What do Noah’s wife and the beggar named Lazarus from Jesus story about the rich man and the beggar have in common? Before you strain too hard trying to read my mind let me tell you. Both were saved by God, yet we don’t know that they ever did anything great in their lives. We assume that Noah’s wife helped in some way with building the ark, but we don’t know what. The only thing we know about Lazarus is that he lived for a time as a wretched beggar that people would ignore. We don’t have any famous quotes from either of them during their life on earth.
Many times we feel that we haven’t done anything really big that would make God happy. We feel our good deeds are too few and no one here on earth even notices them. But remember what Jesus said in Luke 15:10 “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Repentance may not seem like a big deal to us, after all people are sorry for many reasons. But when we are sorry because we hurt God and we want to turn away from sin we create some heavenly excitement. Jesus could have said “there is rejoicing when you finally kick the habit, when you do more than say you’re sorry but actually live totally for me” but he didn’t. A change of heart is a big deal. The little things do matter. Often you can’t get to the big things in life unless you do the simple things.
It may not seem like much when someone disrespects you and you don’t strike back because you want to act in Christian love instead of anger. No one is going to stand up and applaud you and most won’t even realize how much you’re holding back. It may not seem like much when you offer a little bit of help to someone in need and they reject you because it isn’t what they want or they think it won’t help. Other people may actually think you’re trying to take advantage of them somehow.
Yet God sees every little thing you do for his sake and knows every ounce of effort you give. Here’s how David put it when telling Solomon to live his life for God. “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. 1 Chronicles 28:9. So don’t think God doesn’t see and appreciate every thought, every word or every action that you do because you believe in him and want to please him.
On a related note, there are times when we hear passages about rewards in heaven for serving Christ and we ask ourselves, “have I done anything worth a reward in heaven?” If nothing comes to mind, then remember what Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 10:42. “if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward”. A reward for simply handing someone a cup of water. A reward for a small act of kindness because it comes from a heart that wants to love others as God has loved you. A seemingly small attempt to put faith into action. You will certainly be rewarded for even the simple things.
So, you may not go down in history as great as Abraham, David, Paul, etc. But you don’t need to. There are countless ways to love God and love your neighbor. Appreciate the change of heart God has worked in you and the simple things you do for him. He appreciates every single one and will help you move forward doing those simple, praiseworthy and rewarding things that you do. And when you do them, you will be a blessing to others as well.
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