No One is Too Small for God’s Purpose

 Saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” Matthew 21:2-3 ESV

Neither the disciples nor anyone in the village, could imagine why Jesus sent for the donkey that morning. God’s revealed that He had a plan and purpose tied alongside the donkey since He had spoken to the prophet Zechariah about it 550 years earlier. It is also important for us to know God’s purpose for our lives, but they aren’t always big purposes in our way of thinking. Though God’s big purposes aren’t about a bigger house, a bigger car, or a bigger bank account. Instead, He takes great joy in showing us that our small car, our small house and our small bank account can accomplish His plans if we will simply follow Him. And because God’s purposes are different for every person, we need don’t need to worry what others around us are doing. That morning the donkey only had to focus on the gentle tug on his reigns, to know when to slow down, to turn and when to hurry. He didn’t need to understand what people were doing around him, or know where Jesus was leading, he only needed to take one step at a time through the crowd that day.

So, what lies straight ahead on your path? Does it seem confusing that others are racing ahead of you, or do you feel confused by the sea of voices that seem to drown out yours? Be like that donkey this morning and just listen carefully for the quiet voice of Jesus, be sensitive to his touch when he pulls back on the reins and be ready to hurry forward when He urges you on. God has a big plan that includes our small part and He only asks that we trust Him about the destination He has chosen today!

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The Last Puzzle Piece

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:24 ESV

Over the first few weeks of our lockdown my wife and I spent several days putting together a 500 piece puzzle. It was one of the hardest  we had ever done because of the weird shapes of the pieces. Finally after 6 days it seemed as if we we were about to complete it when we sadly realized that it was missing 2 pieces! Looking back I can laugh but it reminds me that my life also has some missing pieces – like the answers to questions “Am I doing what God wants me to do?” and “What am I doing about that today?”

For each of us the answers are as different as the parts of our puzzle. Paul’s great way of answering that question for himself was rooted in his both faith and his determination to accomplish what God had called for him to do. Paul chose to leave behind his privileged life and no matter the cost take the journey God had chosen for him. The key to Paul’s clear thinking was that no one’s opinion mattered except the Lord’s. Now of course very few of us are called to leadership like Paul was, but all of us are shaped by God for our own moment in history. Our most important conversation today must be with Him. The good news for all of us is that He has promised to show us the way and how to fit the final pieces into our own life’s puzzle!

assorted puzzle game

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