“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Luke 16:10 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.16.10.ESV
It’s the little stuff. It’s always the little stuff.
It’s easy to get motivated about “doing work for God” where the results are immediate and tangible. Or even if the results aren’t tangible, if it gives us the feeling of being a “hero” for God like so many of the people of the Bible.
But when it comes to the fine details of life, that’s where the rubber meets the road. When it comes to the daily tasks involved in self discipline, that’s the “work”, while getting to serve and love others can be the blessing.
Faithfully sticking to the task at hand, whether it is a focus on financial discipline, resisting temptation, or meticulously doing our job to the best of our abilities – sometimes those “little” tasks that are a necessary part of operating in this physical world can feel like the prison walls that are closing in on us.
I really need help with the details.
Seriously, I could be in real trouble when I read this verse and see the details where I fall short – if it were not for the grace of God.
Yes, the conviction, the fear of God that results in my understanding that He doesn’t say, “If you can be trusted in the big stuff, I can trust you in the little stuff” is powerful for me. Because if it was worded that way, a dreamer like me might find confidence instead of being brought low and humbled.
And in being humbled, I find myself in the position where I am safest, spiritually surrendered on my knees at the feet of Christ, seeking forgiveness and guidance.
Harold J. Ballinger 
And my mind goes to the story of Mary and Martha. Mary who was eager at the feet of Christ, and Martha who was in the kitchen, hurriedly about the work of the day. And Mary was focused on what was important, while Martha was in the kitchen preparing the meal. In this instance, the sold out dreamer is lost in Christ, forgetting the small stuff and focusing on what is important, that time at the feet of Christ.
So we might be used to the stories of the world where there is a bad guy and a good guy (a protagonist and and antagonist as my high school English teacher taught me). But this is a real story about two people who both loved Jesus. You see, Martha was not in the wrong for being in the kitchen taking care of the details, being trusted in the small things – nor was Mary going to be rebuked for sitting at the feet of Christ. They both had purposes to serve at that moment. Martha’s meal was necessary and important for their physical nourishment, and Mary’s example of dedication and love of Christ was necessary for their spiritual nourishment.
The spiritual lesson, the “bread of life”, came in Jesus’ lesson that started when Martha looked at Mary and became envious – when she compared what she was doing to what Mary was doing. That act of comparison was the problem. Instead of trusting that the Lord had her exactly where He needed her in this grand design of His, she made a comparison. And the comparison was not made from the perspective of glorifying and honoring the Lord, but it was made in an effort to pull herself up by dragging down her sister.
We do not know if Mary was appreciative or not for the work that Martha was doing, but we do know that Martha did not feel honored. How many times do the “little things” that someone does for us go unappreciated without a kind thank you? Maybe this is just a personal reflection and conviction for me alone, but I wonder if Martha had been receiving regular affirmations and encouragement from Mary if she wouldn’t have stumbled in this situation.
For me, the devil is in the details. I find myself the dreamer like Mary, head in the clouds, forgetting the details as I fall into Christ, and later finding that there is still a little demon running around in the details that needs to be cast out.
You see, we are quick to look point our fingers at Martha, the same as we are quick to point or fingers at the older son in the parable of the prodigal son – but that is just the surface level. That is just the milk that my daughter can drink from the story. There is much more when we dig in.
I encourage you to do just that, friends. Take your position at the feet of the Word of God and dig in. Really examine what is going on in each situation and each verse. Don’t be satisfied on the surface level milk alone. There is great treasure to be found.
Oh how much He heals in me.
LikeLike
I passed 500 views today. That’s crazy to me when I just decided to start posting my daily journal 5 months ago. That may seem like a low number to those who are active and experienced bloggers seeking an audience, but my main goal has been to share the message and hopefully receive some accountability and fellowship out of sharing crumbs from my table.
In fact, part of me fears that more of me comes out in the posts than the Word of God and that whole warning about teaching and about adding to or subtracting from the Word of God resonates loudly in my mind.
But I’ve tried to turn it of before and not let the light shine and that did not work out well for me. So this is my flame. This is my light on a hill. This is part of my daily faithfulness. I’ve put my hand to the plow, and I’m plowing until either He returns or He moves me.
Love y’all. Thanks for reading. Sorry that I get in the way, because the flickering flame is really a roaring fire, if I could just get out of the way. 🙂
LikeLike