‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.’ Ephesians 3:20 NKJV

Next time you see a big tree, remind yourself that it began as a tiny seed. What you have to offer today may seem small, but when God blesses it, it can grow.

In 1912, Dr Russell Conwell, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, USA, told the story of Hattie May Wiatt, a Sunday school student. Because of overcrowding, Dr Conwell had told little Hattie May he’d love to have buildings large enough for everyone to attend. When Hattie May became ill and died, Conwell was asked to preach at her funeral. The little girl’s mother told him Hattie May had been saving her money to help build a bigger church. Hattie’s purse contained coins amounting to 57 cents. Conwell exchanged them for 57 one-cent pieces, which he put on display and ‘sold’. With the proceeds, a nearby house was purchased for a children’s wing for the church.

Inspired by Hattie’s story, more money came in, and out of her 57 cents eventually came the buildings of Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, and Good Samaritan Hospital. Perhaps you feel your gifts, your time, your talents, and your efforts are too small to make a difference. But when you give them completely to God and ask Him to bless them, you discover that He’s both a great mathematician and a great multiplier. He can take your words, your endeavours, and your resources and multiply them beyond anything you can imagine. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’ (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)

SoulFood: Heb 11:17–13:25, Mark 10:1–12, Ps 88:1–9a, Pr 11:24–26

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©