And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6: 9 (ESV)
Scripture: II Chronicles 22: 6-19
We discount little things. But little things to us can be big things to others. Many times, we discount little things in our spiritual walk on which God may have a totally different outlook. This devotion looks at using little things to persist and pursue growing our understanding of God.
Moving Day!
So, the move has gone surprisingly well. There were just two hiccups. One was a mix up on just how much furniture we were moving on Monday. The second was getting my Internet hooked up. That is the reason for this post being late. It isn’t yet.
My Springfield mom called early in the afternoon yesterday to check how the move was going and to invite Adam and I to supper. She said it was just going to be vegetable soup.
When we were there, Mom invited me to our Women on Missions meeting. She showed me the title of one of the studies. It read, “Persistence Pays Off When We Pursue God.”
Pursuing God
Pursuing God — seeking God. Close. Both have the connotation that we are actively looking for God. God does come looking for us, but we have to desire a relationship with Him. We have to be active in that desire.
“Active” has a component of consistency. Active engagement means you do it more than once, more than one thing, or for more than just one minute. It means you work at it.
When you work at it, it becomes a habit. What is the saying, do something for 21 days and it becomes a habit? You have to do something over and over before it is ingrained in you.
How Do Believers Actively Seek God?
As believers, we actively seek God in more than one way. We pray. We read His Word. We seek Him in a community of believers. All these things out together help us grow in our understanding of God.
We can pray on our own, and God will reveal Himself to us. But He has also given us a tool in which we can see Him. We can reread passages in His Word until we understand the complexity of Who He is. We can connect passages to see the different facets of His character.
Joining a community of believers is more important than some think. We need the connection to and encouragement from other fellow believers. I would not have survived my spiritual tornado if I hadn’t had my ladies — every Sunday — saying that they could see how God was working in me, how they knew He had plans for
me and would get me through it.
What Trips Us
It is that one little word that throws us sometimes — just. It was just a short prayer. It was just a short passage that we read.
No, it wasn’t just vegetable soup. It was made with love specifically on that day with the intent to feed Adam and me. It was the fellowship and the ears listening to what went right and what went wrong with the day. It deepened the bond that I have with two very important people who I have had the privilege to call Mom and Dad for 38 years even though they are no relation to me.
But I am also my Springfield Mom’s daughter. We kick ourselves for the little things. We think our little things aren’t good enough. They are.
Little things done consistently can lead to bigger things. That is a good thing. How many times are we told to start small and then grow it to something bigger?
If we start out big, we can easily get discouraged. Let me tell you, it is hard being consistent in a lot of things. (And yes, I am kicking myself for my post not coming out at 2:00 this morning.) The bigger the thing is, the more components it has, the harder it is to be consistent with everything.
Growth
I don’t think it is that we discount growth. We usually are just focusing on achieving that for which we are striving. (We want the Internet on and the bins unpacked — now!)
What, we think we can just twitch our noses like Samantha in the old TV show Bewitched? Pipe dream.
What Does All This Mean?
We are never going to totally understand God this side of the pearly gates. We just have to take it in little bits. That way we can focus on what it is He is trying to tell us.
Yes, God was us to grow in His grace and knowledge (II Pet. 3: 18). That is because He want us to establish a relationship with Him. That is the focus.
So, no matter how long you have been a believer, don’t kick yourself for the little things. Use them as stepping stones to deepen your understanding of our loving Heavenly Father.
Father. You don’t expect us to be perfect. You expect us to seek You. You know the challenges we face in this world. You know how Satan tries to take our focus off of You by belittling our efforts in seeking You. Help us to grow in Your grace and knowledge. Amen.
Onward and upward. Goals for today: internet hooked up, find my jeans, go get the Keurig.
What do you think? What little things for you are really big things. Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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I recognize that corner! Glad internet works and glad you are feeling more at home!
It still isn’t fixed. The first problem was they had to create a new account (why when I only moved seven blocks?). They made the account but didn’t move the equipment to it. They got the equipment moved this morning, but it still doesn’t work. I have been using the internet at church and McDonald’s. They are coming Friday to run that TV cable to the basement, so hopefully, it will all get straightened out then.