The Little Things
October 24, 1999
Dear Friends:
On Friday, I was making a business trip in my car. On the way, I stopped for a quick bite to eat at a roadside fast food chain. When paying for my meal, I thought that the person at the counter had given me $10 too much in change.
There are a few commodities in my life that I feel the need to manage. One of these commodities is money. Money is an important commodity, but ten bucks is not going to make much of a difference one way or the other. Time, on the other hand, is near the top of my valued commodities. I can be extraordinarily miserly with my time.
When I was given what I thought was too much change, I had to decide what to do. Take the time to get this straight or hit the road. The $10 was not the point, I was in a hurry and did not have the time to wait for these folks to get this straight. It was their mistake, right? I wasn’t even sure the change was incorrect. What do I do?
As I examine myself from week to week at the Lord’s table and elsewhere, I don’t focus too much on “big” sins. I am not a murderer or an adulterer in the common use of the words. I am not a drunkard or an idol worshipper. It is the “small” things that give me fits – the unkind word, the prideful thought, etc..
The word *small* is in quotes because it may not be entirely accurate to quantify my sins in such terms. Perhaps, the thing which excludes us from God’s Kingdom may be the “small” things. We didn’t cheat on our taxes too much, only a little bit. We fudged our corporate expense account in the smallest way. We didn’t tell boldface lies, we just exaggerated. We only gossiped when something was particularly juicy, not all the time.
The fact that we didn’t kill someone or commit adultery is probably not the compelling character change that God is looking for from us when we are made a new creature in His son. Only a cursory reading of the New Testament lets us know that God has extremely high expectations of our character development. He should have high expectations as we are told to be representatives of His character to men on earth. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)
The truth is that people will probably know more about our character and who we serve by how we handle the small things rather than the big things.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 7: 18-21)
On Friday, I did bring the supposed discrepancy to their attention. Ten minutes later and ten dollars poorer, I left the restaurant. As I left the place, the lady said something like “there goes an honest man.” I pray to our loving and merciful heavenly Father that what she said is true.
Have a great week!
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