Little by Little

Little by Little

Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste, and see that the LORD is good.”  I Peter 2:2,4 echoes this sentiment, teaching that we should, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if you indeed have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

When a young child is starting to eat solid foods, the responsible adult doesn’t just try to ram a hamburger down his or her throat.  When feeding a young child, any food of considerable size is usually broken down into smaller pieces.  Even as we grow up and develop bigger appetites for larger portions, we learn that the digestive system is not designed to take in large quantities of food all at once.  We take bites, sometimes cut our food up into smaller pieces, and don’t try to throw down a plate of ribs in one big bite. 

We can apply this principle of taking small portions at a time to many areas of our spiritual lives.

In personal study, don’t try to become a biblical scholar overnight.  The Bible contains the outpouring of God’s eternal knowledge to supply mankind with knowledge in every aspect of life.  It contains the great history of God’s people.  It has over 40 different authors and was written over several thousand years of ancient history.  It contains sometimes literal and sometimes figurative language.  Many of its teachings are densely layered and interconnected.Now, the basic teachings and themes of the Bible are simple, but there is a LOT of teaching in there!  Don’t try to take it all in at once.  Choose one topic, or one passage, one character, once verse even, and focus just on that single study for a while.  Even in our Bible classes, we choose only one topic at a time to study, sometimes weeks or months are spent on covering one subject or book.  “Search the scriptures daily with readiness of mind” (Acts 17:11), and watch your knowledge of God grow over time.

In service, don’t try to go from 0 to 100 in doing good works.  Many Christians have the sudden realization that they are not doing enough in service to the brethren and the Lord, and try to do a lot all at once as if to make up for lost time.  But just like an out-of-shape person who rushes into an extremely rigorous exercise routine, taking on too much responsibility at once can become burdensome and even discouraging.  If you know there is more you ought to do in the area of service, start small.  Start with just a phone call or two to check up on the brethren.  Or, start with one visitation a week.  Or, men can start with volunteering to do just one extra task during the worship.

Titus 3:8 says we should be “careful to maintain good works.”  If we start small, and are consistent in doing work for the Lord and for the brethren, then our zeal will grow and gradually we will find more opportunities to do more (Titus 2:14)

In personal evangelism, don’t become discouraged if you have not converted your whole neighborhood, office, or school.  The reality is that only a small number will be saved (Matt. 7:13,14).  We can expect the gospel we present to be frequently ridiculed and rejected.  But the goal is not to gain a lot all at once; the goal is to spread the seed that, as Paul said, we “might gain some.” (I Cor. 9:32)

Consider just one person.  Who is that person in your life who is always initiating spiritual or religious conversations?  Who is that person who frequently mentions “their” church, or “their” pastor or preacher?  Who is that person who seems open enough to talk to you about spiritual matters?  Who is the person who has invited you to some church event or gathering?  We all know someone, at least one person who might be open to an invitation or biblical discussion; it’s just a matter of being aware of and taking advantage of opportunities presented.  This is what our evangelism is all about: that ONE that might be gained.

In prayer, we often find ourselves praying when difficult times come.  Generally, people pray more when they are suffering some terrible physical illness, are going through some professional crisis, or are facing some monumental decision that would affect the rest of their lives.  Many of us become praying machines when bad things happen.

But where is the steady, consistent prayer when we are not beset by troubles?  We may not pray as heavily during difficult times, but the consistent prayer, the steady dialogue with the Lord ought to be there.  And, if our regular prayer lives are not where they ought to be, we can start with a little.  Purposefully set aside a small amount of time each day to pray to the Lord.  With time, perhaps we can work our way up to speaking to the Lord, “Morning, noon, and at evening” as David proclaims in Psalm 55:17.

Little by little.  Word by word.  Day by day.  We “live by faith”, and “from faith to faith” we grow in wisdom, ability, and love.

Jeremy Koontz