Does a Little Matter?

The world has massive needs but also wonderful opportunities for ministry with the gospel, discipleship, biblical training and compassionate care for God’s glory!

We should not settle for doing a little for the kingdom of God when we can trust our sovereign Lord to use us much for His glory.

On the other hand, we should never “despise the day of small things” and do what we can, even if it might be something small. Remember the boy in the gospels who only had a small lunch of five loaves and two fish? Yet in the hands of Jesus, the lunch was multiplied to meet the needs of 5000 men, plus women and children.

On one occasion in Africa, Margaret, my wife, held a little AIDS baby for an hour. Did the baby know what was happening? I carried another baby around the AIDS hospice and sat with another sick little boy who snuggled up next to me. We may not have made a real difference in the lives of these children, or did we?

Margaret and I were on the streets in Zambia with a young missionary working with street children. We bought lunch for 20 boys at an expense of only 25¢ each. Did this make a difference? Most of the boys ate their lunch and left. Only a few were thankful. $5 to buy a large lunch for 20 boys is such a little thing. Did it make any difference?

In the same city we visited a church-based community school in a building with no roof, no windows, no chairs, and a dirt floor. Almost 500 children were crowded into one room! I then saw a little boy with an infected open lesion above his eye. I treated it with a little antiseptic and band-aid. This was such a small thing. Did it make any difference? The little boy sure seemed to appreciate this care and concern, and he repaid us with a smile and a hug.

A missionary and I conducted a three-hour seminar for 44 pastors and Christian workers which included a snack. The seminar along with the bread and soft drink came to a total of only $20, which was an average of less than 50¢ each. This is such a small amount. Did it make any difference? These pastors sure appreciated it, especially the teaching from the Word of God and the small snack. Many of these pastors go without food often so their wives and children can eat.

Many times, we think missions and ministry can only be conducted by well-educated, articulate speakers who can preach, teach and lead well and give counsel to every problem. However, many of us are not in this category, but we can do small things.

We can sit on the corner with a street child and give a small lunch while sharing the Gospel. We can hold children in an AIDS hospice or in a Christian orphanage in Zambia, Malawi, Uganda or the Philippines.

We can gather a group of poor and needy untrained pastors for a day of fellowship and teaching in the Word, provide a small set of books, and a large meal and snacks and pray for and encourage them in ministry!

There are millions of orphans in Africa and thousands of untrained needed pastors. There are 200,000 street children in the Philippines and an estimated 41,000 untrained pastors.

It would be wonderful if many of God’s people ages 21 to 80 would consider taking their abilities, talents, backgrounds, finances and/or expertise, give them to Jesus, and let Him multiply these gifts to reach the multitudes with His Gospel and compassion for His glory! Why not?

Someone said to me years ago, “A little from our world makes a big difference in theirs!”

- Doug Nichols, missionary