Serve Me... that is all that matters

How many of us, when we hear that a missionary who has been in Africa, or China, is coming to speak at our church, go 'Ahhh! What a wonderful, amazing person!  He is serving God in desolate lands' etc, etc?  I am sure many of us do (I am NOT excluding myself..).  
   So, when we hear, "Megan has been improving so much on having humble servitude towards her family.", why don't we go, "Ahh! How wonderful!  What an amazing person! She is striving to serve God with her heart!"? 
   I think that so often we tend to forget that the little things matter as much as the big things.  Sure, it is neat if someone is a missionary, or runs a ministry program.  However, why don't we look around at those are running their own private ministry programs?  They are sitting right beside you, perhaps, in church.  Standing at the other end of the isle in Walmart.  They are all around us, yet we don't give them praise.  They aren't asking for it, they don't need or want it.   They are just serving God with all their heart.
   Washing the dishes for you Mom may not seem like a big deal.  It is such a blessing to her, though.  Getting your brother a cup of water when he has been working hard may not seem like much, but it is.
   Mathew 25: 35-40. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink;  I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  Naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited Me;  I was in prison and you came to Me.' 
   "Then the Righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  
    "The King will answer and say to them,  'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did to Me.'"

Those verses will remind us that even small things are big things in God's eyes.  We can never 'partially' serve Him.  We either do, or don't.  We can never 'serve Him well, or serve Him fairly well.'  We either Serve Him with our all, or not at all.  He doesn't look at the 'human size' of our deeds (the way we humans 'size up' the deed that we do).  He looks at our hearts to see the size of that.  Are our hearts intent on serving Him, no matter where He places us?  Are we willing to listen to His voice and be ready to rise up and go if He needs us?  And when He has told us what we must do, even if it is small in our eyes, are we going to be content and serve Him still?
   Remember His words in Mathew 5: 14-16.  "You are the light of the world.  a city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand so it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven."
    The Holy Spirit will shine through us no matter where we go, if we are willing.  God will use us, if we are willing.  We must be content with where He has placed us, with what He is having us do, no matter what!  His plans are PERFECT!  He knows Everything.  There is no need to doubt Him in His plans. 
    Often times when I am praying, asking God if such and such is something He wants me to do, and I get a clear 'Yes', I sometimes say, "Are You sure?  I mean, are you positive this is where You want me?"  Oh, Ye of little faith! (Yes, I am talking to myself..).  Did God not just tell me that THIS is where He wants me?  Yet I doubted Him and His perfect plan. 
    There is a story about a certain family.   They loved the Lord and led a simple life.  They weren't missionaries in some far away country.  They didn't run a church, or run a ministry.  Still, they served the Lord with all their hearts. 
    They had a library that they visited fairly often, getting books for there school, or book discussion groups, etc.  They befriended a librarian.  She was sweet and kind and enjoyed them when they came in.  One day, whilst the children were looking for books, the librarian came up to the Mother and said, "What is different about your family?  What is it that you do?  Every time your family comes in here, I feel this peace and joy that seems to surround you."   The Mother simply replied that it was the Holy Spirit that shone through them.
   I tell you this story because I want to really point out that what we do matters.  How we behave around others matters.  Believe it or not, you are being a missionary as you walk through Walmart and talk cheerily to the grumpy cashier.  You are a missionary by going into a library, like that family, and just acting so different from the world, that they notice the difference.   Walking through Walmart

May we always be Lights for our Lord!

In Christ's Service,
Sarah

***All verses taken out of a NISB Bible