Daily Devotion
Rejoicing In The Lord With The Little Things
By: Marissa Wolf
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Philippians 4:8
We often rejoice in the Lord with the big things such as the birth of a new baby, a graduation, a wedding, and all of the wonderful milestones that come with life which are great things to rejoice in the Lord for, but how often do we rejoice in the Lord with the little things that He’s blessed us with?
The little things are God’s blessings too. How often do we pray to the Lord and give thanks for that dirty pile of dishes in the sink, for the tank of gas that’s almost run out, for the stains on the clothes that we’ve worn? These blessings often go forgotten and can sometimes seem as a burden. Not all are a burden, in fact that dirty pile of dishes in the sink means that we were able to eat food and fill our stomachs, that tank of gas that’s almost run out means that the Lord has provided it for us and that we were able to travel to all of the earthly destinations that we’ve had planned to go to, those stains on our clothes are either from having lots of fun, eating, or doing manual labor whether it be gardening, fixing a vehicle, or even if a child spit up on it, it’s still a blessing from the Lord that we can rejoice in. (See: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It can be hard to count things like these as blessings and most often we think of them as burdens. Remember that we can cast our burdens to the Lord and He will sustain us. God can transform our burdens to blessings. (See: Psalm 55:22).
We are to count it all joy with the little things too! (See: James 1:2-4). Thanking the Lord for these blessings is one way that we can give Him the glory! (See: Colossians 3:23-24 and 2 Corinthians 10:17). There are so many little things that are precious to the Lord that often go unnoticed in our lives when it comes to gratitude and rejoicing. When we start to neglect the little things and think of them as a burden instead of a blessing this is where discontentment can start to creep in and start causing lots of damage. We can become unfaithful in that which is least, instead of faithful in that which is least. The Bible tells us that “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” being faithful in that which is least is a part of that. We’ve got to be content with the little too! (See: 1 Timothy 6:6-12).
Being content with the little is a great way to practice contentment and gratitude. If we aren’t appreciative of the little things we have now, we won’t be satisfied with them if they were doubled. How often do we go to the Lord in prayer? When we do, is it more of a grumbling and full of “I want, I want, I want” or is it more of Lord, thank you for (insert thing here). (See: Philippians 2:14-16 and Philippians 4:6).
It is great to thank the Lord for earthly things, but how often do we forget to thank Him for the Spiritual things. Like when was the last time you’ve thanked Him for dying on the cross for you and paving the way to eternity, for waking you up everyday with breath in your lungs so you can continue telling others about Him, for answering your prayers, for His timing, plan, and patience, for being there with you at all times, for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, for His chastisements and rebukes, for His listening ear and open arms that you can run into, for that He fearfully and wonderfully made you in His image, for Him being your friend, etcetera?
Our gratitude is a gift that we can bring back to the Lord. It can be so hard sometimes to remember a simple “thank you” and in a world that is losing the blessing of gratitude it gets easier day by day to go without saying “thank you.” This is where the devil wants us. When we become forgetful we start neglecting and in turn it leads to discontentment and a desire to fulfill the lusts of the flesh instead of denying the flesh, picking up your cross daily, and following Christ. Gratitude, rejoicing, and contentment can be so easy to backslide from when our hearts aren’t fully rooted in Christ. (See: James 4:7-10, Matthew 16:24, and 1 Corinthians 10:13).
We need to make sure that we not only trust in the Lord with our whole heart at all times, but to also love the Lord with our whole heart. (See: Proverbs 3:5-7, Psalm 62:8, and Mark 12:29-33). We need to keep guarding our hearts and to not follow after them, but to follow Christ. (See: Proverbs 4:23, Jeremiah 17:9-10, and Luke 9:23). Doing this will help us to be faithful in the least, to live out godliness with contentment is great gain, and to rejoice in the Lord always (especially in the little things). God is our provider and He provides what we need. We must remember that where God guides us, He provides for us. (See: Philippians 4:19). This is why it's crucial to seek the Lord and all His righteousness first at all times. (See: Matthew 6:33). So the next time you look around at a dirty pile of dishes in the sink, for a tank of gas that’s almost run out, or the stains on your clothes, will you look at them as a burden or as a blessing? Will you thank the Lord for them?
Do you thank the Lord for the little things? Are you faithful in that which is least? Do you thank the Lord for the earthly and Spiritual blessings? Do you guard your heart? Do you live out godliness with contentment is great gain? When was the last time you’ve rejoiced in the Lord?
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
Luke 16:10
