The past several weeks, I have been taking my Thoughtful Thursdays from John C. Maxwell’s book Running with the Giants.
I love this chapter called, “One Small Act Can Make a Big Difference” as I think it is a truth that many teenagers and even many Christian adults need to grasp.
The chapter is based on the life of the little servant girl that we find in II Kings 5 who tells the wife of Naaman, the Syrian commander of the army, about how Elisha, the prophet back in Israel, can heal his leprosy.
All she did was tell her mistress, Naaman’s wife, about Elisha. The story doesn’t say anything else about her; but because of her words, Naaman was healed.
This resonates with me as I have seen countless teenagers compare themselves to others who are prettier or more handsome than they are, or to others they think are smarter than them, or to others who seem to be more talented than they are, and they feel like they have nothing to offer.
However, God doesn’t measure our worth by talent or outward appearance or by intelligence. He only wants us to do what He has placed us on earth to do. We know all of us are of immeasurable worth to Him because:
- God made us in His image and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14)
- God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16)
- God made us for a purpose:
- to praise and glorify Him: “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.” Psalm 86:12
- to live a holy and fruitful life for God’s glory: “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” Ephesians 2:10),
- He will fulfill that Ephesians 2:10’s purpose in our life. (“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6)
Basically, then we need to glorify and praise Him and life the life that He would have us to life and leave the rest up to Him. Then when we do that one small act, it could make a big difference. If He wants it to. And if He doesn’t, and we are doing what He wants us to do, that is okay, because we are doing what He wants us to do.
We can learn from this girl that we should do what God wants us to do, even if it seems really small and insignificant. She had her faith, and God blessed it. In our small or seemingly insignificant deeds, we should remember to always:
- Be confident in our God — He can do what He pleases with willing servants who step out in faith and obey His leading.
- Be credible in our testimony — Our lives should be honest and without reproach so that people will listen and want to respond when we share our faith.
“People always pay more attention to how you live than to what you say.” John C. Maxwell
- Be willing to do the small deeds even if no one notices. We are not doing it for man’s attention and applause, but to obey and honor our King. God can make a big impact out of a small deed if He wants to do so.
If you would like to read any of the other Thoughtful Thursday posts from Running with the Giants, you can find them here:
Noah, Moses, Esther, Joseph, Abraham, Nehemiah, and Rebekah
Here are a few posts I liked from last week’s party:
- How to Spend Your Time Wisely from Sweeter Still
- Helping Children to Keep Their Hearts Pure from Like the Morning Sun
- 6 Plants Perfect for Kids to Grow from A Mama’s Story
- The Best Way to Unlock Your Friendship Goals from Sun, Sparkle, Shine
- Quit Serving Crumbs: How To Raise Word-Filled Kids from Purposeful and Meaningful
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Paying attention to how you live…wow! I remember hearing from someone that people seeing how you live, might be their only path to the Lord. I pray that God will lead me in doing that and then maybe use me with His word to help more. 🙂 Thanks for the great post!