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Did you know that there is no “little” with God? I’m talking this week about stepping out of the boat to do what Jesus is inviting and asking you to do. It takes courageous faith and it can be a little risky, but it is the way to the abundant life that Jesus has for us.
However, I think lots of times we don’t take that step out of the boat because we keep thinking that God measures people and gifts and accomplishments like we do—by size, by quantity, by big versus small. And we decide that what we can do just doesn’t seem that big or important, compared to what others are doing. But God doesn’t use our measurement systems.
You remember the parable of the talents, where three guys were given different quantities—one ten talents, one five and one only one talent. The first two servants got busy and doubled their talents, but the guy with only one talent just sat down and did nothing. No doubt he figured that he couldn’t do much with only one talent anyway, so why bother? What difference would it make? But as Jesus tells that parable, it made a huge difference, and he was severely reprimanded by the Master. He could have done something with his one talent, but he just gave up.
Have you been disparaging the importance of your “one talent,” your gift, your ability, your opportunities? Have you been thinking that God is not involved in your “little” life?
Can I remind you of the boy with the small lunch? Jesus multiplied it more than he could have ever dreamed. What about the widow who gave her last penny? Not small to Jesus. Jesus said she gave more than the others. And those two people have been memorialized in Scripture for centuries.
You see, Jesus just measures differently than we do. If your excuse has been that you don’t have much to offer to the Lord, it simply won’t hold water. Jesus measures what you do with what you’ve been given—where you started and where you ended up—and he never compares you to anyone else.
Mother Teresa used to advise, “Don’t try to do great things for God. Do small things with great love.” There’s a passage in Zechariah 4 that says “Who dares despise the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10a). Maybe you’ve been despising or discounting what you see as a small thing that God wants you to do, and that’s why you haven’t stepped out of the boat. Can I encourage you to do that small thing with great love for Jesus? To step out of your boat and experience the joy of walking on water as Jesus empowers you. You’ll never regret it.