One little YES is important . . .

 

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Our son used to wonder what changes might happen if he didn’t kill a bug on the sidewalk or if a bird didn’t eat a particular worm. Some call this the ‘butterfly effect’ which is part of the Chaos Theory that refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate, or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in another location.

In the spiritual realm this could be more significant than it seems because God uses seemingly insignificant things, even very ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. It may not involve butterflies and horseshoe nails, but it could.

For instance, a woman told me how she abandoned her faith. She no longer believed in Christ nor had any interest in God. One day she decided to visit my mother. Mom had just received a letter from my sister which she shared with this woman. Why? Who knows, but the woman told me that letter became an encounter with Jesus that she will never forget and He used it to powerfully change her life. She has walked with Him ever since. I doubt my sister knew what He did with her letter, nor did my mom know the effect it had by her sharing it.

Today’s devotional starts with “God often uses ordinary people to accomplish great things.” I wanted to change it to “God often uses a small obedience . . . .” He prompts us with ideas to do things and without realizing it, those ideas lead us into alignment with His plans. (A few examples)

One NT example is Philip and his encounter with an Ethiopian:

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:26–31)

Suppose Philip decided it a folly to go to that desert road. Suppose he did go and was not interested in talking to an African man in a chariot. Suppose the man was not reading, or not reading the passage that needed explanation. Suppose Philip recoiled at the idea of sitting in his chariot with him. Coincidences? Small decisions?

In this story, the man would have access to high places. Here, Candace is not a name but a title for the head of government, likely in the Nubian kingdom of Meroe (located in modern Sudan). Historical records are not complete but  Ethiopia one of the first regions in the world to officially adopt Christianity and has a large Christian population to this day. All because of a small obedience? Perhaps!

What would this look like for me? Any ideas that seem to come out of left field might be a call from God to action. Some need to be tested. Some need instant action. Our daughter has a story of instant obedience with no time to think yet it saved several lives. Our oldest son has another story of leaping in, saving a life without considering whether he should do it or not. We might call some events a ‘coincidence’ if we didn’t know that God is in the details.

PRAY: Jesus, I am not prominent from a human perspective yet know in this grand story of life, all players have a part and You can use anyone as You work in our lives. May I serve You faithfully and instantly, if need be, but quite happy that this is for Your glory, not mine. I’m thankful that all details add up to paint the bigger picture of Your work in this world just like one nail is important to a battle, or one flower to the glory of a field full of them. You are amazing!

READ Luke 9:23–25. What did Jesus say is necessary to be His disciple? Read Luke 9:57–62. What were those men unwilling to give up to follow Christ?