Sweat Can Be a Good Thing 4/10/14

²³ Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  Colossians 3:23 (ESV)

Every duty, even the least duty, involves the whole principle of obedience. And little duties make the will dutiful, that is, supple and prompt to obey. Little obediences lead into great. The daily round of duty is full of probation and of discipline; it trains the will, heart, and conscience. We need not to be prophets or apostles. The commonest life may be full of perfection. The duties of home are a discipline for the ministries of heaven.

H.E. Manning 

Richard Carlson popularized the quote, "Don't sweat the small stuff" and wrote a New York Times best-seller around the idea.  Carlson's take was that most things in life are "small stuff", and we shouldn't let that drive us crazy.  While I agree with the fact that making mountains out of molehills is not good practice and can lead to a very unhappy life, some small stuff is very important.

As Manning points out, "little obediences lead into great".  Jesus told his disciples, "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much."  Luke 16:10 (ESV)  The chains of habit are created with links of "small stuff".

Five minutes of meditation on a Bible verse can lead to a spiritual ah-ha moment.  A sincere, but brief word of encouragement to a coworker may be what she needed to get through the day.  An extra $10 bill in the plate Sunday may be the amount necessary to reach one more lost person.  Not watching that questionable sit-com may provide the time for Bible study.

Small stuff, obediently, faithfully done are disciplines we need to be ready for the big stuff.  Perhaps if Christians spent more time sweating the small stuff of spiritual disciplines and leading a Christian life, our world would be in a better place.