"A Penny"

"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

Don't wait for "big" ways in which to show God's love. Don't always be waiting for God to use you in some big, noteworthy way. Too often we won't make a move or do anything for the Lord because we are waiting for Him to use us to do something big or great. We miss opportunity after opportunity to do good and glorify Him because we decided that some act was too small or insignificant to bother with.

Jesus often used things that were small by man's estimation. He used a little boy's small lunch that consisted of a couple of small fish and a few small loaves of bread. He compared the kingdom of God to a pearl, a coin, a mustard seed- which He Himself said was the smallest of seeds. He took note of the widow's one little mite that she put in the offering above all the riches that the others were giving. He told of the story of the shepherd who went looking for one little lost sheep. Moses had just a small rod/stick in his hand- it was not a huge stick, it wasn't a branch or a log, it wasn't a whole tree- but God used it to part the Red Sea.

If my dad saw a penny laying on the floor, he would always bend down and pick it up. His philosophy was- pennies make dollars. A penny is a small amount and most people would walk over it reasoning to themselves, "It's only a penny. What can you get for a penny?", but put enough of them together and you can acquire several dollars. Little acts and deeds done for the Lord can produce great things and have a big effect on others. Just one little word spoken at the right time can bring restored hope and peace to someone who is hurting. A smile can make someone who is feeling down lifted up. A pat on the back brings great encouragement to those who are feeling like failures. A cup of cold water can bring refreshing to a thirsty man.

Are you like the person who steps over the penny? Do you think that it is too small to be concerned with? Are you waiting to do some bigger thing? Then you are missing the opportunity to do something great because little things add up to something big.

Have a great day. Don't step over the penny because Jesus often uses the small things.