The Little Things

Steaming green bananas for the children in the orphanage, Uganda, July 2008

'And Jehoshophat said to the King of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the Lord today".'

(1 Kgs 22:5)

God speaks to us - to encourage, chasten or to teach - every day, if we are willing to listen. He has fresh bread for 'today', never the stale left-overs of yesterday.

We can do more than simply acquire knowledge by understanding the message, and the Lord teaches in a gentle way - precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little. He is aware of our human frailties and unwillingness or perhaps sheer inability to take a diet of strong meat (see Isa 28: 9-10).

As our Joshua leads us into our own 'Promised Land' in the spiritual sense, to possess our inheritance and to wage war against the enemy, He does so with the same careful planning revealed to Joshua son of Nun. The enemy was not driven out in one year, lest the land become desolate.

'Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you increase

and you possess the Land.' (Ex 23:30)

God is not interested in the abundance of our possessions, so much as our abundant life in Him. The lad with the loaves and fishes had only a little, but in surrendering it willingly to the Lord Jesus, many were blessed. Similarly, each one of us can have a ministry in 'little things' if we will enquire of the Lord for His word for today, allow Him to bless it and break it, then it is up to us to share it with those around us.