Small Beginnings, Great Fullness
Small tools set the line true. Small obediences let Jesus set the day true in us.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth by A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Zechariah 4:10 reminds us that the Lord delights in the day of small things. A. B. Simpson picks up that thread and shows how quiet beginnings often carry heaven’s largest outcomes. He likens the hidden life of Jesus in Bethlehem to the hidden life of Jesus in us. What looks little is not lesser. It is the seed of a kingdom that grows from within.
Simpson invites us to take Jesus for all of life, not as an accessory but as our life. In simple words, he points to union. We belong to Him and He shares Himself with us. We are joined to His risen body, members together, and our ordinary days become places where resurrection life shows up. That is not theory. It is the Holy Spirit’s way of making the unseen real in grocery lines, staff meetings, and late-night worries.
He also reassures our hearts. If the Father did not spare His Son when the world was cold and cruel, how much more will He give the Son’s fullness to every open heart. As we give Him room, we discover His life quickening our tired places even now. And one day that same life will finish what it began. We will sit with Jesus, fully shared in His glory, every fiber of our being made new.
Thank you, A. B. Simpson, for helping us see that small beginnings do not stay small. In Jesus, the plumb line is in His hand. He is setting our lives true, not by noise or hurry, but by His indwelling life.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, do not despise the day of small things. I rejoice to see the line set in your hand, for I am the builder and you are joined to My Son. In Him dwells all the fullness of Deity, and you are complete in Him. I have placed you in the risen Christ. You are seated with Him. You are a member of His body, and the life you now live is Christ in you.
Open your heart wide. I withhold nothing of My Son from those who receive Him. From His fullness you receive grace upon grace. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and gives life to your mortal body. As you present yourself to Me, I work in you to will and to do My good pleasure.
Do not measure progress by size or speed. I transform you from glory to glory as you behold My Son. I supply all you need according to My riches in Him. What begins as a quiet surrender becomes a steady stream of life, joy, and peace. Your future is secure. The one who overcomes sits with Him on His throne, and I am faithful to complete the good work I began.
Scripture References: Zechariah 4:10; Colossians 2:9-10; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4-11; Colossians 1:27; John 1:16; John 10:10; John 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Romans 8:11; Romans 8:32; Philippians 2:13; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 4:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Revelation 3:21; 1 John 5:11-12; Hebrews 12:2.
Real-Life Analogy
When I hang a picture, I use a small bubble level. It is a tiny tool, easy to ignore, but that small bubble tells me whether the frame is true. A pencil mark here, a slight shift there, and the whole wall looks right. In the same way, the Holy Spirit sets Jesus as the line in our hearts. Little obediences align the day. A word of kindness. A quiet apology. A choice to wait instead of rush. Small things, yet they set the whole room of life straight.
If a conversation today feels crooked or tense, I will pause and whisper, Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me right now. I yield my words, my tone, and my timing to You. Please set me to Your line in this moment with patience and grace.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that in Jesus I am not left to make life work by myself. You have united me with Him, and His fullness is my portion. I receive Your alignment in the small things, and I rest in Your promise to complete what You began. I rejoice that Your risen life expresses itself in me today, and I look forward to the day when that life is fully revealed in glory.