Free Essay

Even Small Things Are Great

In:

Submitted By moshe2dyan
Words 1085
Pages 5
Even Small Things Are Great

Every person longs for recognition. It is the yearning of the ego to seek love. We feel good upon receiving praise from our superior. We float with pride when we are rated on top of others. Giving honor and reward to those who have accomplished great things is a good way of valuing. Rightly done, it affirms their being created in the image of God.

On the other hand, we must be careful of the way the world gives recognition. The criterion it sets to receive award tends to discriminate and devalue those who have no superior talents and winning personalities. Small people with limited capacity and resources are in a disadvantage position. The standard for becoming great is tilted to those who are endowed with opportunity to succeed according to worldly agenda. Little people compete against the odds in a world that measures success in terms of bigness and becoming number one.

Status-seeking feeds the human nature’s quest for ego tripping. It works for show. It entertains people who are awed and dazzled by what they see. Being cheered and hailed by the adoring crowd awakens the hidden desire to feel like a god. It is a dangerous game that precedes downfall (Lk 14:11).

Jesus values the greatness of people differently. Often times, it is not what they can show off but what is hidden in the heart that Jesus recognizes. The rich who put large gifts out of their riches never impressed Jesus. The one he admired is a poor widow who could only afford “two very small copper coins” but gave everything to share. Jesus said, “all these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Lk 21:4). Small gifts are great when they are given out of love and pure heart. Those who can perform big things are not always the big shots in the eye-searching of God.

We are all tempted to equate greatness by doing big accomplishments that can be measured in numbers and can be paraded with pride. Be careful because it is the quest for becoming big and bigger that Satan’s sets the trap. Success may corrupt the heart and inflate the head. It tends to look down on little people. Ultimately, it makes one believe that he/she no longer needs God because he/she thinks that he/she is a god. Thus God always hated Israel for relying on the super powers’ vast army and numerous horses to win their battles because they will forget to rely on God.

God’s model for greatness are the little people—like a child ( Matt 18:2-5) and a servant (Lk 22:24-27 ) because they easily learn to depend on God. Their greatness is not measured by their excellent performance that the world rewards but their humble attitude of heart to serve faithfully where they are. God sees the little things they do below for the Kingdom which remain unnoticed by the people of this world.

God uses small beginnings to accomplish great things to extend the Kingdom of God . Jesus Himself spent much time ministering to little people—the widows and orphans, the outcasts and marginalized, the poor and powerless. He enjoyed small talk with the common people rather giving speeches to the rich and famous. He said, even giving a cup of cold water to a stranger is a great work in the Kingdom (Matt 25:35-36). Christ is present among the hungry, the thirsty and those in prison. Serving them, no matter how small, makes one stands tall in God’s presence.

What have you done for the Kingdom of God? Perhaps, no one even notices your hard work, doing over time, doing the routine, sleepless nights, getting sick. They are not usually measured for statistical performance in a result/output management culture. However, God sees them and before His eyes you are great!
Personal Contemplation

Read and Receive
Read the article—slowly and reflectively. What has stirred up your heart?
Spend some time to receive the message resonating in your heart.

Reflect
When no one commends you for what you’ve done, how do you feel? Why?

Response

“Lord, I confess that my desire for greatness is not as you see it but the way the world shows it. Let me die from my status-seeking self.
Empty myself of every lingering desire to cling for places of recognition even if they are my right. Instead, let me find joy in the place where I am and find pleasure even for the small things you’ve called me do to become great in your eyes!”

Personal Contemplation

Read and Receive
Read the article—slowly and reflectively. What has stirred up your heart?
Spend some time to receive the message resonating in your heart.

Reflect
When no one commends you for what you’ve done, how do you feel? Why?

Response

“Lord, I confess that my desire for greatness is not as you see it but the way the world shows it. Let me die from my status-seeking self.
Empty myself of every lingering desire to cling for places of recognition even if they are my right. Instead, let me find joy in the place where I am and find pleasure even for the small things you’ve called me do to become great in your eyes!”

Peer Conversation

* How do you feel when someone in your office is given a reward when you know you’ve done greater work than him/her?

* What philosophy or practice of ministry have you learned from the article? Share this by citing a passage that speaks to you.

* What kind of a work-culture or ethic must you cultivate among yourselves to become great in the Kingdom of God?

* What work habits will you change to become great in the Kingdom of God? Share and pray for one another?
Peer Conversation

* How do you feel when someone in your office is given a reward when you know you’ve done greater work than him/her?

* What philosophy or practice of ministry have you learned from the article? Share this by citing a passage that speaks to you.

* What kind of a work-culture or ethic must you cultivate among yourselves to become great in the Kingdom of God?

* What work habits will you change to become great in the Kingdom of God? Share and pray for one another?

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Why Is Small Forward Important In Basketball

...for, make sure the team has an above average small forward. Small forwards are without a doubt the most important position in basketball due to their great dominance. A great small forward will be able to lead you and your NBA team to the championship due to their great versatility. This has been demonstrated to us many times in history. For example, the past thirty teams to win the championship have had the best small forwards. Every position in basketball is important, but the small forward is continually the most influential player on the court. Small forwards are the most versatile players in the NBA. The reasons why a Small forward is so versatile is because on average they are around 6’8, which is very beneficial for all the things they need to do. They are right in the middle of the other positions because of their height and skills, meaning they do just about everything on the court. Small forwards need to have the ability to dribble around defenders to score, as well as having the basketball IQ and ability to pass the ball to open teammates. A small forward is such a versatile position in basketball because they share qualities of each other position. Just...

Words: 794 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Symbolism In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

...Andi Zenku Small victories = big meanings As Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.” What could be possible without using steps to reach the final goal? Even the big bang took 8 steps to be what it is today. The novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines demonstrates the power of taking small steps and how they can mean so much more in a certain setting. to overcome his fear and cowardice, Jefferson has to make small steps to become the man his godmother sees him as. Jefferson’s actions represents in a multitude of ways how without small steps, reaching a great goal would be near impossible. Ever since the accident that would send Jefferson to the electric...

Words: 566 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Motivational Quotes

...Motivational Quotes "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." -Napolean Hill Why I like it: Simple words, deep meaning. Sometimes I may feel some goals are too far to reach, then this quote inspires me. Not always can we do great things, but we can do small things that other people will appreciate. Never is a challenging goal easy to accomplish, but we can start from what we can and make the first step. “Small” never means nothing, because thousands of drops of water can make a sea. How it relates to The Truth of Motivation: This quote reminds me that if one goal seems too hard to reach, just do what we can firstly and carry on. Small things can still make difference. In fact, this quote is the inspiration for me to set up my goal-reaching & motivation system. When I can face a challenging task that seems hard to finish, I will divide it into several small goals, and do it step by step. After I reached one goal, I would just give myself a little reward. Thanks to this quote, I developed a method to motivate myself when facing challenging goal. "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach." -Benjamin Mays Why I like it: The quote encourages me, even when I’ve failed for several times, I will never be too frustrated, because I know failure is not always a bad thing. The quote warns me, sometimes I may feel confused and don’t know what to do, then I tell myself I can challenge...

Words: 399 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

What Apple Can Teach You About Marketing

...fanboys and haters can both agree with. From building an incredible amount of buzz, to driving fans out to buy products, to keeping repeat customers for life, they really have their act together. There are a lot of things small businesses can learn from Apple's success, and most of them easily translate from the corporate world to the small business world. The strategies that set Apple apart from its competitors are strategies that you can learn to use too. If you're lucky, you might just grow a fan club the size of Apple's. Read more to see what Apple can teach you about marketing your business. It’s important to be pretty. In all of Apple’s product lines and marketing materials, you won’t find a single thing that isn’t pretty. From their product design, to their product packaging, to even their television ads—Apple spends a considerable amount of time making their stuff look better than the competition. As a small business owner, you probably should too. There are several opportunities for your small business to have great looking materials. Website design is one place to show off; brochure design is another. Perhaps the most useful would be to create really awesome business cards. Of course, if your company sells products you should probably make them look great too. People like big photos. A quick look at their website, and you’ll see that Apple fully believes in the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”. With the amount of information and content floating around...

Words: 1337 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Argumentaive Drones

...without being noticed or even harming a human life at stake. But what can we really say that these drones let alone can be worth so much money of the tax payers that we don’t see the results that they are really made for.The drone was made and it was made for just that purpose in that world to help aid in the fight in counter-terrorism let alone not let any more of our military pilots put their lives at risk in dangerous zones. But due to recent events that lead to a sort of downfall in using these pilot less drones, is it actually worth the billions we spend on it to be used in the military or is it even worth having though due to some malfunctions of the drone killed innocent civilians not only from other lands, but our own American civilians as well. Does America really needs these drones that can help with the war on terror and costing us so much money let alone deaths, or do we need something different or not even the drones at all. Back in 2008 while I was serving in Afghanistan and right now I am gearing up for another tour right after the final week of school has ended, I remember hearing about the drones and what the purpose was for. At the time I could never really see one up close and let alone be in the same room as the person controlling it due to many security reasons. But I remember they were in training for the next big thing that was going to change the way that we see everything in the war, to me that sounded like a great idea and a great plan that we could use...

Words: 2713 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Wealth Vs Columbus Wealth

...Wealth How does one become wealthy? Some people come into wealth by being patient and earning it; while others gain wealth through greed and knowledge. In the story Seneca he gained wealth by just being a great listener, and providing to someone he didn’t even know. On the other hand Columbus was greedy, and took from others to gain his wealth and gain wealth for others. Wealth is something that can turn a good person bad or even make people do bad things. In these two articles we see that wealth is displayed in two different ways, but regardless it is seen as a main factor in both. Of course fortune is something in my opinion and many others that should be earned not something that is taken from others. For example Gaqka in Seneca gained...

Words: 680 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Small Town or Big City

...Small Town or Big City I was born and raised in a small country town, where there were more corn fields than businesses. Everybody knew each other and what everyone did; needless to say; when you are young you could not do anything wrong without your family finding out. Living in a small town like this had its ups and downs, but mainly it was a great way to live. You never had to lock your doors at night, because you always felt safe. The only crime you saw was on TV and you could honestly say, that don’t happen here. It made you become close with your family, because they are all you had. The only downside for me was the lack of job opportunities, ones that actually paid you enough to live off of. I moved out of my parents house at the age of 17, when I graduated high school. I had always had a job or two so I could take care of myself and not rely on any help from my parents. By the age of 24, I realized this was not the way I wanted my life to be. My best friend and I decided we would look for work in the city and see if we could find anything. It did not take long for us to find a job that paid more and gave us benefits. The next step for us was to find a place to live and move to the big city. The hardest part for me, was having to say goodbye to my family. Knowing I was making a great decision to better my life, did not matter so much at that point. I felt like I was saying goodbye, forever. Big city here I come! The excitement of something new was so exhilarating...

Words: 1068 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Survival in Auschwitz

...of Auschwitz seems to be very, very small with just enough room for everyone to live. There are numerous times throughout the book where Levi describes how miserable and uncomfortable the sleeping and living arrangements are. When describing the topography of his Lager, he says, “The corridors are so narrow that two people can barely pass together; the total area of the floor is so small that the inhabitants of the same block cannot all stay there at the same time” (Levi: 19). All of these terrible conditions are on top of the dehumanization process that the prisoners dealt with upon their arrival. They were all striped of their clothes and shaven bald so that everyone was essentially the same person. The Germans took away all of their rights and privileges right then and there. Levi describes this feeling as, “…now it is all over and we feel outside this world and the only thing is to obey” (Levi: 13). I think this quote describes perfectly the purpose these things serve in the camp. The Germans are trying to kill the prisoners’ souls and make them forget who they were and what the world was like before the Germans came to ultimate power. 2. I completely agree with Levi as he described this situation as a gigantic biological and social experiment. This whole situation was happening in Hitler’s peak of power and he was a very smart man. Had he stayed alive and in power, there is no doubt he would have used some of the things about the human race he and his men...

Words: 780 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Best Strategies

...College The best strategies and methods to insure that a business succeeds in this sluggish economy In these hard times businesses have failed miserably. A lot of Small businesses are having a hard time staying afloat in this sluggish economy. Small businesses don’t have the luxury of finances that the big businesses do . “ Just because the economy is sluggish doesn’t mean people aren’t still buying—they are just more cautious with the money they are spending” (Clements, 2010). As the economy gets worse business have to find ways to survive by cutting back and also by being efficient and effective. During these tough times business owners have to come up with a plan and brainstorm. The best strategies to keep a business going in this sluggish economy are to contact new and old clients, check weekly business publications for new events or meeting and send out blast emails, and be creative. “When employees and employers, even coworkers, have a commitment to one another, everyone benefits” (Glass, 2011). Always stay in contact with your old customers. Go all out and pamper your clients. Keeping in contact with your clients will help the business stay afloat. Provide your customers with great service so that they will keep coming back ” (Clements, 2010). While providing your old clients with great service this will lead to new business because you’re old customers will bring in new customers and their families. It’s very important to hold on to the loyal employees...

Words: 1081 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

The Power of Small Wins.

...Mcloskey The Power of small wins. The article The Power of small wins by Steven J. Kramer made me realize some new things.. It talked about how people need to have intrinsic value when they need to be motivated. This means that workers have to think what they do, has a meaning. The place that I currently work at is ridiculously boring I am completely unmotivated there. One thing that the article mentions is the quality of the work life. The article states that this is what helps produce motivation. People feel that they are part of a team or part of something greater than themselves. This shows that people who are part of something that they belong to, can really take advantage of teamwork and further develop themselves in the organization. Basically if you are comfortable with the job, why not further yourself in the company. Progress in things that challenge you is another thing. Things that challenge you are always overcoming obstacles and finding new discoveries. This makes you more like the Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. It is because you are always being challenged and overcoming everything while you are happy with your job. This is an extrinsic motivator. In my opinion this is also a great way of dealing with things. If a person feels that their input and idea matter in some way, then this is yet another small win. It is another way in which we get motivated. If what you say carries great weight then you will dictate a lot of things in your position and thus...

Words: 375 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Small Gients

...Business Analysis Small Giants: Companies that Choose to be Great Instead of Big By: Bo Burlingham Most businesses believe that size and growth equate to success, but Burlingham, Inc. magazine's editor-in-chief, reminds us that there are different classes of great companies that focus not on growing bigger, but on improving where they are. He sees them as Small Giants. In his book, Burlingham reviews 14 small businesses that were highly looked upon by others in business for their accomplishments and their willingness not to look to be bigger, go public, or expand significantly. SMALL GIANTS’ MOJO Burlinghan's company profiles varied substantially in employee size, management approach, corporate structure, life cycle stage and by different industries. But something was similar about each one, and Burlingham's shared three of seven characteristics they share: - Passionate business leaders no matter what kind of business they may be in, including constant torque hinges manufacturing and designing, construction project planning, music making, special effects creation, or even beer brewing, show subject matter passion, as well as deep emotional business commitment to its suppliers, employees and customers. - Leaders and founders built companies/businesses to live in instead of business accommodations shaped by outside entities. Union Square Cafe's Danny Meyer said "he earned more money by choosing the right things to say no to than choosing things to say yes to." Anchor...

Words: 369 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Little Things

...the good things that can happen to you throughout the day, you don’t really notice how many small things there are that can have a positive effect. Small things on their own aren’t much, but when you start to add them up they can become something huge. For instance, playing fetch with my Labrador Buddy, or giving in to that craving of chocolate and enjoying every bite are very small things in the grand scheme of things, but take either out of my life and it would be a tragedy. Every once in a while something happens that is clearly a big good thing, but they don’t happen often enough to really get you through that daily grind. For instance, my mom recently celebrated her 70th birthday after a year when she had a pretty serious health scare, and celebrating that milestone with her and my family was huge. Being able to see her turn a year older was a great feeling, and feeling like I might lose her was really scary. The day she had her surgery was another big one. Seeing her wake up and smile after everything went well was one of the good moments of the past year that stands out to me the most. These are the moments that make you feel stronger as a person and make you realize how close you are to your family. The little things don’t hit you so powerfully though. Over the course of my 21 day experiment I noticed that things like the smell of a good candle, eating a home cooked meal, and just enjoying a great workout always make me happy, but were the sort of things that I was...

Words: 722 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Accelerate Your Small Business-Ebay

...Research Paper Accelerate Your Small Business-eBay Every year there are hundreds of thousands of companies that surface themselves as new small businesses. With that said every year there are also hundreds of thousands of small businesses that close down (1). There are many contributing factors to a successful small business. One of the greatest marketing tools to sweep the retail industry is eBay. EBay has allowed and continues to allow both small businesses as well as individuals to market and sell new goods. EBay has been a great entry point for many small businesses into e-commerce. However, eBay has also led to a problem that manufactures should be aware of, product integrity. EBay started out in 1995 as an online marketplace for the sales of goods and services from one individual to another (2). Individuals would simply list items that they no longer have a use for on eBay. Others, interested in a particular good would search eBay in hopes of discovering a treasure. As the saying goes one mans trash is another mans treasure. Well, after sometime eBay became a real hit. Are you asking yourself what this online flea market has to do with business? A few entrepreneurs had the idea to search beyond the confines of their residences for items to sell. Soon there were bargain hunters that would travel from yard sale to yard sale looking for just the right items. Some of these bargain hunters developed small businesses with the aid of eBay. Instead of getting up early every...

Words: 2065 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Were The Colonists Justified Essay

...is a small country that's 4,417 miles away. The colonist were justified in becoming Patriots and seeking independence from Britain. Parliament taxed the colonies with many acts, some of them even make the colonist lose their privacy and natural rights. During the stamp act the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser put a skull and crossbones where you have to put the stamp. The stamp that you needed was supposed to go on...

Words: 834 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.

...The meaning of this age-old proverb is quite literal. It effectively means that we must attend to things well in time, so that we can save ourselves a lot of trouble later on, if it becomes unmanageable. Just as it takes only a spark to start a fire, which if not put out in time causes great devastation. Similarly the minutest problem if not attended immediately could lead to a major catastrophe. Practical and Sound Advice As one immediately attends to a small hole in one's pocket with a stitch, which if left unattended could develop into a tear, leading to nine stitches at a later date. Similarly if we postpone attending to minor day to day problems, they do not disappear, but come back to us in a much more gigantic form. A small breach in a canal, if not attended in time not only breaches the entire embankment, but also inundates large cities and villages. Kingdom's can be lost by neglecting to replace such a small thing as a nail in a horse's shoe. As most of us would have heard of the saying "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe, the horse was lost, for want of a horse, the rider was lost, for want of a rider the battle was lost, for want of the battle, the kingdom was lost." This is the most practical and sound advice, that is given by our elders including parents and teachers. However, we in our haste, tend to overlook the small details, which is the cause of major problems at a later date. Proven by History History is replete with examples...

Words: 403 - Pages: 2