“Do not despise small beginnings; the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT
“You have to begin somewhere, or you will never get anywhere.”
My thoughts today are about “a place to start.”
People are impressed with size, yet God rejoices over seeds. The bigger the bank account, the house, their fame or reputation, the more important the person appears to others. If you are wise, you will recognize along with God that a seed is exactly the right place to start, however small that seed may seem at first. Seeds hold incredible possibilities waiting to be released.
Jesus understood that in His Kingdom every beginning is a promise of something greater to come. Jesus often used the example of the tiny mustard seed, well known by His listeners as the smallest of seeds. He explained, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in His field.” Matthew 13:31 NIV.
You are wise to learn that to begin does not require anything more than you presently have. Jesus used this small seed to encourage His followers to appreciate the power in seeds. Jesus taught that accomplishment is not about how little you start with; it is how much of your potential you will ultimately realize. With God, your potential is beyond what you may expect. What are you waiting for? Today is a great place to start.
Jesus told the story of a servant who was given a small portion of his master’s wealth to invest and increase. Read Matthew 25:14-29 NIV. Thinking it too small to make much of a difference, and yet too large a risk if he were to lose his master’s money, he foolishly chose to do nothing – to simply bury the money for safekeeping. At least, he reasoned, he would not lose anything; he failed to realize that neither could he gain anything.
Was his master pleased with his carefulness? No, his master was displeased. The man tried to excuse himself by admitting he was afraid. In the end he lost everything, for even the small amount he had was taken from him and given to another who would do something more for his master.
The outcome is not only the result of the potential in the seed. God put that there. The eventual result of your small beginning is also dependent on your own view of the importance of what you have and your willingness to begin where you are. You alone can put that there!
You have to begin somewhere, or you will never get anywhere. You have to plant a seed before its power can be released. The Bible says, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 NIV.
When God had a great work for Moses to do, Moses was reluctant to begin. The task seemed so vast and Moses felt so small. He overlooked that God was so great. Here’s where God chose as a place to start; “What is that in your hand?” Exodus 4:2 KJV. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for God to use for His glory. What has God put in your hand? What opportunity has God placed at your hand? Begin where you are with what you have; just make sure God is included.
There are a lot of great things to be accomplished in your life that wait for nothing more than your clear decision to begin and confidence that what you begin with will be enough for God to do something spectacular for His glory. See Ephesians 3:20 NLT.
My prayer for you today is that God will see your seed sown, and rejoice.