20. The significance of your task

When I listen to famous Christian leaders talk about this subject of God's plan for your life, I envision this major thing happening in my life. I imagine big things, things happening in the limelight, something major etc. The way it is sometimes preached it sounds like it is going to be something significant. But when I started looking at the Word of the Lord it is not necessarily the case. There are many unsung heroes in the Bible that often go unnoticed. In the eyes of the world they didn't necessarily amount to much in their lifetime, but in the eyes of the Lord they completed their tasks and they will be exalted in Heaven because of it.

There are several examples in the Bible, but I am quickly going to go through just a few of them. The first one that came to mind for me was the young boy with the five barley loaves and two fishes. You all remember the story I am sure. Jesus was teaching large crowds and they all followed Him especially after He performed many miracles and healed the sick. Now one day there were five thousand men (let alone all the women and children!) that followed Jesus. It was getting late and there was not food for all these people as they were gathered on a hill near the Sea of Galilee at Bethsaida. Now Jesus was telling the disciples that they should feed the crowd. They were astounded at this request and Andrew spoke up:

John 6:9 "There is a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?"

I want to pause there for a second. This boy must have had wonderful faith. Think about it for a second; here he was, simply a small boy, amongst this vast crowd. There was no food for miles and no hope of finding food. He had enough food to keep him going for the next few days, but after that, he probably did not know where his next food was going to come from either. He didn't know that Jesus was going to perform a miracle with the food. He didn't know that the Lord was going to multiply it in such a way that twelve baskets of bread were left over after everyone ate their fill. All he knew from his perspective was that they were in a dire need for food and he had a little bit. But not even enough to sustain himself for the next week. But he stood up and gave what little he had. He could have hid it away and secretly ate of it when he became hungry. But he didn't. He believed and shared what he had. It is wonderful for me to see. He fulfilled his purpose for being there that day. We do not know what his name was or what happened to him. We don't read in the Bible that Jesus exalted him in front of the crowds for his faith. He didn't receive any recognition or praise. But I promise you that the Lord saw his heart and knew of his faithfulness. And because of what he did, five thousand men received food that day and that must have strengthened his faith tremendously. He gave the little that he had and the Lord used it mightily.

I am sure most of you have read of that event in the Bible and have never given another thought to that boy. This could be the first time that you actually think about it. What I am actually trying to say is that this boy was not praised and his role could be seen as insignificant. But it wasn't. He gave what he had and he did what the Lord required of him and that makes him a hero in the spiritual world. He is one of many unsung heroes of faith in the Bible and in the world today. You are probably also one. Sit still for a moment and think of a time in your life where you did something, something insignificant in the eyes of the world. Think back to that time. Maybe you gave someone a hug when they were on the verge of a breakdown, maybe you helped an old lady across a very busy street which maybe saved her from being hit by a car, maybe you saw a lost child walking alone in a supermarket and helped him find his parents and you saved him from possible child abductors. Who knows? But know this, you made a difference that day. Your action might seem insignificant, but you made a world of difference to someone and you are a hero for doing that. Don't become discouraged, but look forward to the next 'insignificant' task that the Lord places over your path. You could mean the world to someone.

Lord, please help us to look up to You and know that You see all our actions and You are very pleased when we do something without receiving recognition for it. Thank you Lord.

 

 

 

1 comment for “20. The significance of your task”

  1. Gravatar of HenriHenri
    Posted Tuesday, 03 August 2010 at 10:10:55 AM

    There is no insignificant action or moment in God's eyes.What an impact we all can have on the sorrows of the world and on poverty if we can each pump one small bit of energy into the universe every day!!

Post a comment