Don’t overlook the small things of life in pursuit o
>> VICTORIA OSTEEN: THANK
YOU, LORD.
WE BLESS YOU IN THIS PLACE,
AMEN?
YOU KNOW, I’M REMINDED TODAY
THAT GOD ALWAYS STARTS SMALL.
GOD TAKES THE SMALL AND GOES
BIG.
YOU KNOW, GOD’S GOT A WAY OF
DOING THINGS WITH SEEDS THAT
MULTIPLY, AND TODAY I JUST
WANT TO REMIND EVERY ONE OF US
YOU MAY FEEL SMALL, YOU MAY
FEEL LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE
ENOUGH, OR THERE MAY BE SOME
SMALL THINGS IN YOUR LIFE YOU
DON’T KNOW IF YOU REALLY CAN
HANDLE, BUT I WANT TO TELL
YOU SOMETHING.
WHEN YOU PUT THOSE SMALL
THINGS IN THE HANDS OF JESUS,
YOU KNOW WHAT?
HE CAN GO FROM SMALL TO BIG.
HE CAN GO FROM SMALL TO BIG.
YOU SEE, GOD TOLD THE
ISRAELITES, WHEN THEY WERE
GOING TO POSSESS THE LAND, IN
DEUTERONOMY, HE SAYS, “I’M
GOING TO DECREASE YOUR
ENEMIES SO THAT YOU CAN
INCREASE.”
HE SAID IT LIKE THIS.
HE SAYS, “LITTLE BY LITTLE
I AM GOING TO DECREASE THE
ENEMIES IN THE LAND SO THAT
YOU CAN INCREASE AND TAKE
POSSESSION OF THE ENTIRE
PROMISE IN THIS LAND.”
YOU SEE, GOD STARTED SMALL
AND WANTED THEM TO GO BIG.
SEE, HE WANTED THEM TO HAVE
THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO
HANDLE WHAT HE WAS GOING TO
GIVE THEM.
HE DIDN’T WANT THE LAND TO
OVERTAKE THEM, HE WANTED THEM
TO OVERTAKE THE LAND, BUT HE
HAD TO DECREASE THE ENEMIES
SMALL, SLOWLY SO THAT THEY
COULD INCREASE, SO THAT MEANS
THAT GOD WAS INCREASING THEM
INCREMENTALLY THROUGHOUT
THEIR JOURNEY, AND DO YOU
KNOW THAT’S WHAT GOD WANTS TO
DO FOR YOU TODAY?
HE WANTS TO INCREASE YOU.
WHAT YOU THINK IS SMALL AND
INSIGNIFICANT, GOD WANTS TO
GO BIG WITH IT, BUT YOU GOT
TO LEARN TO HANDLE THE SMALL
FIRST.
MANY OF YOU KNOW THE STORY IN
MATTHEW 4, IN THE GOSPELS,
WHEN JESUS WAS PREACHING AND
TEACHING TO THE MULTITUDES.
THEY’D BEEN WITH HIM ALL DAY
LONG.
HE HAD HEALED THE SICK AMONG
THEM, AND HE WAS JUST LOVING
ON THEM ALL DAY LONG, AND THE
DISCIPLES CAME TO JESUS, AND
THEY SAID, “JESUS, THE PEOPLE
HAVEN’T EATEN ALL DAY, AND
IT’S STARTING TO BECOME
EVENING, AND THEY NEED TO
LEAVE, AND THEY NEED TO GO
FIND FOOD.
WOULD YOU RELEASE THEM,
JESUS, SO THAT THEY CAN GO TO
THE VILLAGES AND FIND THE
FOOD?
WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO
FEED THEM,” AND JESUS SAID,
“IT’S NOT NECESSARY FOR ME TO
RELEASE THE PEOPLE.
YOU FEED THEM.”
THEY SAID, “WE DON’T HAVE
ENOUGH TO FEED THEM.
WE ONLY HAVE FIVE LOAVES AND
TWO FISH.
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FEED THE
MULTITUDE.
IT’S TOO SMALL.”
I LOVE THE WAY JESUS SAID,
“YOU FEED THEM.”
NOW, HE’D BEEN DOING MIRACLES
ALL DAY, WASN’T GOING TO BE
DIFFICULT FOR JESUS TO JUST
MULTIPLY THE FOOD.
THE DISCIPLES HADN’T DONE ANY
MIRACLES, BUT YET HE LOOKED
AT THEM AND SAID, “YOU FEED
THEM.”
YOU SEE, WHAT THEY THOUGHT
WAS SMALL, WHAT THEY THOUGHT
THEY COULDN’T HANDLE–SEE,
THEY COULDN’T HANDLE FEEDING
THIS MANY PEOPLE WITH SUCH A
SMALL THING.
HE SAID, “BRING IT TO ME,”
AND YOU KNOW THE STORY.
THEY BROUGHT IT TO JESUS, HE
BROKE IT, HE BLESSED IT, AND
HE GAVE IT BACK TO THEM SO
THAT THEY COULD FEED THE
MULTITUDES.
YOU SEE, JESUS TOOK THAT
SMALL AND LET THEM GO BIG.
HE LET THEM BE A BLESSING
THAT DAY.
HE LET WHAT THEY HAD IN THEIR
HANDS FEED THE MULTITUDE.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT GOD
THINKS THE SMALL IS VERY
IMPORTANT.
OFTENTIMES, WE OVERLOOK THE
SMALL BECAUSE WE WANT TO GO
BIG.
OFTENTIMES, WE DON’T THINK WE
HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE SMALL
BECAUSE IT’S NOT GOING TO
MAKE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE
ANYWAY, BUT I BELIEVE JESUS
WAS TELLING US IN THIS STORY
THE SMALL THINGS MATTER.
DON’T OVERLOOK THE SMALL
THINGS.
YOU SEE, TOO OFTEN WE THINK
THAT THE COMPLAINING DOESN’T
REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WE THINK BECAUSE WE’RE NOT
TREATING OUR SPOUSE RIGHT,
IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER.
IT’S NOT WHAT WE’RE WANTING
TO DO ANYWAY.
THE LACK OF INTEGRITY, MAYBE
LEAVING THE OFFICE EARLY,
SNEAKING OUT.
“IT’S OKAY.
MY BOSS ISN’T LOOKING.”
SEE, THOSE ARE SMALL THINGS
THAT MATTER TO GOD.
THEY’RE SMALL THINGS.
HE’S SEEING HOW YOU’RE
HANDLING THE SMALL THINGS.
OBSERVE THE SMALL THINGS.
THEN TOO OFTEN WE SAY WE
DON’T HAVE ENOUGH.
“THEY DON’T MATCH THE DREAM.
THEY DON’T MATCH MY DESIRES.
I DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT
EDUCATION.
I DON’T HAVE THE PROPER
FINANCES.
I DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES.
I DIDN’T COME FROM THE RIGHT
FAMILY.
I CAN’T DO WHAT I WOULD LIKE
TO DO.”
THAT’S SMALL STUFF, TOO.
SEE, ALL OF THIS STUFF IS
SMALL, BUT GOD LIKES TO TAKE
THE SMALL, AND HE LIKES TO GO
BIG, BUT WE’VE GOT TO PUT THE
IMPORTANCE ON THE SMALL.
YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT’S
WHY GOD GIVES US BABIES,
BECAUSE THEY’RE SMALL, THEN
THEY GO BIG.
CAN YOU IMAGINE HIM GIVING US
THIS GROWN BABY?
WE WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
WITH IT.
GOD ALWAYS STARTS WITH A
SEED.
HE WANTS US TO GO BIG, BUT WE
GOT TO HANDLE THE SMALL
STUFF.
LIKE THE DISCIPLES, THEY HAD
IT IN THEIR HAND.
THEY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO
HANDLE IT UNTIL JESUS GAVE
THEM THE SECRET, “BRING IT TO
ME.”
LISTEN, YOU’VE GOT SOME
PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE, YOU’VE
GOT SOME UNFORGIVENESS IN
YOUR LIFE, SEE, THOSE SMALL
THINGS CAN GO BIG IF YOU
DON’T BRING THEM TO JESUS.
THE BITTERNESS, THE ROOT OF
ENVY, JEALOUSY, THOSE THINGS
CAN ALL GO BIG IF YOU DON’T
BRING THEM TO JESUS.
YOU WANT HIM TO MULTIPLY, YOU
WANT HIM TO GIVE YOU A
PROMOTION, YOU GOT TO WORK
THE SMALL THINGS.
YOU GOT TO NOT OVERLOOK THE
SMALL THINGS.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE SITTING IN
THIS AUDITORIUM TODAY, AND
IT’S AMAZING.
IT’S BEAUTIFUL.
WE GET TO GATHER TOGETHER, WE
GET TO SING, WE GET TO
WORSHIP GOD IN SUCH A
MAGNIFICENT PLACE, BUT YOU
KNOW WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT
THIS BUILDING?
OVER 32 YEARS AGO SITTING UP
THERE BY THE FLAG, WATCHING
THE ROCKETS PLAY BASKETBALL.
IT WAS MY VERY FIRST DATE
WITH MY HUSBAND, JOEL.
YOU SEE, IT LOOKS ONE WAY TO
YOU, BUT, GOSH, LOOKS ANOTHER
WAY TO ME.
YOU SEE, IT STARTED WITH A
SEED, BUT CAN I TELL YOU
THERE WAS A LOT OF SMALL
STUFF ALONG THE WAY, AND CAN
I TELL YOU THIS: WE’LL NEVER
EVER GET RID OF THE SMALL
STUFF.
IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW BIG YOU
GO.
THERE’S ALWAYS THE SMALL
STUFF YOU HAVE TO BRING TO
JESUS.
THERE’S ALWAYS THE SMALL
STUFF.
WHEN WE LEARN HOW TO HANDLE
THE SMALL STUFF, GOD WILL
GIVE US MORE STUFF TO HANDLE.
HE’LL ENLARGE OUR CAPACITY.
YOU SEE, 32 YEARS AGO, JOEL
AND I COULD NEVER HANDLE
WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR LIFE
TODAY.
IT WOULD HAVE OVERTAKEN US.
INSTEAD OF US POSSESSING IT,
IT WOULD HAVE POSSESSED US.
WE DID NOT HAVE CAPACITY, WE
WERE NOT IN THAT PLACE THAT
WE COULD DEAL WITH IT, AND
SEE, THAT IS WHAT GOD IS
SAYING TO YOU.
HE IS SAYING, “I WANT YOU TO
POSSESS, BUT I WANT YOU TO
START WITH THE SMALL STUFF.”
WE WENT TO THE FUNERAL
SERVICE OF THE GREAT
EVANGELIST BILLY GRAHAM,
FRIDAY, AND CELEBRATED 99
YEARS OF A MAN WHO TOUCHED
MILLIONS.
WE CELEBRATE THIS ICONIC
LEGEND, WE SEE HIS BIG LIFE,
BUT WE DON’T SEE THE SMALL
STUFF HE DEALT WITH EVERY
SINGLE DAY: THE CHOICES, THE
ADJUSTMENTS, THE THINGS THAT
HE DID WHEN NO ONE WAS
LOOKING, THE THINGS THAT HE
DID WHEN HE DIDN’T KNOW IF IT
WOULD EVEN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
YOU SEE, WE SEE THE BIG.
WE FAIL TO SEE THE SMALL.
I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL OAK TREE
IN MY FRONT YARD, AND IT
SPANS FOREVER WITH THE LIMBS,
AND AS I LOOK AT THAT TREE,
IT’S VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO
BELIEVE THAT IT STARTED FROM
AN ACORN.
YOU SEE, IT’S BIG.
ALL I SEE IS THE BIG, BUT
THAT TREE HAD TO START SMALL.
GOD TAKES THE SMALL, AND HE
GOES BIG.
CAN I TELL YOU IF YOU WILL
LEARN TO HANDLE THE SMALL
THINGS, THE SECRET IS BRING
THEM ALL TO JESUS?
LET HIM BREAK THEM, LET HIM
BLESS THEM, AND HE’LL GO BIG
IN YOUR LIFE, AMEN?
AMEN.
f bigger blessings. When you’re faithful in the small, God will reward you with greater opportunity.