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.