"Big Things Come In Small Packages"

Have you ever heard the statement, be instant in season and out of season (Paul to Timothy)? Yesterday I learned firsthand, you have to be ready at all times. This past week I have been working on "Chicago's Largest Easter Egg Hunt" Eggstravaganza 2008. I was flat out tired Saturday night, I usually stay up late but being tired I went to bed early. When I woke up Sunday, I was still tired, and we were running a little behind in getting ready for the first service (I have 5 girls and a wife) and I live in house with all girls. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. When I first got up, I felt like I would be asked to preach in the first service (I ignored it!). Sure enough, the phone rang and I was asked to preach the first service. I am almost always ready, but because of my focus on the Eggstravaganza, this was one of the few times I wasn't.

I then had to make a choice, do I pull out something old (already memorized and rehearsed) or do I go with something fresh that God has been dealing with me about? I then had to take my family to the Church and when I got there I had about 30 minutes to prepare. I remembered that all my notes were at the office, so I drove to the office frantically to go to the office to look through my notes. To make a long story short, after all of this, I felt the Lord impress me to share out of my devotional time concerning "The Reward of Honor". I want to share a few of the thoughts that I shared.

* Many times God sends you what you need in a package you least expect.

* We place great priority on honoring God and our leaders which we should, but we have not done very well at honoring each other.

* Honor means to esteem or value highly.

* The greatest testing ground is not in the world it is in your own house, Jesus was not able to many miracles in His home town, in fact they said, "Is this not the carpenter's boy...

* Imagine everything they needed was standing right in front of them in the flesh of Jesus but because they could not perceive Him correctly they missed the very thing they were waiting for.

* Paul admonishes us to know no man after the flesh, and that when Christ died, we all died (2 Cor. 14-17), meaning that personality flaw, character flaw in that person that irritates you, that thing about your boss that you don't like died when Christ died. Inside of every vessel of clay there is a treasure and for you to draw out the treasure, you have to perceive me correctly, if you perceive me as regular Joe then that is all you will get. Paul also said, that in my flesh is no good thing. I must perceive you after your anointing (1 John 2:20).

* Everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their saviour has a flesh nature and a God nature. The people in Jesus hometown perceived Him after His flesh nature thereby limiting the anointing that was in Him. The scripture says, He could not do many miracles there, not He would not. He was willing but they did not perceive Him properly (Mark 6:1-6).

* In the Church we often strive for the person with the microphone to get them to lay hands on us. We put a high value on the visible parts of the body, but scripture tells us that God puts higher value on the less visible parts (1 Cor. 12:22). For example, I can do without my hair (I don't have any), toenails, and even a finger or two. Those are the visible parts, what you see. I can't do without my liver which you don't see. This tells us just because someone is visible does not mean they are more important. The greeter that opens the door for you and gives you a bulletin, the person who does the sound check, turns the volume up or down is less visible but just as important. (try preaching in a large crowd without a sound man)

I remember when me and my wife planted a Church and we had to preach, greet the people, clean the restroom, set up and tear down, take up the offering... I realize more than ever that if the less visible parts don't do what they do, then I can't do what I do. Let me illustrate this.

Let' say that Sally receives a report from the doctor that she has cancer and she only has three months to live. She rushes to the Church on Sunday so that she can get the pastor to lay hands on her, she rushes past Jim the greeter, who in fact has the anointing for healing that she needs so that she can get the pastor to pray for her. Let's try another example.

Let's say Sally gets the report from the doctor and calls the Church. The pastor sends the elders (pastoral staff and deacons) to anoint her with oil. She gets mad and says, I don't want Joe the elder, I want the Pastor. Because she didn't perceive Joe properly she dies. She perceives Joe by his activity which is carrying the Pastor's briefcase. God placed the healing she needed in Joe. But because she percieves Joe by his activity, she misses the healing that she needs that is in Joe.

Paul admonishes us to discern the body properly and because some are not, they are weak, sick, and dead (1 Cor. 11:29-30). He is not talking about wafers and juice, he is talking about properly discerning the body (we are called the body of Christ). We must learn to properly discern each other. There is something in you I need!

Lastly, we often perceive someone by their activity (what they do). If their activity is not what we want (title and position) we miss the treasure God placed in them for us. That's why whenever I see someone doing menial tasks I greet them and thank them for their faithfulness. Why? Because big things come in small packages. I listen to what they have to say.

I have received more timely words of encouragement from people that others may consider insignificant than I have from "mighty men of God". In fact anytime I am around someone who is faithful in small things, I recognize God has placed big things in them. So next time you enter your Church, business or school, why don't you stop and honor those who are less visible, who knows they may contain the solution, miracle, answer that you need. Lets' learn to honor one another.
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