Simple Instructions for Today

Normally a devotional reading suits my desire or need of the day. I just want to think about it, do what it says, even copy/paste it here. This day’s thought comes from a devotional guide by Baker Publishing called “Quiet Reflections of Hope: 120 Devotions to Start Your Day.” It begins with this verse:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The author’s idea is illustrated by smiling. When someone smiles at you, you can’t help smiling back. I’ve often noticed that if I smile at a stranger, they usually smile back too. The devotional writer calls that the ripple effect. This image is used for other things, but in this case it is like the action that happens when a small object is tossed into a pond and starts a small ripple that spreads over the whole surface. In other words, a small action can have a large result.

In beholding God's glory, I’m told that I will reflect it, starting small but one small act of kindness can create a larger response, like the ripples in a pond. Here, faith comes in.
Small acts can be like the boy offering his five loaves and two fish. I can imagine his open-mouth amazement at what Jesus did with that small donation. For me, it could be a small financial offering, but it also could be a smile for a gloomy person. 

One day I shopped at a dollar store where they had talking machines to take payment for purchases. But they also had one real person at a till. I went to the person and told her I would rather listen to her than those machines. She burst into a grin and said, “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me all week.” Ripples? It may not take much to bless others!

Faith trusts those tiny impulses to act, sometimes in very small ways. Trusting those impulses is about trusting God. It involves listening as the Spirit is waiting for a chance to inspire me. I need to hear the subtle whispers by being still, quiet and receptive. If I talk too much I could miss it. If I’m hesitant or unsure and doubt the value of those subtle ideas, or even think “this is silly” then I might miss the chance to show His glory to someone else, even to change their attitude or make a difference in their life.

The devotional writer asks to compare the ways of Jesus to show kindness to others. I don’t need to know ahead of time or even see the results. I simple need to trust that quiet voice that offers an idea, realizing it will likely be not only a small thing, but spontaneous. While it could inspire another person or maybe even more than the person who first receives it, I don’t need to have an advance clue of such a result. I just need to obey. 

PRAY: Lord, help me pay attention to You today. Nudge me to act, even if the action seems small or unimportant. You do promise that I can reflect Your glory, so help me to do what You know will be a blessing to others, even if it seems like a small thing or a nothing to me.