Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” – Matthew 13:8
Insight: Have you ever stopped trying to do something because you felt you weren’t equipped to handle the task? I certainly have. I often think of big ideas of how to introduce Jesus to a waiting and hurting World, to end suffering, eradicate homelessness, stop political discord and media fueled negativity and division and then I realize these problems are just too big to solve and I stop short of doing something to just get started. I make the big mistake of thinking I have to do it in my strength and power instead of relying on Jesus. So, in that sense I am right to feel helpless! Sometimes it all seems so desperate.
But I am learning as I grow older that I don’t need to try to do everything, or big things, but I just need to do something. I’m learning that when we take the first step and we throw the pebbles of faith, God takes care of the ripples. Some small step of faith that can spread out as Jesus touches it. In Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about how through the power of the scriptures and our ability to read it and understand it, a random act of kindness can be multiplied to create a huge return 100, 60 and 30 times what was sown. An act of kindness can so touch a person’s life that it may just change the trajectory of not only their life, but of many others around them. A simple kind word that lifts someone’s spirits, a small sacrifice that takes from an area of abundance in my life to assist an area of lack in someone else’s. A word of hope today for someone so they can fight for their tomorrow. These small acts are like us throwing a pebble into a still pond. God handles the ripple effects that can spread out and reach the distant shores. God is a multiplier of kindness. When we offer a small token of faith or sacrifice, He often multiplies and spreads its effects many times over.
I have noticed recently just how infectious a positive word or attitude can be when interacting with others I may not even know. I sense a deep fear and desperation permeating many of the people I come into contact with lately, and that has only grown and been magnified by the fear of the pandemic. They appear to be in a media induced fog, overloaded with fear and are desperate for a different view point and a positive outlook. We can at least offer that in Christ Jesus! Jesus is hope and we all need that right now! On our own, we are limited in what we can bring but coupled with the power of Jesus, we bring great strength to help people overcome their fears and move forward in hope, Jesus is never about our ability, which stems from our false pride in most cases anyway, but rather He is about our availability. The world is in despair right now, but Jesus does great work in people’s lives when they have been humbled and realized their lowly position. His power is magnified and multiplied when we simply rely on Him and not ourselves to make a difference to a watching and weary world.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to overcome our own fears and limitations and to just take tiny steps of faith, no matter how feeble they seem, trusting you to handle the ripples. We ask for your multiplication on our small steps of faith to a hurting world that is desperate to know you. We pray In Jesus name, amen!
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