Little Things
Today’s Verse:
For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. ~Zechariah 4:10
Do little things matter to you? Do you give attention to the little details as much as the huge details? Do you give as much attention to small pocket change as you do with paper currency? I believe that little things in life do matter! God asked a very poignant question of Zechariah: “For who hath despised the day of small things?” The people of God took for granted the small things in life, and this got them into a lot of trouble. Let us consider why it is important to not despise the day of small things!
Be careful you do not despise the small voice.
“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice,” 1 Kings 19:12. Elijah was at a place in life where he was trying to find the voice of God in the big, dynamic events of life. He tried to find God’s voice in a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a raging fire, but the Lord’s voice was nowhere to be heard. It was after all this drama that he heard a still, small voice. Listening for the still, small voice requires us to listen carefully. It requires us to be still and remove all other distractions. It requires us to acknowledge God’s presence and Person. The still, small voice is found in the dark, wee hours of the morning. It is found when we give ourselves wholly to the reading of the Scripture. It is found when our conscience is pricked by godly counsel that we need to hear. Don’t despise the day of the small voice.
Be careful you do not despise the small virtues.
First, there are the common courtesies. We live in one of the rudest and most uncouth times in American history. Courtesies such as “Please,” “May I,” “Excuse me,” “Pardon me,” “Thank you,” and “I am sorry” are grossly missing in most vocabularies. Second, there is the necessity of Spirit control. This includes not walking around with an angry spirit and bitterness in the heart towards people who have intentionally done you wrong. The same must said about those who walk around afflicting others with their critical speech and self-righteous fault-finding. Decide to keep short accounts with people. Decide to live peaceably with all men. Decide to have a happy spirit: rejoice in whatever you do!
Be careful you do not ignore the small vices.
“Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes,” Song of Solomon 2:15. The little foxes eat and nibble away at the tenderly-sprouted grape vines. Left unchecked, the grapes are eaten up early and a bumper-crop year could become a disaster. The little foxes are illustrative of the little sins that eat away at our strength. Missing your devotions are little vices that result in our spiritual fallout. Lust that is unchecked in our life eventually results in sin. Misrepresentations are little lies that can lead to fraud. Being careless with the reporting of our taxes becomes a dishonesty problem. A bitter reaction that is not dealt with remedially results in the defilement of our life and those lives around us. Little vices lead to big sins which, in turn, lead to a terrible fall.
Do little things matter? Yes, they do! Let us be careful not to succumb to despising the day of small things. Be diligent to safeguard your life against the little things that we can easily take for granted.
Have a cautious God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Ezekiel 9-12