The Gift of Ordinary Faithfulness
Feel like your life is too small or ordinary to matter for God's kingdom? In this episode, discover how God delights in small beginnings and quiet faithfulness, and how your ordinary obedience can echo for generations.
Feel like your life is too small or ordinary to matter for God's kingdom? In this episode, discover how God delights in small beginnings and quiet faithfulness, and how your ordinary obedience can echo for generations.
Have you ever looked at your life and thought, "This can't possibly matter to God"?
You're not on a platform. You're not leading anything significant. You're just showing up to your job, your family, your small group, doing the next right thing with no applause and very little recognition. Over time, that feeling of smallness can make you wonder if your faithfulness even counts.
In this episode, we look at the story of Edward Kimball, a nervous Sunday school teacher who walked into a shoe store in Boston to share the gospel with a teenager. The conversation was awkward and clumsy, but that young man, Dwight L. Moody, gave his life to Christ that day and went on to become one of the most influential evangelists in history. Kimball never became famous. His name isn't in most history books. But his ordinary obedience started something that echoed for generations.
Through his story and Zechariah 4:10, you'll see that God doesn't despise small beginnings; He rejoices in them. Your quiet prayer, your awkward conversation, your faithful act that no one notices, it all matters more than you know.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why God measures significance differently than the world does—and what that means for your "ordinary" life
- How Zechariah 4:10 speaks directly to anyone feeling like their work is too small to matter
- The surprising ripple effect that one nervous, faithful conversation in a shoe store had on history
You may never see the full impact of your faithfulness this side of heaven—but God sees, and He delights in every small beginning.
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A nervous Sunday school teacher walks into a shoe store
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in Boston to talk to a teenager about Edward Kimball wasn't a
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preacher or an evangelist, just an ordinary man who taught a
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small class at church. One day in the 1850s, he felt compelled
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to visit a young man who'd been attending his class. He found
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the teenager in the back of the store wrapping shoes. Kimball
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was so anxious, he later admitted the conversation was
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awkward and clumsy, but he shared the gospel anyway. That
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young man, Dwight L. Moody, gave his life to Christ that day. How
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could Kimball have known that such a simple, nervous
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conversation in a shoe store would go on to make so much of a
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difference for generations to come?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
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today we're talking about something most of us struggle to
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believe that our ordinary, uneventful lives actually matter
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to God. Zechariah 4: 10 says, "Do not despise these small
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beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,
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to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." The context
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of that verse is a group of discouraged people. The
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Israelites had returned from exile and were trying to rebuild
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the temple, But compared to Solomon's original temple, this
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new structure looked pathetic. It was smaller, simpler, and
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nothing like the glory days. Some of the older people who
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remembered the first temple actually wept when they saw it.
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And right into that discouragement, God speaks, Do
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not despise these small beginnings. In other words,
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don't look at what's in front of you and think it doesn't matter.
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I see it. I rejoice in it. The work has begun, and that's
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enough for now. Maybe you feel like your life is one of those
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small beginnings. You're not on a stage. You're not leading a
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movement. You're not writing books or preaching to crowds.
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You're just showing up to your job, your family, your small
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group, your neighborhood, doing the next right thing day after
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day with no applause and very little recognition. And
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sometimes you wonder, does any of this matter? Here's what the
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scripture tells us. Yes. A thousand times, yes. You see,
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God isn't only interested in the big dramatic moments. He
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delights in the possibly mundane but faithful ones. He hears the
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prayer you whisper this morning. He sees the patience you showed
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with your child. He sees the integrity you kept at work when
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no one was watching. He sees the conversation you had with a
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co-worker about faith, even though your voice shook. Those
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things may feel small to you, but they're not small to God. He
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rejoices to see the work begin. And here's the thing about
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ordinary faithfulness. You rarely see it where it
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ultimately leads. You plant a seed, and someone else waters it.
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You say a word, and God uses it years later. You show up, and
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heaven takes notice, even when the earth doesn't. Dwight L.
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Moody went on to become one of the most influential evangelists
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in history, preaching to millions on two continents. But
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it all started because one ordinary Sunday school teacher
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did the small, faithful thing right in front of him. Kimball
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never became famous. His name isn't in most history books. He
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just showed up, said yes, and trusted God with the outcome.
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Your ordinary obedience, that awkward conversation, the quiet
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prayer, that faithful act no one notices, matters more than you
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know. God delights in small beginnings, and He can turn your
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shoe store moment into something that echoes for generations. You
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may never know the full impact of your faithfulness this side
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of heaven, but that's okay. You're not called to see the
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fruit. You're called to plant the seed. So if you've been
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feeling like your life is too small or too ordinary, too
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uneventful to matter, I want you to hear this. God doesn't
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measure significance the way the world does. He's not impressed
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by platforms and numbers. He's moved by hearts that say, Here I
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am, Lord. Use me. Even in the small things. Here's today's
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challenge. Think of one small, ordinary act of faithfulness you
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can do today. Maybe it's praying for someone by name. Maybe it's
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sending an encouraging text. Maybe it's having a spiritual
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conversation you've been putting off. Maybe it's just doing your
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job with excellence and integrity, trusting that God
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sees. Do that one thing and leave the results to God. Don't
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despise the small beginning. The Lord rejoices to see the work
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begin. Lord, forgive us for the times we've thought our lives
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were too small to matter. Help us to see that you delight in
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ordinary faithfulness. Give us eyes to recognize the shoe store
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moments you've placed in front of us and the courage to show up
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even when we feel nervous or inadequate. We trust you with
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the outcome. Use our small beginnings for your glory. In
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Jesus' name, amen. If this podcast has been an
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encouragement to you, would you consider supporting it? daily
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devotions coming. You can buy me a cup of coffee at
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dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
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Thank you for partnering with me in this ministry. Thanks for
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joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, God
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delights in small beginnings and quiet faithfulness. Your
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ordinary obedience matters more than you know. Come back next
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time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's
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truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.
