Little Things Do Matter!

Bad behavior remains bad behavior, however much one might try to put some gloss over it. 

On a number of occasions, I have heard people say, “It doesn't matter. It’s too minor a thing to worry
about.” Really?

I believe that each of one's actions or omissions has far-reaching impact on their character or
reputation.

Everything you do either has a positive or negative effect on your person. The same applies to each of
your omissions - the actions that you avoid taking.

So it's not a matter of “is it minor or major?”

If something destroys your reputation, why would you not worry about it? If something reflects
positively on you, why would you not be eager to be associated with it, whether it is ‘minor’ or
‘major’?

Our country would certainly be a much better place to live in if only more people cared, or cared
more.

Often people think that it is the responsibility of some other people to put things right. They say,
“They should do this and that to make things right.” Why “they”? Wouldn't we be much better if we
said, “We should do this and that”? or “I should do this and that, or should desist from doing this and
that, in order to make things right”?

Let me give you an example. Our streets are filled with litter. It's unimaginable. We never used to see
such dirt. Who is to blame?

First to blame is the person who throws garbage onto the streets instead of placing it where it belongs.
That's the first culprit.

You find that even where there are rubbish bins close by, some people still choose to throw litter onto
the streets, with no remorse at all! What happened to conscience? What happened to hygiene? What
happened to civilization?

The second person to blame is the one responsible for ensuring that our streets are kept clean. If you
are the one responsible, and you let things go wrong in such a big way, then people start to wonder
what you do on a daily basis to deserve your salary! Challenges will always exist, but do people sit and
fold hands because of challenges? Isn't it that challenges exist to give purpose to one's mandate?

I feel overjoyed each time I see people on a voluntary clean-up exercise. That's always a remarkable
sight, which should provide an important lesson to those who wantonly litter the streets. Just stop for
once and reflect on this: somebody litters the streets without even worrying about it; then
somebody gets so concerned about it to the extent of cleaning up the dirt for free. This surely is a
serious indictment to the careless!

Littering the streets is an act of disrespect – disrespect for oneself, disrespect for other people and
disrespect for God who gave you a litter-free environment for your enjoyment. So in a way, a person
who litters the streets is telling the world that he/she too is like a piece of trash.

Each time I get a receipt from a shop, I have a tendency of rolling it with my fingers until it becomes a
tiny ball. Tiny as it is, which some people would describe as ‘minor’, I always make it a point of placing
it in a bin. I just cannot throw it onto the ground, even where there already is ‘major’ rubbish
deposited by some other people!

I have seen another evil – spitting. People have a tendency of doing it everywhere, on the tarmac or
pathways that people use to get from one point to another. Saliva and phlegm, eish! One has to duck
and dive to avoid stepping on such revolting substance.

What exactly is the message that one would be sending by behaving like that? Who would he/she be
trying to fix? Would the same person be comfortable stepping on someone else’s phlegm? Absolutely
not!

So what happened to love? I visited the offices of The Zimbabwe Standard newspaper sometime. On the
staircase was a sign pleading, “Please do not spit on the stairs – By Order”. Imagine that they had to
go to this extent to teach people what they should already have learned as kids!

I have also observed another disturbing trend in our society – use of foul words.

One day I said to my wife, “Mai Isaiah, have you by any chance noted that people in this country have
become more foul-mouthed than before?” It is unprecedented! Now children have also caught the bug,
for they are forced, on a daily basis, to listen to words not meant for public consumption. Some of the
words that people speak in public these days are so horrible that I can never utter them even
when I am alone!

And some people say, “He is just speaking. He has not hurt anybody. So what’s your problem?”  Just
speaking? Has not hurt anybody? “Little things”, so people say. But what's the level of the  impact of
such behaviour?

If you are one of the people who deliberately acts in a bad way or deliberately avoids doing good, then
you ought to change your behaviour without delay. It's important.

There is only way to behave - it is called 'the way of love'.

Love should be your behavior, your life, your being, who you are! If you love people, it means you care
about them. If you love people, you will not spit on their paths. If you love people, you will not litter
the environment they live in. If you love people, you will not say offensive words to them or in their
presence.

I have given you just a few examples of wrong behavior that people choose to belittle. There are many
facets to this subject. I cannot cover them all in this short installment. What you need to do is to
critically examine yourself.

What are the bad 'little' tendencies that still exist in your life? Write all of them down. Now if you look
at what you have written, what sort of picture do you think you are portraying to the world? Would one
use the adjective ‘noble’ to describe you?

You need to kick out all trash from your life. It has no business being there. And the time is  now!

Just like 'big' things, the so-called 'little' things also matter a lot! Always keep this in mind.
The Value of Youth to the Cause of
God

Which is the most difficult era of human life? Infancy? Adolescence? Mature adulthood?
Agedness? It probably depends upon where you are as to how you might answer that
query.

While many might suggest that one’s sunset years are the hardest, my own judgment
would be that the period designated as youth might be the most challenging.

Youth is a frustrating time in life. It is that period when one is hardly old enough to be on
his own, and yet he is feeling a sense of independence. Youth ever are attempting to
find some sense of identity; that is why they sometimes act and dress so weird. They
are bizarre!

But then, so were we.

The Scriptures represent youth as a time both of danger and challenge. Moses said that
“the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21), and Paul admonished
Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22).

By way of contrast, though, the Creator also recognizes the value of youth to the divine
cause. Youngsters have energy, they are daring, their hearts are filled with visions of
the future. Indeed, they can be a most valuable component in the service of Jehovah.

Solomon, who wasted much of his life in folly, perhaps thought better of the matter in his
declining days. He contended:

“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil
days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no
pleasure in them” (Eccl. 12:1).
Again, Paul would say to Timothy:
“Let no man despise your youth; but you be an example to them that
believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity” (1
Tim. 4:12).
It strikes me that whereas our youth can be quite impetuous and sometimes a bit silly,
they are, nonetheless, a wonderful resource in the kingdom of heaven.

The fact is, the Bible is replete with examples of how God has used younger people in
some of the most vital roles in the unfolding of his marvelous plan of redemption.

Let’s reflect upon some striking examples that demonstrate God’s confidence in youth.

Joseph
Joseph is truly one of the sterling characters of the Old Testament era. He was a
favorite of his father, which incited the passionate envy of his brothers (cf. Acts 7:9).
Accordingly, these hateful siblings sold Joseph to a caravan of Ishmaelites who
transported him down to Egypt, where the younger brother was bought by an Egyptian
officer named Potiphar.

As most everyone knows, during the course of his duties, Potiphar’s evil wife cast
longing eyes toward Joseph. She attempted to seduce him, but he, with firm resolve,
resisted, insisting: “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen.
39:9).

One of the stunning features of the account is the fact that Jospeh was only seventeen
years of age (Gen. 37:2)! A young lad, in a strange land, separated from his people and
his center of religious strength — yet faithful to his God. How thrilling!

As the story subsequently unfolds, we learn that Joseph was being used by Jehovah as
a providential instrument for the preservation of the Hebrew nation. Joseph would later
recognize: “God did send me [here] to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5).

Again, at the end of his life, to his brothers he said: “You meant evil against me; but God
meant it for good ... to save many lives” (50:20).
All of this was done, of course, in view the Lord’s use of the Hebrew nation as an
instrument in the divine plan which resulted in the incarnation of Christ. Think about it.
God trusted a teenager to accomplish such a vital role.

Miriam
As the Hebrew people multiplied in the land of Egypt, they were perceived as a threat to
the stability of that nation. Hence the order was given that Israelite male babies were to
be thrown into the Nile. When Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months;
then, they placed him in a small vessel fashioned from the papyrus plant, which they
deposited by the river’s edge, committing their precious baby to the care of Jehovah.

In the meantime, Moses’ older sister, who is estimated to be about ten or twelve at this
time (McClintock, Vol. IV, 330), was posted some distance away, keeping watch. Finally
Miriam obtained Jochebed, Moses’ own mother, as a nurse for the child. Oh, the ways
of providence!

Here is my point. The entire future of the Hebrew nation — the instrument to be
employed for the conveyance of the Savior — was entrusted to a young girl.

Does this say something about how God values youth? Assuredly it does.

David
The story of David, who became Israel’s king, is too well-known to need elaboration.
Who among us, both as child and adult, has not thrilled to the narrative of David’s
encounter with the devilish Goliath?

What a breathtaking episode — the soldiers of Israel on one side of the valley of Elah,
the defiant Philistine champion on the other. Morning and evening for forty days, Goliath
had challenged Israel to combat, but they were frozen in fear (1 Sam. 17:10-16).

When David arrived on the scene he was chagrined at the timidity of his Hebrew
kinsmen and volunteered to take on the infidel. But he was disdained as a mere “youth”
— initially by king Saul himself, and then by Goliath (1 Sam. 17:33,42). Never mind;
God was with this “youth,” who may have been about twenty-two or so at the time
(Clarke, 264). Goliath was slain and the Philistine force was routed. Edersheim called
this victory “the turning point in the history of the theocracy” (89).

Again, the Lord invested in youth, and the cause of truth triumphed.

Josiah
The noblest king to reign in the territory of Judah was Josiah. Scripture says there was
no ruler of his caliber, neither before nor after him, who sought the Lord with “all his
heart” as did he (2 Kgs. 23:25).

Josiah was but a boy of eight when he came to the throne. At the age of sixteen, he
began to “seek” Jehovah, and by the time he turned twenty, he initiated a campaign to
purge the southern kingdom of its idolatry (2 Chron. 34:1-3).

When Josiah was twenty-six, he arranged for repairs on the temple. It was at this time
that a tremendously significant event occurred. A copy of “the law of Jehovah given by
Moses” was discovered in the temple (2 Chron. 34:14). When the religious and moral
message of the sacred document was studied, and the spiritual fabric of the nation was
seen to stand in such glaring contrast, a reformation was proclaimed.

One of Josiah’s important accomplishments was the restoration of the Passover, which
had not been observed with care since the days of the judges (2 Kgs. 23:21-23). Since
the Passover was designed to preview the death of Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7), Josiah was
an important element in preparing the nation for the Savior’s arrival. What confidence
Jehovah had placed in a spiritual lad.

Jeremiah
Jeremiah, the great “weeping prophet,” is one of the more remarkable characters of the
Old Testament. He sought so desperately to bring rebellious Judah back into conformity
with the law of God. He began his ministry in the thirteenth year of Josiah (626 B.C.)
and concluded his work among his people when the Babylonian force destroyed the
temple in 586 B.C. But he prophesied periodically even after the fall of the holy city.

It is possible that his preaching career spanned some sixty years or more (see Jackson,
7). This suggests that Jeremiah was probably in his late teens when he was called of
the Lord to be his prophet to the wicked nation. God can use a youth of faith!

Mary
One can only imagine how sweet the beloved Mary of Nazareth must have been, as
evidenced by the fact that of all women in Israel, she was chosen to be the mother of
our Lord.

Something of her spiritual depth is seen in the psalm she uttered when greeted by
Elizabeth, while visiting her kinsman in the hill country of Judah. The song is often
called the “Magnifcat” (from the first word of the passage in the Latin Vulgate). The
passage begins: “My soul magnifies [present—continuously] the Lord, and my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Savior” (Lk. 1:46).

In one of his books, Harry Rimmer noted that this little song, of ten verses in the English
Bible, draws from twenty-three separate passages in the Old Testament (118). What a
commentary on how her precious mind was filled with the word of God!

Here is a fact that makes this even more astounding. In the Jewish culture, a girl was
normally married by the age of twelve or thirteen. Prior to thirteen, a maiden might be
betrothed to a man by her parents; at thirteen, she was of the legal age to make her
own choice (M’Clintock, Vol. V, 774-75).

It is entirely possible, therefore, that when Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world that
she was in her early teens. Does this not speak volumes about how God trusts
spiritually minded youth?
Timothy
There was no companion closer to the great apostle Paul than his young friend Timothy.
When the apostle wrote to the church in Philippi, the congregation for whom he had the
greatest affection, he pledged to send Timothy to assist them. He paid the lad the
highest compliment when he told the Philippian saints that “I have no man like-minded,
who will care truly for Your state” (Phil. 2:20).

From time to time, during Paul’s missionary endeavors, Timothy was at his side. And
during those dark hours as God’s apostle awaited execution, he longed for the
friendship of Timothy. In his final epistle, Paul urged: “Give diligence to come to me
shortly” (2 Tim. 4:9). What a compliment to this young Christian.

Apparently Paul converted Timothy on his first missionary campaign when in Lystra
(Acts 14:8ff; cf. 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2). When the apostle passed through the region a
second time (16:1ff), he selected Timothy to accompany him. Since Timothy was still
regarded as a “youth” when Paul wrote his first letter to him (1 Tim. 4:12), which was
some fourteen years after the lad joined the apostle on that preaching tour, it is believed
that he was eighteen to twenty when he started working with Paul.

Recognize the Potential

A consideration of these cases, and others that might be noted (cf. 2 Kgs. 5:2), clearly
show that youngsters, properly trained, are capable of courageous faith and
considerable usefulness in heaven’s cause.

Perhaps we do not realize how we might influence youngsters to serve the Lord. Do we
not overlook their potential all too often? Think about these cases.

In 1868 the popular preacher, T. B. Larimore, came to Rock Creek, Alabama to conduct
a gospel meeting. Larimore later told of an encounter he had with a twelve-year-old boy.

“A little black eyed boy had taken his stand a few feet from the
narrow path leading to the door of the meeting house, and was standing
there barefooted, hands in pockets, eyes and mouth open, to get a
glimpse of the big preacher he had ‘hearn tell of.’ The preacher
turned aside to speak to the little fellow, and to take him by the
hand, and thus began a friendship that nothing but death could
destroy” (Srygley, 29).
That boy was F. D. Srygley, who grew up to become a respected preacher and writer,
who wrote several books about Larimore.

Hugo MeCord tells of the influence of one such boy, who, some years ago was
attending a gospel tent meeting in Ireland. In the audience he was seated next to Bill
Tyner. During the course of the service, Tyner leaned over and asked the lad: “What
does Jesus mean to you?” The boy quickly replied: “Why, he’s my everything. What
does he mean to you?” Later Tyner, having been deeply moved by the incident, wrote
the beautiful hymn, “He Is My Everything.”

Conclusion
Youth can accomplish magnificent things for the Master’s cause. But do we always
recognize this? Are our young people merely ignored as empty-headed, silly people
who are unworthy of serious responsibility?

Sadly, this may be the case sometimes. But we should not overlook this valuable
resource in the Master’s cause. We must be on the lookout for them and encourage
them along the way. God can use them mightily.