"When Little Is Much"

 

“When Little Is Much”

 

In 1854 Hudson Taylor arrived in China to bring the gospel message to that needy land. He identified with the nationals by adopting their dress and many of their cultural practices. Despite resistance to his pioneering methods he founded the China Inland Mission which by 1895 had 641 missionaries serving in that vast country. The seeds he and his colleagues planted are likely still bearing fruit despite opposition from the present day government. He is credited by many with the saying, “Little is much when God is in it.”, a faith principle which motivated his work and set an example for those who followed.

Many years ago Pastor and Author John MacArthur observed in a series of cassettes called The Marks of a Successful Church, “Size is irrelevant to God!” He maintained that success in God’s work is marked by faithfully using entrusted resources most productively (“…It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”—1 Corinthians 4:2). So God has the power to take what we may think of as small or insignificant and multiply its effectiveness many times over. To cite a few biblical examples….

*He used five stones and a sling in the hands of a young man named David to kill Goliath and bring Israel a great victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 17).

*He used an ox goad (or pointed stick) in Shamgar’s hand to strike down 600 Philistines and provide Israel’s deliverance from bondage (Judges 3:31).

*Our Lord used a young boy’s small lunch to feed a great crowd (John 6:1-13).

*Jesus used a poor widow’s meager offering to show the value of giving all to Him (Luke 21:1-4).

*His brother shows how a small part of our body, the tongue, can provide great good or cause catastrophic damage (James 3:1-12).

*And Paul describes those God uses mightily in His work: the foolish, weak, lowly, despised (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Why? “…So that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” (Verse 29, NLT).

An old hymn, “Our Best”, a favorite of my youth group in the days of yore, concludes in this way: “Our talents may be few, These may be small, But unto Him is due Our best, our all.” Are we ready to let God use the little we have to offer to accomplish much for His glory?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan