The Small Stuff?

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:34-40

“Don't touch anything!” Words of warning come to every toddler accompanying his mother in a china shop. A young child doesn't have the ability to touch without the great risk of breaking.

Like a toddler in a china shop a man or woman guided by simply his own sense of right and wrong can do great harm without ever knowing it. There are those who sincerely believe and practice things that wreck havoc in the lives of others and yet they have no idea that the results of their actions are so destructive.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross He uttered words that ring across the ages. “Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing.”

In Matthew 25 Jesus made it very plain that we can also do great good without knowing it.

When we do something for one of Jesus' brothers we do it for Him. Matthew 12:50 says, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

When I take care of the physical needs of a follower of Jesus I am engaging in an eternally significant activity. It is amazing, to say the least that when I stand before the Lord, He will bring up the little acts of kindness rendered to another believer!

So what about the big stuff? You know, preaching the gospel to thousands, being responsible for the Gospel being introduced into a county where it has never been heard, etc. etc. I believe one possible understanding is that the “big stuff” is only accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit working through followers of Jesus. Great and mighty works are the result of God's own power expressing itself through His children. I cannot do any of those things by my own choice and power.

I can however give a glass of cold water to a brother who is thirsty. For that I am to be rewarded. I can feed a hungry follower of Jesus. For that I will be given credit. I can stop on the road and minister as the Good Samaritan did. Of course everything I do whether great or small is all because of God's great mercy to me, but He does recognize the small things as worthy of mention when we stand before Him for judgement.

So today when you see another follower of Jesus in need remember that God pays special attention to the small things we do for His other children!