Don’t Despise the Little

Did you know that your attitude about a matter can actually curse the very thing the Lord is trying to use to bless you? God is an expert at taking small, insignificant things and turning them into huge, more-than-enough things! When you look at what you have and think, This just isn’t enough, compared to the need I have, you are actually cursing what God can multiply. Don’t despise the little! 

“They will not be disgraced in hard times;
                                    even in famine they will have more than enough.”

– Psalm 37:19 NLT

Don’t Despise the Little

The promise in Psalm 37:19 became a reality to the people in the following three examples from scripture. Even in times where lack seems to be the loudest voice, God’s promise, His Word, has the final say! 

In this story in 2 Kings 4, a man had died, leaving his widow with a large debt. It was so large that their two sons were to be sold into slavery to pay it off. In desperation, the woman went to Elisha to inquire of the Lord. Elisha asked her, “What do you have in the house?” She replied, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

In the Gospels (Matt 14, Mk 6, Lk 9, Jn 6), Jesus and his disciples are faced with a hungry crowd of 5000 men. That number didn’t even include women and children. He told the twelve to feed the crowd, but they said, “Hey, we’ve got 200 denarii, but that’s not enough to buy food for all of these people, even if there was somewhere nearby to buy it!” So, He asked them, “Well, how many loaves do you have?” They counted five loaves and two fish, but Andrew said, “But, what is that among so many people?”

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah went to Zaraphath, where he found a widow who was collecting sticks to build a fire. She was planning to cook a last meal for herself and her son. He asked her for food, to which she replied, “I don’t have any bread, just a handful of flour and a little oil. I was going to use it to cook our last meal before we die.”

God is a Multiplier

Yet, Elijah asked her to bake him a loaf first! When she obeyed, that little bit of flour and oil continued to multiply, feeding all three of them for years! Even in a famine which was destroying others’ lives, His promise gave them more than enough. 

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish—the little the disciples thought was not nearly enough—and multiplied them. The huge crowd of people ate until they were full and then collected twelve baskets of leftovers! 

The indebted woman’s one jar of oil was poured out without stopping until there was more than enough. The sale of the excess not only paid off the debt, but the family lived off the rest! 

So, don’t despise the little!

At our very first Abundant Life Event in 2017, a young woman decided to become a partner with our ministry. She said, almost apologetically, “It’s only $10/month; it’s not very much!” We encouraged her that we pray for our partners every day, and even a small amount is good seed.

She later told us that within months God had provided her with opportunities that were so good she wouldn’t have even known to pray for them! She has increased exponentially since then.

We shouldn’t allow our expectations for increase to be limited to only natural solutions. Don’t despise the little: God is the God of the impossible!

Generous Giving

In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus was with his disciples, watching as people gave into the treasury at the temple. “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ² and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. ³ So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; ⁴ for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Jesus said she was the most generous giver that He saw! Let’s see how God views generous givers:

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

– 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Now, although the Bible doesn’t tell us what happened to that widow woman, based on 2 Corinthians 9:6, it’s doubtful she stayed poor! This woman didn’t despise the little that she had. She gave it cheerfully and generously to the God she loved and trusted to care for her.

So, don’t despise the little! God can take what you might view as insignificant and make it significant!

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