Scripture: Acts 6:1-15
So often small things can make the biggest impact. A thank you card. A friendly smile as you open the door for someone. Taking an extra minute of your day to listen to someone as they try to tell you something. These little acts of kindness can result in someone feeling appreciated, noticed, and loved. That is no small thing!
Small things can also become large problems. A short rude comment. Letting the door close on someone as they approach. Blowing someone off when they try to talk to you. These little acts of selfishness can result in someone feeling depressed, invisible, and lonely. That is no small thing!
In our passage today the Greek-speaking believers had a small complaint that their widows were not being taken care of. This small complaint becomes a big issue when you throw the term “discrimination” into the mix. They felt like they were being left out while the Hebrew-speaking believers got all the attention.
A situation like this calls for some strong godly leadership.
The apostles addressed the situation by calling 7 men to become the first Deacons. Men that would meet the needs of the widows.
Because of how this small situation was addressed, very important, big impact things happened. Verse 7, “So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”
Also, one of the men, Stephen, who was just willing to meet the needs of the Greek-speaking widows, will soon find himself being remember throughout history for something very important (Acts 7:54-60).
When you chose to humble yourself and do the small things, you let God work and He will lift you up (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).
