Little Things Matter - Martin Wiles

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. Luke 16:10 NLT

His absence almost caused a catastrophe in the coffee café room.

I never paid much attention to what Bill did—until he was absent one Sunday. Noticing that he wasn’t there at his usual time, I plugged the coffee machines in, thinking he was running behind. When it became evident he wasn’t coming, another gentleman and I hurriedly prepared the coffee, only to have the first pot turn out cold, weak, and full of grounds. That night, after the evening services, I made my rounds to lock the buildings. When I came to the coffee room, I noticed both pots were still on—one hosting a carafe with baked coffee.

Those who visit our coffee café probably take what Bill does for granted, as I did. His absence reminded us how critical little things are. Jesus thought so too and taught that a person’s faithfulness in doing small things would lead to greater responsibilities.

We typically measure greatness by our titles, how much we’ve accomplished, or how many people we manage. Not so in Jesus’ economy. He’s more concerned about our attitudes and motives—the whys behind our actions. If done for the wrong reasons or with ulterior motives, the doing doesn’t count, at least not in his eyes.

By our definition of greatness, quantity is important. Jesus, however, considers quality. Whatever he gives us to do, he wants us to do it well—even if it’s no more than making the morning coffee at church. Doing the little things also fosters humility—a trait highly praised by God.

A lot of people doing a multitude of little things is what makes God’s Kingdom advance. We may hear more about the larger churches or the more influential movers and shakers, but the no-names who work faithfully at their respective churches and in their communities make large impacts for Christ.

Be faithful in whatever God gives you to do—even if it appears to be a small task.

Father, thank you for your faithfulness to me. May I be just as faithful to you. 

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Under God's Wings - Summer Griffin

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 KJV

The smell of coffee didn’t soothe me like usual. I only had twenty minutes left of my free hour and needed at least fifteen of those minutes to drive back to campus from my favorite coffee shop. Why was the barista taking so long? Couldn't she see that I was in a rush?

“C’mon. C’mon,” I mumbled as I checked my phone for the umpteenth time and tried to stop tapping my foot.

A blanket of clouds loomed overhead with the promise of rain. After weeks of nothing, not even a light sprinkling, why did the weather forecast rain during my break? I hate driving in the rain when I can only see a few feet in front of me and have to blindly trust other drivers not to wreck my shoebox of a car. In a college town right next to the beach, finding safe drivers often seems like an impossible task. 

I whispered a prayer. “Lord, please let me get back safely.” But the clouds continued to darken, turning a shade of gray like dove feathers. 

The psalmist doesn’t say what he was hiding from when he ran to God, but his trust in God reminds us that we can always run to God no matter our circumstances.

When we are under God’s wings of protection, we can’t see what storm He shelters us from. But we rely on the promise that He will guide us through all our circumstances. God will cover us with His love and safety; we must trust that truth. How foolish to worry about the rain outside while standing inside His shelter. No storm lasts forever, and when we rest in the shelter of God’s wings, He will carry us to a new and brighter day.

Lord, guide my heart to see Your love and protection in my daily walk with You.

Summer Griffin is a senior college student pursuing a B.A. in Professional Writing. She has taught in children’s Sunday School and Toddler Church. A North Carolina native, she has a deep love for writing, reading, fishing, swimming, and all things family. When she isn’t working or studying, she can be found cheering her brothers on in sports and martial arts.

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

More Difficult Than It Has to Be - Martin Wiles

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 NLT

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. I made it so difficult,” my wife said.

A friend and I lounged at our favorite fast-food restaurant, shooting the breeze while our wives walked to a nearby retail store. My friend had lost a lot of weight due to recent health problems and needed a pair of pants that fit him.

Our wives soon returned and plopped down beside us. Mine immediately took out a fingernail file and began working on a pocketbook that looked unfamiliar. It should have because it belonged to her friend, not her. The fabric had caught in the zipper and stuck fast.

After the nail file rendered unsuccessful, my wife asked for my pocketknife. She cut a few slices to no avail. After ten minutes of struggling with a stubborn zipper, she inserted the fingernail file between the zipper, and it immediately separated. With a sigh and laugh, she realized how difficult she had made something so simple.

On the other hand, my friend and I thought of God’s freeing grace. Paul had experienced it, taught it, and lived it. He was a legalist to the core before meeting Christ. His life had been about following all the rules, even those Christ hadn’t given. Now, it was about freedom.

Grace is freeing, just as the contents of the pocketbook were by the separated zipper. My wife attempted to approach the problem in the usual way—unzip the zipper—when all she had to do was open the pocketbook another way.

Grace is the other way . . . the only way. When we place our faith in Christ, his grace forgives our sins and frees us from their chains. Now, we can do what we couldn’t before: obey His commands.

Grace, however, isn’t a license to live recklessly. We misunderstand grace if we think we don’t have to worry about sin anymore because Christ has forgiven our sins. When we understand what grace cost God—the life of His Son—we’ll want to please Him by staying as far away from sinful and spiritually harmful situations as possible. Like soldiers in sync, we’ll march to the tune of holiness.

If you have experienced the freeing power of God’s grace, show your appreciation through obedience.

Father, thank you for making it easy to run into your loving arms. 

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Instant, Not Always Best - Martin Wiles

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. Genesis 29:20 NLT

Open the jar, measure one teaspoon, place in cup, add boiling water, stir, add cream and sugar if desired, and imbibe. If you like instant coffee, and my maternal grandfather did.

Why my grandmother didn’t fix my grandfather real coffee, I’m not quite sure. Perhaps because she wasn’t a coffee drinker. But then again, she did everything else for him. She could have perked him good coffee.

My other grandparents never drank instant coffee. Both loved java—and perked java. They’d measure out grounds of Maxwell House or Folgers into the top filter of the percolator, fill it with water, plug it in, and go do whatever they needed to do. Thirty minutes later, I’d hear the percolator stop and my grandmother say, “I think the coffee’s ready.”

Waiting came next. I could pour and prepare it, but drinking it immediately meant a burnt tongue. Waiting made for a more enjoyable experience.

Jacob also discovered instant wasn’t always best. His uncle Laban had two daughters, but he wanted the younger one—which violated custom. He worked seven years for Rachel, but when he woke up the next morning after the wedding night, he discovered his uncle had tricked him and given him Leah. So he agreed to work seven more years if his uncle would give him Rachel in marriage.

Instant isn’t always best, but it is in at least one instance: salvation. I can’t work a number of years to attain it or even do any particular work to get it. In fact, I can’t labor for it at all. When I repent of my sins, believe in what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross, and ask Him into my life as my Savior, I am instantly saved. No delay. Just instant forgiveness.

Other things don’t come instantaneously, however. Things such as spiritual growth, patience, and kindness. Spiritual growth takes time and work. Hours spent in Bible study, prayer, meditation, and working with other believers. Learning to respond with patience toward those who aggravate me also takes time and effort. And learning to show kindness to those who aren’t kind to me doesn’t happen overnight.

God will enable me to show and enjoy those things that aren’t instant if I’ll trust Him. And He’ll do the same for you. 

Learn to enjoy those things in life that don’t come instantaneously.

Tweetable: Do you always want the instant in life?

Prayer: Father, help us to patiently wait on the best things You want to give us. 

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Flashback Friday - A Touch of Encouragement - Martin Wiles

A Touch of Encouragement

Like many people, I want mine shortly after my feet hit the floor in the morning. Without it, my morning doesn’t seem to proceed as smoothly.

I love coffee. I suppose I inherited my adoration from my paternal grandparents since neither of my parents were coffee drinkers. Nothing compared to an early afternoon cup of coffee as we sat in the den discussing family, religious, and political occurrences. But some would say I’m not a true coffee drinker because my cup of coffee must be prefaced with sugar and cream...enough to take away the bitterness. These added ingredients encourage me to drink the java which in turn makes my mornings brighter. Read more...

Tweetable: Are you giving others a touch of encouragement?

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