Big Assignments begin with Tiny “Yeses”
When people ask me how I got started in ministry, I tell them I started by writing for free publications for free for 10 years. This is not what most people want to hear.
When I tell them I started by folding newsletters in the den of my home for several years, they seem crestfallen.
When I tell them I started out by cleaning the bathrooms in our first little ministry office, they seem confused.
“No, I mean how did you get started writing and speaking?” they ask.
“I’m telling you,” I reply. “This is how I got started. Being faithful in the little things. By doing what God led me to do on any particular day.”
We don’t obey God in the seemingly small assignments in order to get the bigger ones. However, God will never entrust someone with a big assignment who has not proved herself trustworthy in the small.
When God invites you to join Him in His work, what you do next reveals what you truly believe about Him. If you trust Him completely and follow His lead in the great dance of obedience, then you will experience the spins, twirls, and lifts of the glory life Jesus came to give.
Jesus told a parable about a master who was going on a journey. He gave one servant 5 bags of gold, one 2 bags of gold, and another 1 bag of gold. When he returned, the servant with 5 bags had invested and now had 10. The servant with 2 bags had invested and now had 4. To both these men, the Master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:23 NIV)
However, the servant who had one bag hid it in the ground because of fear.
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. (Matthew 25:26-29 NIV)
When God calls you, if you decide to “sit this one out” because of fear, then the chairs along the wall are positioned for you to sit and watch the less fearful wow the crowd. But know this: The band is playing your song.
When God extends His invitation to join Him in the divine dance of obedience, the time to accept is at that very moment. We have about 10 to 30 seconds before common sense talks us out of obeying God’s promptings. The time to act is as soon as you sense the Spirit calling you to move.
When my husband and I took ballroom dance classes (We called it Dancing with the Scars), I remember complaining to the dance instructor, “How many times are we going to have to go over the one-two-three-four of the foxtrot? I’m tired of making these little boxes. I want to move around the room! I want to dip and swirl!”
“As soon as you learn to follow your husband’s lead and master the basic steps,” she replied. “Only then will we move on to fancier moves.”
As you live and move and have your being in Jesus, the places He will lead you will become more and more glorious as you learn to relinquish control and trust His lead. Big assignments begin with a thousand tiny “yeses.” Small steps of obedience become beautiful sweeping moves of faith.
But first…you have to take the little steps.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for wanting the big assignments and not being faithful to do the seemingly smaller ones. Help me to remember that every time I obey You, even when the tasks seem insignificant, You smile and say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” I love You, Amen.
What step is God calling you to take today? Leave a comment and let’s share.
Digging Deeper
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