It’s All Big Stuff
I was reading this morning about a friend who quit smoking one year ago. He said that the way he stopped was to put the money he would spend on cigarettes in the bank. In just one year that special account held over $5000. Habit cured.
I began to think about the accounts that I systematically take from in order to “purchase” something really harmful. What I mean is this. A person has to take from his/her marriage account to view pornography, look at someone lustfully, or have an affair. Another person steals from their “Made-In-The-Image-Of-God” account in order to allow friends to speak poorly of them or to be a part of an abusive relationship. A third person robs his account called “Meaningful and Fulfilling Career,” in order to continue to work at a dead-end, negative energy job. I take away the opportunity to invest in my “Spiritual Growth” account in order to sleep in, skip church or neglect reading my Bible, daily.
Think about this from a positive perspective instead though. Think about the investment I make in my romantic relationship when I live in purity. Imagine the deposits when I have surrounded myself with people who pour encouragement into my life. Reflect on the difference my heart feels each day as I do what God made me to do! The benefits that a focused discipline on God’s Word and my prayer life would be incalculable. These investments would also be compounded, right?
That’s what we mean by “Big Stuff.” A person weighs 600 pounds, by eating thousands of bacon double cheeseburgers with fries and a shake. They don’t eat one 600 pound burger. I lose my relationships one comment, lustful side-glance, or lingering thought at a time. I lose my hope each day I work the wrong job, until I cannot foresee myself attempting something more. I lose my faith a little with each unconfessed sin, a day further away from God’s ear and one selfish ambition at a time.
I read another article that reminded me that one penny, compounded and doubled each day ends up being worth about ten million dollars in just one month. If you don’t believe me, do the math. It’s all big stuff. Zootopia says it this way, “Changing the world, one carrot at a time.”
Each thought, action, and word add up. The Bible talks about these investments.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17
Time to start making some deposits.