please the Lord, we'll naturally be doing the things He has prepared for us to do.  He talked about how often times the good works He has prepared for us might be within a certain desire or passion or gifting that we have.  This passion or desire is probably God given and is a means to serve Him and others and bring glory to Him!  Even if that is changing diapers! ;-)  So, the Lord has really been helping me gain a fresh perspective in this area. 

Pastor Dean also recommended a good read a few months ago, and though I haven't had a chance to read it cover to cover, a portion near the end of the book has been continually coming to my mind recently as I go about my daily little works that God has prepared in advance for me to do!  Not only should we be faithful in "doing" the little things, we need to be faithful in our "being" holy in all the little things . . .

 

"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do . . .  "

1 Pet. 1:15

 



This has always seemed a little intimidating and/or overwhelming to me.  But reading this little passage has really helped me.  And of course, every breath we take and everything we do is only because of God's good, sovereign plans, provisions, strength, mercy and grace working in our lives!

" . . . a dying world needs you to be with God more than it needs you to be 'with it.'  That's true for me as a pastor and true for you as a mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandparent, friend, Bible study leader, computer programmer, bank teller, barista, or CEO.  Your friends and family, your colleagues and kids --they don't need you to do miracles or transform civilizations.  They need you to be holy.  As Horatius Bonar (Scottish preacher) reminds us, holiness is not measured by 'one great heroic act or mighty martyrdom . . . It is of small things that a great life is made up.'  (Found in his book God's Way of Holiness)

"Holiness is the sum of a million little things--the avoidance of little evils and little foibles, the setting aside of little bits of worldliness and little acts of compromise, the putting to death of little inconsistencies and little indiscretions, the attention to little duties and little dealings, the hard work of little self-denials and little self-restraints, the cultivation of little benevolences and little forbearances.  Are you trustworthy? Are you kind? Are you patient? Are you joyful? Do you love? These qualities, worked out in all the little things of life, determine whether you are blight or blessing to everyone around you . . . "  (Taken from pages 144-145 of Kevin DeYoung's book The Hole in Our Holiness)

I am so grateful for God's gentle "little" dealings with me, faithfully loving me daily with kindness, compassion and correction! I want so much to be faithful and pleasing to Him in all of life's big and small ways!

"One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much . . ."

Luke 16:10a ESV