Great and Small part 1
My sister has a sign in her room that says, "Do small things with great love." And when I saw it, it hit me in the heart, right between the eyes. Because I think sometimes we feel as if we're not doing enough for God. When the plain and simple truth is... God already did everythiing for and as us! I really don't like this idea of, "Jesus is my boss." Because that's the mindset of a servant, or a slave. AND that puts a sense of separation between Creation and creator. As if to say, "Jesus is over there bossing me around and I'm over here trying my best to do what He says." That's the Old Covenant. And even IN the Old Covenant that wasn't what God wanted. He didn't give the Law of Moses so that we could follow it and then get a pat on the head (Good boy!). He gave it so that we could see how powerless we are to follow it. He gave it as a school master to bring us to Christ. To get rid of our faith in ourselves so that we could have faith in HIM. But, again, (at least in my case) we always have this idea that we're supposed to be doing things FOR God. And that kind of mindset goes hand in hand with, "I'm not doing enough for Him." Look at Matthew 10:40-42 in the Message Bible, "We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." The smallest act of giving or receiving. A cup of water for someone who is thirsty. The small stuff IS the great stuff! Meeting someone's need. That's what love is all about. That's what Jesus did in His earth walk ministry. And He went to degrees that "religious folk" would probably condemn these days. He went to parties and when the booze was running out He turned water into wine to keep the party going! He didn't condemn people for drinking and having fun. He loved people unconditionally. (And I'm not advocating drinking. I'm just saying we don't always have to be the sheriffs of the Kingdom. If somebody wants to do something, they're probably going to do it. And if you condemn them... then you've lost them.) If we slow down and really focus on connecting with each other on a personal level we won't get overwhelmed. We'll experience the RELATIONSHIP that IS eternal life. We'll be able to be loved and to love with that same love... because we aren't running around trying to "save the world." You weren't called to be a world saver or a history maker. You were called to be a Son. Called to receive and release the love of your Father!