“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…” (Matthew 13:31)

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much….” (Luke 16:10)

When the Heavenly Father gets ready to do something major, He loves to begin in tiny, unseen ways.

When He was ready to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt, He called an 80-year-old has-been who was keeping sheep on the backside of a mountain. When the Lord got ready to redeem the world, He sent a Baby.

When He decided to do something grand, He called you.

So many scriptures make the point that God specializes in using the tiny and insignificant to accomplish great things.  The parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32 says it.  The question of Jonathan in I Samuel 14:6 says it.  The Lord’s approval of the widow who brought her tiny offering says it (Mark 12:41ff). The little boy’s lunch in John 6:9.  Old Simeon and Anna in Luke 2. Mustardseed faith in Luke 17:6. Ordinary people in I Corinthians 1:26.

Zechariah’s question–“Who has despised the day of small things?”–lays the matter squarely before us (Zech. 4:10).

Who despises small things? The unthinking and the shallow-minded, that’s who. The carnal-minded who wants glitter and drama, who prizes celebrity and gaudiness.

We have learned about the power of small things. There is the atom. Nuclear energy. The hummingbird. Honey-bees. Bed bugs. Viruses. Babies. Puppies. Words of encouragement. And a hug.

Books on thinking small have rolled off the printing presses in the last few years.  “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff–and it’s all small stuff” sold a zillion copies.

Financial columnist Michelle Singletary (her newspaper column is “The Color of Money”) recommends a book to assist people toward financial health with the intriguing title “One Small Step Can Change Your Life.”  The author is Robert Maurer, a clinical psychologist at UCLA.

Maurer says the quickest way out of debt is to start thinking small.  Choose the overdue account with the smallest outstanding balance, he recommends, and pay that off. That tiny step encourages you to go on to the next larger invoice.  Your enthusiasm builds.

To get started on controlling your overspending ways, Maurer suggests removing just one item from your shopping basket before heading to the checkout. Start small.

He says, “By taking steps so tiny that they seem trivial or even laughable, you’ll sail calmly past obstacles that have defeated you before.”

I think he’s right.

Perhaps the journey of a thousand miles begins with a few very small steps.

Throughout most of my ministry, I would pray for the Lord to “do something big,” something “God-sized” in revivals and outreach events.  However, these days, as I preach in churches of all sizes, near and far, the Lord has led me to encourage His people to make small adjustments in their lives. Asking someone to begin praying each morning or reading the Bible each day is not nearly as intimidating to people as suggesting they “reach your neighborhood for Christ!”, but the results can be impressive and and just as long-lasting.

Here are 20 small things with great power….

1. Reading the Bible each day.

Read books of the Bible consecutively, then go back and reread one when you finish, just to make sure you got it the first time.

Do that–become a serious reader of God’s word–and it will change your life.  After all, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

2. Joining a good Sunday School class.  If you have never sat in a good Bible study class with others who are serious in trying to learn God’s word, this can be a life-changer for you.

3. Beginning each new day by kneeling in your bedroom and praying. Commit the day and yourself to the Lord for whatever purposes He may have.  Lift to Him the loved ones nearest and dearest to you.  The length of time you stay there is not as important as the fact that you are making a statement to the Lord and to yourself that God is in charge and today, I will serve Him!

4. Writing a note of appreciation to someone in the community who has done a good thing.  Do not preach to them, but just encourage them.

5. Giving a $20 tip to a deserving waitress.  We probably need to emphasize that such a tip should not be when there are 10 people in your party. The point is to be extra generous.  (You might be amazed how little waitresses are paid, and how stingy God’s best people can be at times.)

7. Walk around the block and ask residents who live across the street from your church, “Are we being a good neighbor to you?  Is there anything we need to do for the community?”  The typical church will draw in members from many blocks and several miles, while all around the church are neighbors whom they never meet.  I suggest pastors get out and knock on doors and ask these two questions.

8. Pray for a missionary by name.   You’ll get to Heaven before you learn what your prayer did, but do it by faith.

9. Every time you drive past a school, lift its teachers and students to the Father.

10.  Pray for the Lord to show the President of the United States what to do about the Middle-East problem du jour.

11. Clean out your closet and take a load of clothes to a shelter or mission center.

12. Send an offering to your Christian radio station.  Radio ministry is one of the most faith-filled works God’s people can do, since the audience is unseen and may never be known.

13. Find a family in your church that could use some financial assistance and send it anonymously, “from the Lord.”  Then, do it again from time to time.  (And don’t do it as a tax deduction.  Sometimes, it’s good just to give it, period!)

14. Give a book you have read and enjoyed to a friend, and tell him/her to pass it on when finished.  This spreads the blessing and keeps your shelves from overflowing with once-read volumes.

15. Speaking of books, donate a box of books to your library for their annual book sale.  Your spouse will appreciate the clutter being diminished.

16. Start walking in your neighborhood each day.  Pray for your neighbors. Prayer walking while enjoying the fresh air and brisk exercise can be great. I do it often.

17. Cut back on one soft drink per day and add a piece of fruit to your diet. Taking care of your health has major consequences (like longevity!), but you do not have to try to do it all by sundown.

18. Go to your denomination’s website (ours is www.bpnews.net) or to the website of your missionary organization (for Southern Baptists, that would be www.imb.org and www.namb.org) and read about what God is doing. Pray for the people you read about.

19. Laugh for a full one-minute each day.  I’m serious.  Get alone (so no one will think you’ve lost your mind), perhaps in your car, and just make yourself laugh out loud for a solid minute. You will find it to be a wonderful tension-reliever and attitude adjuster.

20. Next time you go on a trip, if possible, take the train. Walk through the cars and get acquainted with people. Talk to the conductor, the hosts and the servers. It’s relaxing and allows you to arrive rested. See what God does.

Love a child. Hug a friend. Volunteer at the homeless shelter. Send an offering to a preacher who is serving in a difficult place. Pray.

See what God does.