Though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Mic. 5:2)
LITTLE THINGS make a big difference. A little spark can start a forest fire. A little hole can sink a boat. A little mouse can make a big mess. A little town can launch a great mission.
Jesus, God in human flesh, came to earth as a small infant on a redemption mission from heaven. Looking the whole world over, He picked the perfect place to launch this eternal enterprise.
Where did He go? What was His strategic missional selection? Rome? Athens? Jerusalem? No. He selected a small village on the backside of nowhere. Most likely, you didn’t receive any Christmas cards with pictures of big cities on them. It’s the little town of Bethlehem that takes center stage each December.
Jesus specialized in small places. He grew up in a small town (Nazareth), spent most of His ministry in Galilean hamlets, and headquartered in rural Capernaum.
Little things make a big difference. A mechanic recently told me he started attending our church because of the gracious and respectful way a member of our congregation treated him. The member was quiet and unassuming. He had no idea his small acts of kindness would make a difference for eternity.
“In God’s sight,” said Francis Schaeffer, “there are no little people and no little places.”
Never discount small matters. They make a big difference.
Mark O. Wilson is senior pastor of Hayward Wesleyan Church in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, and author of Filled Up, Poured Out (WPH) and Purple Fish (WPH).
