A lot was accomplished today, Father, in getting ready for services Sunday. And I was able to get our yard mowed. Thank You, Father, for helping me along!

Luke 23:55-56 (<<click here to read the passage)

Do you still pick up pennies if you find one in a parking lot or on the sidewalk? I do! Yeah, by itself it’s not worth a whole lot but add it to ninety-nine other pennies and you have a dollar! I have one of those jars that adds coins up as you put them in. Admittedly, I’ve put in nickels, dimes, and quarters along with pennies, and I’ve now passed up the $100 mark by 1,528 pennies! Woohoo!

There are many examples in Scripture that speak of how small things and small people (at least in their own eyes) make great impacts in God’s Kingdom. These two verses in Luke 23 speak of just such an instance.

The characters in this passage were of little significance to the world around them but they chose to do what they could. To many, what they did was of little consequence but over 2,000 years later we know what they did because what is done for Christ is eternal, not just temporary. And Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, included their acts in his writings so that we can remember them.

My Life Application Study Bible has this to say about them.

These women could not do “great” things for Jesus—they were not permitted to stand up before the Jewish high council or the Roman governor and testify on his behalf-but they did what they could. They stayed at the cross when most of the disciples had fled, and they got ready to anoint their Lord’s body. Because of their devotion, they were the first to know about the Resurrection.

There are people in our world who have made great, eternal impacts on the Kingdom. We all know of John Wesley, Fanny Crosby, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Graham, and a myriad of others who did just that! But all of us can name people in our own lives who influenced us. And few of them are remembered by anyone for swaying multitudes.

I don’t remember a lot of things from my youth. But some things do stick out in my mind. These names won’t mean a thing to any of you, but they mean something to me.

    • Miss Fleshman – my first-grade teacher in Quick, WV
    • Bob Paris – a mattress factory owner and leader in my church in Archdale, NC
    • Zelma Woodruff – I mowed her grass. She was a leader in my church in Mason, OH
    • Ernie Carr – a faithful, loving man who loved and served his pastor and family in Parsons, WV
    • Tom Lasley – the first pastor I had the privilege to serve under – Brandon, OH

In the world’s eyes, these people may just be pennies. They may be small, or after all these years, nonexistent, but that is not the case in God’s eyes. Each and every one of them is (not just was!) a cherished child of His!

As believers, we may feel we can’t do much for Jesus. But we are called to take advantage of the opportunities given us, doing what we can do and not worrying about what we cannot do. God will bless our efforts for Him, big or small.

(Jan 17th, 2021, Sun, 7:58 pm)
Aug 18th, 2023, Wed, 9:01 pm