Nothing Too Small

This past Sunday I made a point in my sermon that I wanted to unpack some more here on the blog.  Thursday I will continue my series on Jesus’ sayings, but for now please enjoy these thoughts and let me know what you think!

One of my favorite promises of Scripture is found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 at the very end of the most majestic argument for the Resurrection that I have ever read.  Paul ends it all by saying that we should be immovable and steadfast and that we should know that in the Lord our work and labor is not in vain.  I understand this to be teaching that all acts, big or small, seen or unseen, that are undertaken for God’s glory will be used by Jesus for his Kingdom project.

I had a life-changing experience a couple weeks ago at Camp Barnabas, TX, a summer camp for kids with special needs (I blogged about the experience here).  I spent hours that week swinging on the front porch of our cabin with my little autistic buddy.  We would just swing and swing and look out at the sunset, trees, grass, and animals.  It was easily my favorite part of camp- not because of the scenery, the relaxation, or the escape from the heat, but because every five minutes my little friend would look over at me and give me a huge smile.  To understand how much this melted my heart, you should know that he is not a huge smiler (He is uber-content, just doesn’t show much emotion).  

Because of 1 Corinthians 15:58, I am very confident that the time spent swinging will be made eternal and used by Jesus for his new creation.  I feel that those moments are just as Christ-centered and God-glorifying as any sermon I have ever preached or any Bible Study I have ever led.  I love the fact that nothing is too small to be received and used by our Savior.

I want to close with this quote from my favorite author, N.T. Wright.  Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts:

“Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or to walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings and for that matter one’s fellow nonhuman creatures; and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world- all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make.  That is the logic of the mission of God.”