The bible says in Zechariah 4
“Do not despise the small beginnings…”
Today we will talk about Small Beginnings.
Do you know anyone who lost everything? Someone who was destroyed, who fought a hard battle and after the hard time they were finally able to overcome it and were restored?
I love those kind of people. They are like true soldiers of God!
In this life, we suffer a lot, we all have bad chapters in our lives.
Sometimes, we are surprised by something terrible like this virus, this illness that tries to get at us, we find ourselves with no more job, our money is gone, fear knocks at the door of our heart….we get scared.
How can you rebuild your life after bad days? How can you rise up again after a loss, mourning, after bad news?
How can you start again after losing everything?
Life has a beginning and an ending, however between the beginning and the end we have many small beginnings. We restart many things while living here on earth.
Small beginnings!
Small beginnings mean starting again, restarting; it’s a new chance to do what is right, a new opportunity to live in happiness, a new time to experience new things, to live and fulfil dreams.
Have you noticed that every day we have night time and after night comes the day again? Every day, the sun rises! The sun never failed! Everyday it is there, shining, he is bringing light to the darkness and he is showing us that a new day is beginning.
When the day starts, we have a new opportunity to live better than yesterday. You have a chance to restart once again.
The bible says:
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Psalms 30:5
The bible says:
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)”
Zechariah 4:10 NLT
The backdrop here was:
The Jews were captured and taken to Babylon. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the city was still destroyed after a group of Jews returned from Babylonian captivity. The city walls were broken and their doors burned with fire. The temple of worship to God was in ruins and those who returned had some difficulties in the construction of the second temple and ended up abandoning the house of God and instead they each took care of their own businesses and interests.
Brothers, Discouragement is contagious. It has a devastating effect. A group of discouraged people sees only difficulties. They make a case for failure. They offer many reasons for not getting involved in the work of God. They spend all their energy on their own cause and turn their backs to the House of God.
The city was destroyed, and also the temple of God was completely in ruins.
There was a man called Zerubbabel and He was a leader of Israel during that age.
Before the captivity, the temple was beautiful; it was built by Salomon, with many resources, in a time of peace and prosperity.
The temple of Salomon was built when they had a lot of money, but now, God requested them to build the temple with no money, no resources during in a time of crises.
God sends an encouraging word to Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. God said to the people! Do Not despise small beginnings. Today God is telling you: Do not despise small beginnings. Even if you have nothing, start the change in your life.
Nothing starts big, everything start with a small beginning.
If you have to walk 10 km, all you have to give a simple step.
Every tree, however big, are born from a small seed; big rivers are born from small fountain of waters; a child starts off as a foetus in the mother’s womb.
Big companies started in garages, big churches started as meetings in houses.
What do you need to restart in your life? What small beginnings do you have to live?
Restarting is giving value to small beginnings.
Restarting is to take it step by step and be happy for every small change you live. Do not despite the small beginnings.
Today we are talking about small beginnings, how to restart again in this life.
Restarting is a need, everyone needs it.
We failed. We make mistakes, sometimes we lose our focus, we live bad days, but thank God for small beginnings. We can start again!
But in order to restart, we have to live a time of preparation!
We have examples in the bible of people who lived simple lives, doing small things day by day, when suddenly, God called them to live bigger things. They didn’t forget about the small beginnings.
These are good examples:
*David: From The simple Shepherd to a Giant Killer!
1 Samuel says:
“But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.””
1 Samuel 17:34-37
Explanation about David, Saul and the Giant…
David was a simple shepherd. His father, Jesse, did not even remember about his son David, when Samuel called in to see all his children.
David was a good shepherd. I’m sure He knew about his calling to be a strong leader of Israel, and God, through many situations, taught him how to be a good leader.
While he was keeping his father’s sheep, a lion and a bear once came and carried off sheep from the flock, David went after them, struck the animals and rescued the sheep from their mouth. After, David seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. He killed both, the lion and the bear.
Now, when David came to face his great challenge in life, he did not forget his small beginnings.
When he was living alone with the flock, when he was killing the lion and the bear and no one knew about these happenings, God was preparing him to kill a Giant in the future and rescue Israel from the giant’s Hand.
He said: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David didn’t despise small beginnings.
God used the situation to prepare David to be a strong leader and to kill a Giant.
My brothers and sisters, if you are living a life in which you don’t see the point behind it, get ready: Don’t despise small beginnings…God is preparing you today through this current situation so you can kill a giant tomorrow! He will take you out from the flock and He will use you to kill a big giant in your life!
If you are looking at the giant today, remember what God did for you yesterday, and He is still the same, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He is preparing you to kill a giant today! So, be thankful for the story you are living. All situation prepare you for what you will face tomorrow!
As it was with David, God will prepare you in the middle of the flock to kill a giant tomorrow!
*Joseph: From slave to Governor of Egypt
Joseph had a spiritual dream, he tells the dream to his brothers and out of jealously, they sell him as a slave.
While Joseph was a slave, he didn’t stop believing that everything what happens is for our good! He kept his good work, he was recognised as a good worker, he went to the prison, he suffered injustice, but all this while he was thinking:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 NIV
He didn’t despise small beginnings.
When he had a chance to change his life, through the revelation of Pharao’s dream, He went for it and seized the opportunity.
Look what happened:
“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.””
Genesis 41:41-44 NIV
Joseph understood that what he had experienced as a slave had been allowed by God so lives could be saved.
After becoming governor, He met his family, those same brothers who had sold him as a slave and he served them, because he didn’t despise the small beginnings.
He knew the process that he had to live to be a governor!
If you are living a situation of slavery, ask God to deliver you and to teach you to be humble, not proud, ask God for freedom and to show you how to be a good servant, until you become a governor, a strong leader!
The bible says:
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3 NIV
Commit to the Lord, Deliver into his hands whatever you do!
Know that the situation you are facing today can make you a stronger person tomorrow!
What kind of problems are you facing?
You have to learn something from this situation.
If you look to at the story behind the book of Zechariah, you will see that the people of Israel suffered a lot in Babylon, and when they came back to Israel, everything was destroyed, the city and the temple.
God looked at that situation and called them to change it.
He asked them to rebuild the temple, without any money, without resources; they had to believe in God’s power and also to not despise that small beginning.
God then rose Zerubbabel up to lead the restoration of the second temple. It was a hard time, the people were tired, exhausted, with no perspective for their future….but this is a good scenario for God to work in!
He is perfect in all his ways!
-When the doctor comes and says: No, you will die.
It’s the perfect scenario for God to say: Yes, you will live.
-When the relationship between a couple is broken, everybody says: They have no chance of living together, it’s better to put an end to it.
God comes and says: The time has come and I will restore you! And miracles happen!
-When the Giant comes and challenges you, your family, your faith, you get scared, nervous, but God comes and reminds you it is a time of preparation! The time that you were a shepherd, when you faced a lion and a bear and you killed them. Then, God says: You didn’t despise the small beginnings in the past my son, so now Go and kill that giant!
Giant of unbelief, Giant of unfaithfulness, Giant of no patience, Giant of fear! God is preparing you through the small things to take that giant down!
So, after God led Israel through Zerubbabel, They obeyed God’s words and they finished the building of the temple.
Look at the book of Ezra:
“The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.”
Ezra 6:15-16
Hallelujah! They had the perfect scenario to live a miracle like that! No money, no resources, everything destroyed, but in these situations, God moves!
Pay attention:
An idea becomes a project and a project can be the seed of a great reality that can change your life!
We cannot ignore or despise the day of small beginnings.
Don’t be sorry for the little things now; God can turn them into great things tomorrow.
Don’t cry about the small place where you are today; God can open your horizons tomorrow!
Remember where you came from, your beginning, the simple step you gave, where you used to live in the past, what God did for you so you could overcome everything it took for you to be here today; look with expectation for tomorrow, because , He is a God of small beginnings!