Little Things

 . I want to express this thought on your heart today.  YOU are important to someone simply because you are alive!!!  Just by being who you are, you make a difference in someone's life - whether you are aware of it or not !!  EVERY .... SINGLE....ONE...OF... YOU !  And of course, it goes without saying that you are important to God - If you weren't He would not have 'created you' !!  

Little things like....

The smile of a baby...

A young man holding the door for you...

A phone call, "how are you?"

A text from a grandchild...

A hug...

A sweet taste in your mouth,  the fragrance of a candle...

Little things  can make your day...

But Little things can also ruin your day...

An angry word...

Forgotten vanilla in a white cake...

A single misstep...

A dropped china cup..

Someone pulling into the parking stall you were waiting for...

And for those of us that are old enough....- Remember how embarrassing it was to discover you had a run in your stocking...or  the back seam was not perfectly straight??

We laugh today realizing it was a very little thing that should never have been allowed to be as important as we made it!!

But it is still true that often it is the little things that make or break our day! 

A Tiny Powerful Word

There is a little tiny two letter word that is perhaps a word we should be careful to pay  more attention to.

That little word is "IF".  Have you ever counted how many times you use it in a day? Or hear it? Google couldn't find anyone who had counted...BUT someone did count how many times it is used in the Bible.

1,637 times - 993 in  the OT  and 602 In the NT.

Just as a comparison the word Faith is used 336 in KJV bible - a hundred or so more times in various other translations, so what is so important about this little word ?

It is interesting to note that 'if' appears as the middle 2 letters of the word 'life'. Could it be that important as to influence our very life? Both now and for eternity?

Let's consider....

The dictionary defines the word 'if' this way...

" introducing a conditional clause or supposition that will happen should a certain event occur"

How many of you appreciate road signs when you are travelling , especially in an unfamiliar city?

That is what this little word IF has the authority and power to do - point  to instruction and direction.

Look at Deuteronomy 11:26...Here the Lord is using this little word to show His people the way to live  under blessing....or the way to live under a curse!

I John 1:6-10 - I John 2:1

I want to focus on this  passage  where the  word 'if' appears 6 times.

The first 'if' points to a 'no exit'. IF our walk does not match our talk, then we are liars living in darkness...whoa...let's not go down that street!!

But immediately following there stands another 'IF' ,this one pointing in another direction. IF we walk in the light as He is in the light it will take us down a good path - one where we have fellowship one with another and Christ' s blood cleanses us from all sin.

Good path !!  

The next  IF is pointing to another ' no-exit - if we deny that we have sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

BUT....Have you noticed how this little word always points one way - then turns to point out another way? Showing us 2 directions we can go in?

Look at the next IF ...IF we confess our sins- own them, acknowledge them, repent., then. He is  faithful and just to forgive us AND ti cleanse us from all sin.  Our confession encounters God's just response. God is.not only willing and faithful to forgive but He forgives because He is JUST- He has bound Himself to have to forgive us because not to do so would prove His unfaithfulness.

Note that not only does He promise to forgive but also to cleanse. Do you appreciate the difference?

We attended a family picnic last weekend. It had rained  before we got there. My great-niece,  who is 3,  could not resist playing in the mud the rain had created and got dirty - mud in her hair, on her clothes.

Her mother could have simply forgiven her and the mud would have dried. But no...when we got there the mother was 'cleansing' her daughter. She came back outside with freshly washed hair and clean clothes.

Aren't you thankful Christ doesn't just leave the dried sin on our hearts, but He 'cleanses' us ?

The next  "IF" is in verse 10 where again the road-sign points to where not to go....not to lie about our sin. - unconfessed  sin clings to us and isn't pretty! 

BUT if we look for  the next IF we find it in the first verse of chapter 2 where it points to the promise that Jesus is on our side and He brings us before the Father advocating on our behalf!! What a friend we have in Jesus!!!

So....pay attention to that little word  IF when you come across it in your Bible reading. Its power and authority can be trusted to keep us safe along our life's-journey. And bring us to our final destination! 

Judgment Day

 

One day we will all stand before the Lord on judgment day to receive from Him the rewards for what we have done. II Cor. 5:10. 

I think I speak for all of us in that we fear we have not done enough or that what we have done is not good enough. 

I want to encourage you this morning.  

I remember an experience I had years and years ago!  
I was in 7th grade probably toward the end of the school year. 

One Sunday afternoon we had the house full of visitors.  Adults and kids, it was loud - our house was small. I was playing with the other kids when suddenly I remembered,  I had homework I had not done. An essay for English Literature - showing how  a certain theme  ran through one of the character's lives.  I panicked,  knowing that when the visitors finally went home it would be bedtime and Mom was very strict about bedtimes..  So, I got paper and pen and sat down at the kitchen table, distracted by the noise around me, but I got the essay written.  Relieved, I was happy that at least I had something to hand in the next day. 

On Tuesday morning we were waiting for class to begin when our teacher walked in, visibly very upset about something. 

Without any greeting he said, "I am going to read you one the essays that were handed in yesterday."

To my utter horror, as he started reading I realized it was my essay he was reading.  I was hot/cold, so embarrassed and desperately wishing my desk would sink into the floor!  

When  finally he finished reading it, he threw it on his desk and exclaimed, "Now, if ONE of you can write like that, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE MATTER WITH THE REST OF YOU !!"  

What? ???   He was PRAISING my essay?   

In remembering that experience I thought about how that will be the same for many of us on judgement day. 

We all  judge ourselves  according to the world's standards or expectations and compare ourselves one to another.  But I believe God judges differently. 

I let my mind drift  over the women in the Bible that are praised for something they did. 

Ruth - has a Bible book named for her - but she did nothing more than be loyal and kind in her relationships. 
Abigail - became the wife of King David -- she did nothing more than cover for a wicked husband.

Esther saved a nation -- but she did nothing other than honor and obey her cousin/uncle. 

The Shunamite woman  - whose heart desire was granted - did nothing other than be hospitable. (to Elijah) 

The widow of Zarephath - used by God to feed Elijah, as well as herself and her son  - did nothing more than be willing to feed a stranger passing by. 

Dorcas/Tabitha - raised from the dead -  did nothing more than sew clothes for widows she knew. 

Hanna -- was given her heart's desire - she did nothing more long to be a mother and was a good one. 

Mary, Martha - were hospitable - loved Jesus - and their brother was raised from the dead. 

Peter's mother - was a good cook - hospitable -- and was raised from the dead. 

The woman at the well -  all she did was share her experience - and a whole town was taught by Jesus. 

Lydia - did nothing more than gather with women to pray at the river.- she worshipped God and opened her heart to hear Paul's message, yet her name is recorded in our scriptures.

The above women all have a place of honor in the pages of our Bible but if you note , none of them did anything extraordinary.  They all just did what was in their heart and mind to do.  It wasn't something they thought about and purposefully planned out  because they thought it would please God!  

We are so performance oriented .... and believe that for something to be worthy of  praise from God it must be something difficult - something we would rather not do - something painful. 

As a parent,  is that what you wish for your children?  Do they please you only when they do something they don't want to do?  are not even suited to do?   Then why do we think that God- the perfect FAther - would expect us to do what is difficult for us to do?   Has He not created each of us, unique in our person, and placed exactly where we are suited to serve Him! 

When we one day stand before God on judgement day, trembling like I did on that school day before my teacher, we will be surprised at what God points out in our life that was praiseworthy. 

I don't think Billy Graham will be praised for his huge revival meetings, or altar calls.   It will be something much more personal, something that he didn't even realize was praiseworthy.  Something he did out of his heart because it didn't occur to him to do otherwise! 

So I encourage you today to go through your day doing what you desire to do because it gives you pleasure or fulfillment - and know that God expects or wants nothing more - or less !