Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
“A Christian should always remember that the value of his
good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God
which prompts him to do these things”
One of the great Scottish poets of last century was
William Soutar. His life was a tragic one. He died in 1943 aged only
forty-five. For twenty-five years he suffered a debilitating illness, and for
the last ten years of his life he was completely helpless. Yet he had this
great gift of writing and in spite of his own tragedy he was a man of wit and a
storyteller of some note. This is one of his stories that tells of the
importance and effect of little things.
There was once a wood cutter's wife who forgot to put
salt in her husband's morning porridge. When he angrily complained, she told
him that he was a fool to make such a fuss about so trifling a matter. This
infuriated the wood cutter, and commencing work in the forest he lashed out at
a tree with such force and venom that the axe head flew off. It injured his
employer's favorite horse that was being led to the blacksmith's shop. That
horse was to have taken his employer, a nobleman and an important man in the
district, to a meeting of Lords that was to discuss their differences with the
King. Because of his anger and foul mood due to the need to arrange for another
horse, he successfully argued for an uprising against the King.
In the rebellion that followed many were killed, and
there followed a period of poverty, famine and unrest. This rebellion, loss of
life and suffering happened because a wood cutter's wife forgot to salt her
husband's porridge.
The point of this story is to relate how little things
can have a widespread effect. Rather like throwing a stone into a pond and
seeing the ripples spread out and reach the shore. If we are young, middle aged
or even retired we may feel that there is little we can do, or want to do, that
will greatly affect others. This is untrue. Every action, every good deed,
every performed service, every outreach, has an effect on someone, somewhere.
We are God’s hands and feet - have you used yours today?
Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will
vibrate in eternity.
Dear Lord, we pray that our actions and reactions would
be done out of love and not anger. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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