We may want to do something great, not necessarily to call attention to ourselves- which would be a sin, but because we want to please the Lord and do well in his eyes. What was pressed home to me Saturday was the need to do well in the simple, humble things. In which the main thing one is doing is simply seeking to be faithful.
I met with a brother. We went over a study guide on forgiveness, beginning a lesson on Psalm 32. All we said I think was Scripturally sound, and it seemed to me inanely simple. So I have to admit I had a kind of contempt for it, probably thinking to myself I'd be glad when it's over. Yet I did enjoy fellowship with the guy I met with, and he seemed to genuinely appreciate our exchange as I sought to be a good listener and encourager, as well as our time of prayer afterwards. And I sensed that the Lord was pleased with that time.
This goes to show that I must beware of thinking I need to do something that is great in the sense of using my gift as well as I can. Yes, I want to do that, but what came home to me from this is that I simply need to be faithful. That this should be my goal. And not to despise the time of what seems to be simple things.
We do like to get beyond the milk to the meat of the word of God. We want to be challenged to grow to be like Jesus, which means to be missional since Jesus himself was missional (as our pastor Jack Brown pointed out to us yesterday). We want to move on. Yet even in the simplicity of those nearly two hours at a nearby bagel, coffee place, I could see that what we did really did move us to that end, as this man expressed the vision he has for a ministry that can impact others.
I want to have that sense of the Lord's approval in my life. Not just to hear it someday, which by grace we hope to. But also to sense it now, that God is pleased with us and what we do. And in that, let's be careful not to despise the humble things and seemingly little tasks. For in such we find ourselves in the way of Jesus.
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6 comments:
An excellent reminder ... I also tend to despise small things, forgetting that Jesus Himself came as a small thing.
Thanks for your comment. I look forward to hearing what you think of my book :). Blessings!
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. - Ephesians 4:2
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. - Psalm 25:9
i think that in humblness and the seemingly small and simple things of this earth, is actually where God wants to meet us.
in the listening, touching, patient, thoughtful, humble places.
it is easy to want to be more than simple. but, simple is where it's at.
the word "search" can be "misleading" in a worldly way...i think in the way of God it is more like "listening" to God and "following" God. one can get caught up in the search instead of living out the gift of the realtionship of God.
God bless you.
Rachel,
I never even got very far into Lord of the Rings (our daughter read it three times). But I look forward to reading your book and interacting with it on the blog! You are a wonderful, gifted writer, and I hope I can encourage readers your way.
Thanks!
Nancy,
Thanks for your thoughts to us.
We do make life more complicated than what it is. I think of Paul's words, "sincere (or, purity of) devotion to Christ." Pretty simple yet profound.
But situations or acts that you think are simple can be grand and very important to someone else. I think your blog and the wisdom I receive, the questions it has me to try to answer, and the friendship I receive are very grand and important. I would not describe your blog or posts as simple, and I read the hard and thoughtful work you put into your posts...and you faithfully blog everyday. I think your blog is great...you are doing great work for the Lord.
Rachel Mc,
Thanks again for your generous encouraging words for me. I feel like I'm in over my head, but that's good, and the more so the better. Because then I'm more dependent on God and it stretches me.
But when I think a post hardly speaks or is simple, it may be because I know some of the right things to say, but I don't really get it all that well myself. Or it's unclear at the moment. So true for people for various reasons.
Thanks.
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