Marching Orders #23... "Faithfulness in Small Things"

LET THE

SONSHINE

..."Your eyes light up your inward being.

A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul."

Luke 11:34a

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Faithfulness in Small Things

Some small, fine print to consider...

You've heard how the "small print" of a contract determines how the entire contract is perceived, haven't you? More and more in today's society we have to watch out for the hidden addendums deceptively added to many things. Jesus taught us about the vast importance of small things. At the risk of a few "raised eye brows", I'm going to share about the first small miracle that He performed through me, as He was personally preparing me for a greater test and teaching me the importance of small things.

In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches this principle in the parable of the talents; a principle that we must all learn if we are to go on and see Him do greater things in and through us. Here is what he said to the servant that took the small amount and invested it and returned with a profit...

Matt. 25:23... " 'Good work,' his master said. 'You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.'"

We had bought one of those small turtles with the flowers painted on it's shell for our son at the fair. It was so tiny and cute...we all loved it...even the cat, apparently, because one day it was missing from its bowl. We searched the house from top to bottom for it. I even remember looking in the toilet bowl thinking that my creative son may have been playing with it in there and forgot it.

No turtle...

About four months later while vacuuming under the bed, I felt something like a small rock under it...and when I pulled it out, I discovered it was the shell of the turtle...with the flowers there to readily identify "Poky".. But Poky? Well, Poky was long gone. There was some residue and a little skin left, but Poky had died and dried! I thought, "Bet the cat got it out of the bowl to play with." I decided to just flush Poky down the toilet and not bring back the sad memories of his loss. I was ready to drop him in...and almost like an audible voice I heard, "Why don't you pray for it?" I looked around, but nobody was in sight. Again, as I nearly flushed Poky, the same thought came back, so I took the empty shell... (you could look in one leg hole and see clear through to the other open side)... and I placed it on the kitchen counter.

I remember thinking how stupid this would look and actually, I didn't expect anything to happen...I was just going to obey the thought and pray for that shell to come back to life. I raised my right hand towards heaven and touched the shell. As I prayed, what seemed like a bolt of lightning flashed through my arms and hit the shell. Immediately, right before my eyes, I saw a turtle form, and come to life. I was flabbergasted!

Poky walked like lightning was still in his shell, with his head stuck way out and his legs extended. We changed his name to Lazarus and kept him until he was large enough to turn loose in the pond.

God didn't perform that miracle for me to think I had any great faith or power...He performed it to teach me and prepare me to have the faith to pray for my son who would shortly be hit by a car on his bicycle and be pronounced dead by a pharmacist at the scene. When I arrived at the scene of his accident, about thirty people had accumulated. The pharmacist came to me urging me to not look at him, that he was already dead. But God had a different plan. As I kneeled on the street to pray, a circle of white light surrounded us, and all of the people gasped. My son was miracuously restored in the same manner as Poky.

This experience taught me many things...the main thing being that we have to start being obedient when He speaks, no matter how trite the situation may seem. I also learned that there are no "hopeless" situations when the Lord is in control, and that nothing is too insignificant to Him. He cares about "ALL" that concerns us from the smallest to the largest of needs. I learned that prayer changes things...and that, with God on our side, nothing can stop us. The only effective tool that satan has against us is our own fear and doubts. And, I learned that as we abide in The Vine, Jesus Christ, that we are going to bear fruit, for the fruit is of Him and not ourselves.

Let's courageously get started with those small things so that He can produce a large abundant crop of fruit in and through us.

Have a miraculous day!

Yours in Him, and He in me,

Marlene \o/

MARCHING ORDER #23

Marching orders are compiled from verses out of the Living Bible.

No commentary is added...they are the pure Word of God.

"As Christ's soldier do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who enlisted you in his army." II Timothy 2:4 L/B

Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty.

Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing.

I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.

I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

The Lord Almighty says, “Get on with the job and finish it! You have been listening long enough!”

With this news bring cheer to all discouraged ones. Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, “Be strong, fear not.”

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “I will make you strong!”

If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?

It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work (of telling his Good News to others), and so we never give up.

Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.

How we thank God for all of this! It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!

(Living Bible)

Haggai 2:4.

Jn. 15:5. - Phil. 4:13. - Eph. 6:10. - Neh. 8:10.

Zech. 8:9. - Is. 35:3-4. - Judges 6:14.

Rom. 8:31. - II Cor. 4:1.

Gal. 6:9. - I Cor. 15:57.

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