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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Giving God Your Best   CURRENT TV SERIES Destiny

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.   --2 Corinthians 4:8-9 As a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can say with integrity that every day with Him has been sweeter than the day before… just as the old hymn says. Now, when I say that, please listen to what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that my life hasn’t had its share of valleys. I’m not saying that I haven’t experienced times of grief, illness, distress, or stress. I’m not saying that! What I am saying is that I may have been afflicted in every way, but I’ve never been crushed. I may have been perplexed, but I’ve never been driven to despair. I may have been persecuted, but I’ve never been forsaken. I may have been struck down, but I’ve never been destroyed. And you know why I can say this? Because of the work of Jesus Christ in my life. He’s never let me be crushed. He’s never let me driven to despair. He’s never forsaken me. And He’s never let me be destroyed! But perhaps today you’d say, “Pastor Graham, that’s great for you, but you don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know how hard my life has been. You don’t know how many of my prayers have gone unanswered. You don’t know how disappointed I am in God.” You know, I don’t know. But you know what I do know? That we serve a God who is bigger than whatever it is you’re holding on to. He’s bigger than your past sins… your past hurts. And He’s even bigger than your disappointments. But more than that, He sympathizes with you… right where you are. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15). Today… if your life has bottomed out… listen to me: The love and mercy of Christ reaches deeper than where you are right now. So draw near to His throne of grace… so that you can receive His mercy to help you in your time of need! God is bigger than your sins, your hurts, and your disappointments.

Even Small Things Matter

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?”
Luke 19:22–23
The British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke said, “No man ever made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” Small things matter, and even if we cannot do a great deal, God expects us to do what we can. A few years ago the English government made one change to their tax collection letters—adding a single sentence—and it increased the clearance rate from 57 percent to 86 percent. The change, suggested by a consultant whose book is called The Small Big, encouraged people to pay by telling them that most other people were doing so. It doesn’t seem like a big thing, but it brought in over 500 million pounds in delinquent tax revenue!
The temptation is for us to focus on the big things and give them our time and attention, while ignoring what seem to be small matters. But there are no little things in God’s kingdom. If we overlook the little things, we miss great opportunities to accomplish things that will matter a lot in the future. “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10). Over and over in Scripture we see small things—a shepherd’s staff, a sling, a boy’s lunch—used by God in powerful ways. We should do our best with whatever we have been given and trust Him to work according to His will in our lives.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Even the smallest tasks and responsibilities are worthy of our diligent effort and attention.