Quote from Forum Archives on October 15, 2007, 10:01 am

Posted by: info <info@...>

Who Has Despised The Day Of Small Things?
(Zechariah 4:10)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
(Taken from the Whetstone of January, 1995)

In 1991 at the University of Colorado, 71 men met to pray for our
nation and
Promise Keepers began. The next year there were 4,000; then 25,000; and in
1994
they filled six football stadiums with over 400,000 men. Plans call for one
million
Christian men to meet in Washington D.C. in 1996.
The adage "Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow!" could be illustrated
hundreds of
ways from your own experience. In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus refers to a sower
scattering seed.
Then He describes the process of its growth: it sprouts and grows . . .
"first the blade,
then the head, after that the full grain in the head" . . . the grain ripens
and the harvest
is reaped. The Lord makes the same point in Matthew 13:31,32. In this
parable, He
illustrates the growth of the kingdom by calling attention to the tiny
mustard seed
which grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches.
The remarkable growth of Promise Keepers is a present day picture of
the
booming of the early church in the book of Acts. From the small group of
eleven apostles
(1:13) and 120 disciples (1:15), the Lord of the Harvest kept multiplying
believers. He
added 3,000 on Pentecost (2:41); they numbered 5000 within a few days (4:4);
then
"increasingly . . . multitudes" (5:14); "multiplied greatly . . . great many
priests" (6:7);
and on and on!
The principle of small beginnings also applies to personal spiritual
development
and to useful ministry performed in the service of the Lord. In Luke 19:17,
Jesus
commended a faithful servant, "Well done, good servant; because you were
faithful in a
very little, have authority over ten cities." Jesus' younger brother,
James, wrote of the
power of small things. A small bit can guide a horse; a small rudder can
turn a ship;
a small match can burn down an entire forest! (James 3:3-6) Zechariah 4:10
says,
"Who has despised the day of small things?"
The Jewish exiles had returned from Babylonian captivity, led by
governor,
Zerubbabel, and high priest, Joshua. Jerusalem had been destroyed and the
temple
leveled. The people began rebuilding, They laid the foundation of the
temple, Then
their enemies lied to King Cyrus of Persia about the Jews motivation for the
construction
work, and at Cyrus' command, all work ceased. For 15 years, nothing
happened,
Zerubbabel and Joshua faced delay, discouragement, and doubt. They were
beat down
by fear, frailty, and frustration. Then God raised up two prophets (Haggai
and Zechariah)
to encourage the leaders and the people to begin again.
Zechariah spoke these words form the Lord: "Not by might nor power,
but
My Spirit" (4:6) Zechariah warned, "Who despises the day of small things?"
In other
words, we should admire small beginnings . . . seeing beyond the present
into the future
. . . seeing the dream become reality. He said there would be rejoicing at
the first little
steps of faith toward accomplishing the vision. The plumb line in
Zerubbabel's hand
was an act of faith showing he believed that the temple would be erected.
He looked
at the plumb line; he saw the perpendicular walls of the building. It was a
small thing,
a tiny beginning.
Contrast the words "despise" and its opposite "admire." Despise
means to look
down upon, or hold in contempt. Admire means to look up to, regard with
approval, and
affection, to prize highly.
God has a destiny - a Godly purpose - for your ministry and mine.
Perhaps you
have seen a vision of what God wants to accomplish through you, If so,
pursue it; if not,
seek for it! Helen Keller, when asked her opinion of life's greatest
handicap, replied,
"Sight without vision." Vision - spiritual perception - does not come by
working it up
nor by thinking it up. Vision comes only "by God's Spirit."
What attitudes are held toward small beginnings?
Satanic enemies' attitude: furious, mocking (Sanballet in Nehemiah 4:2-4)
God's attitude: rejoicing - the "seven eyes" mean that God, himself,
rejoices
when He sees that one small step of faith, that holding up the plumb line.
Luke 10:21 records that "Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit" over small steps
taken
in faith.
Friends and families' attitude: encouragement, love, hope - similar to a
parent's reaction to a child's first steps. (Sometimes, however, family and
friends respond to small beginnings with skepticism and discouragement,
(see Haggai 2:3.) Optimists see small beginnings and are encouraged;
pessimist see small beginnings and are discouraged.
Personal attitude: how do you perceive your own small steps toward
spiritual development and ministry? With faith and confidence because
you see beyond the plumb line to the completed temple? Or with increasing
doubt and pessimism because your steps are so small and your progress so
insignificant? Do you admire or despise "small things"?
CCF, (now FreeWay Foundation) D.A.T.E., (now FreeWay Project)
Pillsbury - all
have had small beginnings. (Probably your church and its ministries has had
small
beginnings.) This issue of The Equipper is a small beginning . . . merely a
step in
fulfilling our God-given vision to help "equip the equippers."
Our goal is sharpen your edge for effective service as your labor in
the harvest
fields. "Come along with us, and we will do you good," Numbers 10:29-32
(paraphrase).
"There are some things you learn best in calm,
and some in storm."
-Willa Cather