2013-07-12 - All the Little Things

Originally Published 2001-11-26

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV)

How many times a day do we run into little things that we could ask for help with but we do ourselves? It's no big deal most of the time. And it seems like a nuisance to interrupt someone else with such trivia. Or we don't ask for help because we know the person who knows the answer is very busy and wouldn't want to be bothered. This little thing would be so elementary to our friend that he would think the question was silly.

I know I dig for answers in my field all the time. But I do have a small group of trusted sources that I can get an authoritative answer from at any time. But I do the same thing with these sources too. I don't want to bother them too many times or they might think less of me professionally. The truth of the matter is that it would take quite a long time before they would bother me to the point where I would even begin to be annoyed with them. So why do I hold myself to a different standard with them?

I think we do this with God too. We struggle with a temptation. But it's a small thing that we can deal with ourselves. We don't need to trouble the Lord with this one. We're certainly mature enough to take care of this little bit of flotsome. Most of the time it is a passing thought that flashes across our minds and is gone just as quickly. Only when it becomes a repetitive issue do we take it to Jesus and ask for His protection or direction. But why do we differentiate little sins from big sins? God does not do this.

If we were to try to get into Heaven on our own merits, the smallest sin - the tiniest imperfection - would keep us from being allowed to enter. The plan before time began was for the Son to be born of a mortal woman in Bethlehem, to live a perfect life and die in our place as the sacrifice at Calvary. He didn't just come for the big things. He left His throne and glory of Heaven to come and live among we mortals of His creation. He submitted Himself to mortal flesh and blood to dot the I's and cross the T's so that there would be nothing left to chance. He came for all of the little things too.

Lord Jesus - Help us to understand that our dependence on You is all a part of the plan. The more we rely on you, just as You went to the Father, the clearer our path will become. It may still be a rough and narrow path. But it will certainly the path You chose for us. Amen.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
http://www.redcross.org

All verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.