January 24th, 2022
Written by Tabitha White
Insignificant. Meaningless. Overlooked.
Whew, those are words that we never want tied to our names! Yet, how many times have you thought your impact in the Kingdom of God is insignificant?
Maybe those thoughts come to your mind in a different form.
“I’m just a mom.”
“No one sees what I do, and even if they did, I don’t do anything important.”
“Would anyone even notice if I didn’t show up?”
“How does my role even make a small impact for eternity?”
If we take off our masks, I feel like most of us would admit we’ve had similar thoughts cross our minds. We look at the impact of famous heroes of the Bible and are convinced we will never reach people for Jesus. We have a burning desire for people to know our loving Savior, but can that really happen in our daily lives?
The answer is a resounding yes! Will you speak to millions? Who knows? But this one thing I do know: everything you do for Jesus matters.
If you don’t believe me, let’s jump into God’s Word. Nehemiah 3 is one of the chapters in the Bible that most of us probably skim our way through. This chapter meticulously details the person assigned to rebuild each of the 41 sections of the wall around Jerusalem. As we read, the Sheep Gate blends into the Fountain Gate which blends right into the Fish Gate. In our western culture, we don’t recognize the importance of each area of the wall. We just read a list of names and job assignments.
But let’s dig further into this chapter. Nehemiah 3:15 says, “The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum son of Col-hozeh, the leader of the Mizpah district. He rebuilt it, roofed it, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Then he repaired the wall of the pool of Siloam near the king’s garden, and he rebuilt the wall as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.” If you skim quickly, it seems like there’s nothing special about this verse. However, if we read the last sentence again, a familiar place may jump out at you. Shallum rebuilt the wall of the pool of Siloam.
Why is that significant? Let’s jump over to John 9. In this chapter, we find Jesus healing a man that was born blind. However, this healing is a little different. Instead of just speaking healing over the man, Jesus spits in the dirt, places the mud on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus sends him to the same pool that Shallum repaired 400 years earlier!
As Shallum was working on the wall, do you think that he would have ever imagined that he would play a part in a miracle of the Messiah? Do you think it crossed his mind that the Son of God would send someone to wash in a pool that he had helped repair? I can’t speak for him, but I feel like he could never have dreamed that his work would be discussed over 2,400 years later. He was simply doing the task that he had been assigned to help restore the walls around Jerusalem. He was installing doors, bolts, and bars because that was the task that needed to be done.
Let me give you one more example. Go with me to Mark 14. The disciples are planning for the Passover and ask Jesus where they should go to make the necessary preparations. Jesus gives them detailed instructions to ask a man carrying a jar of water for the use of his guest room, and Jesus assures them that the room will be “furnished and ready.” Of course, the disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and “found it just as he had told them.” A nameless man going about his day had already furnished and made ready the room where Jesus and His disciples would celebrate Passover. This man had no idea when he was preparing that room that He was making space for the Messiah to come in! He was going about his daily tasks doing the things that needed to be done.
In our lives, how often do the tasks that we consider insignificant actually make room for Jesus? What you may see as a simple, handwritten card could be the encouragement that someone needs to continue to grow in their faith. The words you speak could be the life-giving word from Jesus that reminds them they are seen and loved by their Heavenly Father. The child that you tell about Jesus’ love for them may be the next generation’s Billy Graham. Each time you sow a seed into someone’s life for Jesus, we are promised that there will be a harvest.
As Ecclesiastes 9:10 reminds us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Nothing that you ever do in Jesus’ name is done in vain! The tasks in front of you may seem trivial or mundane, but know that God may be using your actions to build a legacy that you will only see in eternity. So, let’s be like Shallum. Rebuild the wall with all your might and know that God is using your faithfulness in the little things to sow seeds that will produce a harvest in the years to come!
Insignificant. Meaningless. Overlooked.
Whew, those are words that we never want tied to our names! Yet, how many times have you thought your impact in the Kingdom of God is insignificant?
Maybe those thoughts come to your mind in a different form.
“I’m just a mom.”
“No one sees what I do, and even if they did, I don’t do anything important.”
“Would anyone even notice if I didn’t show up?”
“How does my role even make a small impact for eternity?”
If we take off our masks, I feel like most of us would admit we’ve had similar thoughts cross our minds. We look at the impact of famous heroes of the Bible and are convinced we will never reach people for Jesus. We have a burning desire for people to know our loving Savior, but can that really happen in our daily lives?
The answer is a resounding yes! Will you speak to millions? Who knows? But this one thing I do know: everything you do for Jesus matters.
If you don’t believe me, let’s jump into God’s Word. Nehemiah 3 is one of the chapters in the Bible that most of us probably skim our way through. This chapter meticulously details the person assigned to rebuild each of the 41 sections of the wall around Jerusalem. As we read, the Sheep Gate blends into the Fountain Gate which blends right into the Fish Gate. In our western culture, we don’t recognize the importance of each area of the wall. We just read a list of names and job assignments.
But let’s dig further into this chapter. Nehemiah 3:15 says, “The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum son of Col-hozeh, the leader of the Mizpah district. He rebuilt it, roofed it, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Then he repaired the wall of the pool of Siloam near the king’s garden, and he rebuilt the wall as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.” If you skim quickly, it seems like there’s nothing special about this verse. However, if we read the last sentence again, a familiar place may jump out at you. Shallum rebuilt the wall of the pool of Siloam.
Why is that significant? Let’s jump over to John 9. In this chapter, we find Jesus healing a man that was born blind. However, this healing is a little different. Instead of just speaking healing over the man, Jesus spits in the dirt, places the mud on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus sends him to the same pool that Shallum repaired 400 years earlier!
As Shallum was working on the wall, do you think that he would have ever imagined that he would play a part in a miracle of the Messiah? Do you think it crossed his mind that the Son of God would send someone to wash in a pool that he had helped repair? I can’t speak for him, but I feel like he could never have dreamed that his work would be discussed over 2,400 years later. He was simply doing the task that he had been assigned to help restore the walls around Jerusalem. He was installing doors, bolts, and bars because that was the task that needed to be done.
Let me give you one more example. Go with me to Mark 14. The disciples are planning for the Passover and ask Jesus where they should go to make the necessary preparations. Jesus gives them detailed instructions to ask a man carrying a jar of water for the use of his guest room, and Jesus assures them that the room will be “furnished and ready.” Of course, the disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and “found it just as he had told them.” A nameless man going about his day had already furnished and made ready the room where Jesus and His disciples would celebrate Passover. This man had no idea when he was preparing that room that He was making space for the Messiah to come in! He was going about his daily tasks doing the things that needed to be done.
In our lives, how often do the tasks that we consider insignificant actually make room for Jesus? What you may see as a simple, handwritten card could be the encouragement that someone needs to continue to grow in their faith. The words you speak could be the life-giving word from Jesus that reminds them they are seen and loved by their Heavenly Father. The child that you tell about Jesus’ love for them may be the next generation’s Billy Graham. Each time you sow a seed into someone’s life for Jesus, we are promised that there will be a harvest.
As Ecclesiastes 9:10 reminds us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Nothing that you ever do in Jesus’ name is done in vain! The tasks in front of you may seem trivial or mundane, but know that God may be using your actions to build a legacy that you will only see in eternity. So, let’s be like Shallum. Rebuild the wall with all your might and know that God is using your faithfulness in the little things to sow seeds that will produce a harvest in the years to come!
1 Comment
I loved this message! Thank you very much for the time and talent you put into it. BTW, Nehemiah is one of favorite people in all the Scriptures. I marvel how God took an ordinary man, with no special training, and accomplished wonders with him! He was not a soldier, statesman, architect, etc. He was a cup bearer! This underscores how God can and does use any of us, and that He will accomplish great things!