March 5 - Little is Much

 Read today’s texts first: Deuteronomy 1,2; Mark 12

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

God delights in using little things, little amounts and little people to accomplish much! 

I love the truth found in the old hymn, “Little is Much When God is In It.” It was written by Kittie Suffield, who ministered with her husband and the pastor’s son from their home church in Ottawa, George Beverly Shea. They lived this message and God blessed their humble beginnings as evangelists to impact a world through the Billy Graham ministries.

What made me think of the song was the contrast between the Pharisees and the widow in Mark 12. The religious rulers had everything you might think you need to make a difference in the world: intelligence, education, knowledge of God’s Word, power, wealth, influence. And yet, most of them used all their resources to draw attention away from Jesus and toward themselves. The widow, on the other hand, seemed to have none of those things, but she gave all of what little she had quietly to Jesus - no bragging, no fanfare, no one noticing - except Jesus. Those who have much are often afraid to give it away (like the rich ruler from Mark 10), but those who have little to give seem less hesitant to give everything. We see in our Old Testament readings how untrained nomads defeated one warrior nation after another, led by a grizzled 120 year old shepherd named Moses. That reminds me of an encouraging list of heroes from the Bible:

Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David was an adulterer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Martha worried about everything, Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons, the Samaritan woman was divorced several times, Zaccheus was too short, the disciples deserted Jesus, Peter denied knowing Him, Paul persecuted and killed Christians, Timothy had an ulcer… AND, oh yeah, Lazarus was dead!

“Lord, You seem to delight in using little things, little amounts, and little people to accomplish much. I trust that You can still use me in my advancing years and with all my inadequacies as I surrender what little I have to You!”