Attending to Details

Brother E. David Stegmeier

The Little Foxes Spoil the Vines

I remember well the Tuesday morning of January 28, 1986. I was going into a school library when I heard the news that made history. It was the saddest time in the entire NASA space program. Many were listening and watching as the space shuttle Challenger went up in flames. It was a very terrible thing. As I read about it and studied the events that took place, I learned that many details had been left unattended. They had not taken care of little things. I read where a comment was made by one leading man in that program. He said: "If the public knew all that was going on at NASA, the program would be the laughingstock of the country. They had better get their act together." Things were done in a very sloppy manner.

I would like to compare that experience with the lives of many people today. Spiritually speaking, many people are living in a very sloppy manner; they are very careless. One reason is that they are overconfident and feel that some way or another they will make Heaven their eternal home. On the contrary, they will not make it to Heaven unless they prepare for it.

We have to take care of many little details. In my life I have had to tend to thousands of spiritual details. Many people are very indifferent, careless, and haphazard when it comes to serving God. They are not tending to little things. The Bible speaks of many things that appear small, yet they are of great importance. They grow until they become very serious.

Godly fear has been removed from the lives of most religious people, and they have little respect for the man of God. They say and do just about anything they want to. Song of Solomon 2:15 tells us, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes."

The plan of God is very complex. The plan for the Christian and the church is complicated. When I preach on the church, I bring out the name of the church. Some people say, "Oh, that's such a little, insignificant thing." However, when a loved one passes away, such as a father or a grandfather, a name becomes very important.

I thought of this Scripture as I was studying for this message. The Apostle Paul wrote about when God spoke to Moses. Hebrews 8:5 says, "Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." God requires each of us to live a holy life; that is God's requirement, not mine or anyone else's.

Paul, writing to Titus, said in Titus 2:11-12: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." We must attend to the details of our Christian lives. God is the Master Architect. No man, woman, boy, or girl has the skill that He has in planning the Christian life or in operating the Church of the Living God. He has planned every detail; He has left nothing up to man.

It does not take a group of men at a seminary to get together and decide how the church is to operate. God already did that back in the annals of time before the world was ever created. He had this plan in mind, and it is a perfect plan. When men step in and try to run things their way, they spoil that which God intends to be very beautiful. The church is very beautiful if we will keep our hands off and let God control it.

People ought to let God call the ministers and dictate what they should preach and where they should go. It is all up to God. I think it is wonderful how God can work with each of us at the same time. The church is a divine institution.

I was reading part of a book about that space shuttle, and it said there was a warning given to those who were in charge of the program. Different ones saw things that they knew were not quite right, yet they went on with the scheduled launch. Many people disregard the warnings of a man of God and go right on as though everything is fine. Each of us needs to be very careful to attend to the details in our spiritual lives. Little things make a great difference.

Following the Divine Blueprint

God has devised a divine blueprint that is thoroughly coordinated. He has laid down divine principles and rules that we dare not violate. His plan is flawless, and He has paid attention to details. Today many people are so concerned about how they handle temporal things, yet when it comes to living for God, they feel they can do anything they want to do; however, that is not the way it is. We need to be most careful about how we live for God. We each need to be careful of the words that we speak to one another and the attitudes that we allow to permeate our minds, There may be a gentle nudging of the Spirit when God says, "Go back and take care of that." Too many people ignore that still, small voice.

Paul admonished the church that we are laborers together with God. I need you and you need me. I appreciate all the ministers of God. There should be no pushing ahead of the other. Each should esteem the other better than himself. That is the spirit that should permeate the lives of every man of God. Paul admonished the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:9, "For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

We are not independent. Though I live out west, I feel very dependent upon all of God's children. We need one another, and each of us needs God. Your burdens are my burdens, and your concerns are my concerns. This spiritual battle that we all are in belongs to God. I believe the church in this day has great opportunities to shine for God. I thank God for true Church of God congregations.

Paul went on to say in verse 10, "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." We want to stand for God and weather the storms when the winds blow. Too many people do not give enough attention to the building of their spiritual houses. Many are building in a slipshod, sloppy manner. We each need to take care of the details.

When I teach on the church, I bring out the name of the church, the way the members should live, the operation of the church, and the way the church ought to dress. You may say, "You are getting too technical." Whatever the Master Builder has designed, you need to obey and implement. There are no small things as far as God is concerned. He is the designer; therefore, you dare not ignore the little things in your life, lest your spiritual space shuttle become a fatality. One of these days, we all will become airborne on our way to eternity. I want to be successful, don't you?

First Corinthians 10:12 says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." I have been serving God for many, many years, but there is still a tremendous fear upon me. I feel very incapable of speaking to God's dear people. We need God. No matter how long we have served Him, we can fall. Each of us needs to realize that we are not infallible. We can fall; therefore, we need to lean on the Lord and seek Him daily. I tell God often, "Without You I can do nothing." I am so dependent upon the Lord.

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:1213). All temptations are common to man. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points. Everything that man is tempted with, Jesus had those same temptations, so He can help us. Some may look down on a brother because he is having a certain temptation, but Jesus was tempted in all points.

Little Things

Again, Song of Solomon 2:15 says, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines . . . ." Little foxes can pull the vines down and destroy the grapes. Little things that seem insignificant can destroy a person, even a minister. You may feel you have been going along well for a long time, but the devil can slip in and destroy you if you are not careful.

Dear one, whatever hinders you in your walk with God, take care of it now. It may be a small temptation with which you are flirting. You need to be honest with yourself. If you have done that which you know is not right, you need to be honest about it. If you read books or magazines that you know you should not read, then you ought to get rid of them. If you watch things that you should not watch, you ought to destroy it or turn it off. If you go places where you should not go, then run for your life, as Joseph did in the Old Testament. Won't you be honest with God?

An individual who is very careful about the little things is a man or a woman who is truly spiritual and close to God. One who is close to God will become strong for Him. You may think, "It's not so important to do what the pastor says. I can hold out for my own thinking and my own way." However, a little deviation from the Truth grows until you have departed completely. Movement after movement has gone down because they began to deviate from the Truth, little by little. Today you would not know them from what they were in the beginning. They are completely different from when they started.

Solomon warned of another danger. He wrote in Proverbs 6:10-11: "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." Habits that you allow tend to grow. He wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." You need to stop evil quickly, lest it becomes uncontrollable.

Many people today are in a lethargic, slothful condition spiritually because they began to sleep just a little. Too few are diligent when it comes to the concerns of their souls. The Bible lets you know that your conscience can be seared. You need to quicken your conscience.

Too many sleep when they should be awake and alert to impending tragedy. We know that is true physically out on the highways. Matthew, Chapter 25, tells us concerning the ten virgins that they all slumbered and slept. We are living in a very sleepy, lethargic, indifferent, careless day. God help us to be alert and awake. I want to be my best for God in this serious hour, don't you?

"Walk Circumspectly"

Paul said in Ephesians 5:14-15: "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." In other words, you need to see that you walk in a responsible manner. You are responsible for the words that you say. Little words of discord could cause major division. People down through the years, even ministers, have said little things against other ministers. That troubles me. People do not get involved in these things unless there is something in their hearts. You need to keep your heart clear and clean of everything that should not be there. A little word of discord can cause tremendous division because it grows.

Paul went on to say in Ephesians 5:16, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." We may not have much time left, so we ought to keep busy for God. Let us keep spreading the Word, testifying to the saving grace of Christ, and inviting people to the house of worship. We have a responsibility to pray with the lost and plead with them to heed the Gospel.

I like the song Fanny Crosby wrote called "Rescue the Perishing." One verse says, "Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore: Touched by a loving heart, Wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken will vibrate once more." Saint, there are people out of the ark of safety that you and I can touch with a loving hand to help restore them to that which God has for them to enjoy today. May God help us.

When the Apostle Paul penned the words, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil," no truer words were ever spoken. Sinners need to be stirred to the importance of preparing to meet God. Saints need to be aroused to the danger of falling away and to the church's duty in these closing days of time.

In Galatians 5:9 Paul wrote of another danger: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Hypocrisy is running rampant in the world today. People are professing to be something they are not. Your family and others around you know what you really are.

A little bitterness will spread to others. A little gossip can grow until it destroys a multitude. It can wound a heart until that heart is overcome with discouragement and gives up. Ungodly attitudes, a little malice, or a little resentment can grow until one has hatred and ill will, and great damage will be done. A little jealousy in the heart will grow until one separates from those he used to love. Sometimes a person can have a little chip on his or her shoulder, so to speak. A little peevish attitude or feeling can cause one to become bitter until he no longer attends the house of worship. Have you ever been hurt? We all have. We have to work with those hurts. A little peevish attitude or feeling can grow to where you imbibe a "pity me" spirit. That is evil and devilish.

"The Hole in the Dike"

A little neglect will cause you to lose out with God. Missing one service makes it easier to miss another service. For example, one may begin to miss the prayer meetings, and then start to miss the Sunday night services, and then the Sunday morning services. The next thing you know, that person has stopped attending altogether. Failing to pray and failing to read the Word of God will cause you to lose out with God.

When I was a little boy, my first or second grade teacher read a story called, "The Hole in the Dike." It was a story about a little boy whose name was Peter. He was raised in Holland. One day he was walking over the dike on his way home, and he heard a trickle of water. So he looked over the dike, and water was beginning to trickle through the ground under the dike. He got down over the dike and put his finger in the hole, but he got tired, so he put a twig in the hole. The twig washed out, so he put a stone in it, but the stone washed out. He put his finger back in and began to yell, "Hey, someone help me! Hey, someone help me!"

The boy stayed there all night until the next morning, when the milkman came to his rescue. He became the town hero because he kept his finger in the dike. Otherwise, the water would have washed the ground away and the dike would have been destroyed completely and those people would have been inundated by a flood and destroyed. The moral to the story is this: we each have a part to play; let us do our little part.

A driver on the highway may go to sleep for just a little while, but a tremendous tragedy will result. Once during the spring of the year in Oregon, a family traveled there to attend a graduation in the area. The entire family had come from Washington. They were driving down the Colombia Gorge when the entire family fell asleep except the driver, which was one of the sons. He soon became tired and fell asleep also. The car flipped over the bank, over the Columbia Gorge, and down over the rocks and cliffs. Most of the family met with a terrible death because the boy went to sleep. Spiritually speaking, we each need to stay alert. I am responsible for a congregation, and I feel that responsibility greatly. Every true pastor does.

Young person, a little petting in a parked car on a dark night leads to great immorality. Spending too much time with the wrong company will destroy you. A little foolish act can ruin the character of a man or a woman who has been esteemed for having a great reputation. I read an article once, and the end of the story was this: it takes years to build confidence, but it takes just a moment to destroy it.

Little Things on the Positive Side

Let us look at the positive side for just a little bit. Little things can do great good. A little word of encouragement, a word of appreciation, or a handshake can keep a soul from giving up. Sometimes I have been low in spirit, but a smile from someone has lifted that burden. I remember once when I was going through a very hard place and a sister gave me a little piece of paper that said, "Underneath are the everlasting arms," and I was greatly encouraged. Little things can be of great benefit in God's work.

We have a song that our children's choir sings that says this:

One little prayer from the prophet there,
And the rains came pouring down.
A million little raindrops put old
Noah in the ark and kept him up.

One little word from God above
brought light into the dark.
One little blow from the trumpet
horn turned Jericho to dust.

One little push from Samson
caused the temple walls to bust.
Two small loaves and fishes fed the
people by the sea.

One little word from God above
calmed the Sea of Galilee.
Little things, little things,
But when you add them up,
They are bigger than
All the big things in this world.

Friend, when you are going through a hard place, you should not miss the church services. You may think, "Well, if I am discouraged, I would hinder the services." That is not so. God wants you there, because some little word could inspire you and help you. I have never failed to feel better when I have gone to the house of worship. God's people have a way of lifting us with the songs, the testimonies, the prayers, and the Word brought by the man of God. Little things that you can do on the positive side can be of great help to the man of God and the work of God.

Dear one, you need to take care of the little things, lest they grow into something big and you end up being a fatality, spiritually speaking. This is serious. If you were to speak a harsh word to someone, it could be tremendously discouraging. Harsh words have been spoken to me, and if I would have taken the wrong attitude and had the same sentiments they had, those words would have destroyed me. Little things make big things.

You may receive a little word of warning from your pastor in a message. God will personalize each message. You may receive a gentle nudge from the Spirit of God, saying, "You need to retract the words you just spoke and ask that one to forgive you." You need to pay attention to the quiet words of admonition from the still small voice of God. Maybe you need to speak a word of apology to someone. Little things in your life could culminate into something disastrous.

You may ask, "Are you ever tempted with jealousy?" Yes, and you are too. When that happens, we need to recognize it and take care of it. One may ask, "Have you been hurt and then tempted to become bitter and have a wrong attitude toward the one who hurt you?" Yes. Sometimes I have misunderstood something my wife has said, and the old devil has come and said, "She meant to hurt you." Has that ever happened to you? We have to work at this salvation. I have seen young married couples who loved each other dearly become strongly filled with hatred for each other. Little things crept into their lives and into their homes. Now their homes are broken, and their children weep their eyes out.

One afternoon a little girl in my math class was crying. At the end of the class, I asked her what was wrong. She said, "I have to go be with my dad. My parents are separated, and it hurts me so bad."

Sometimes a parent will say, "Well, don't you want Mom to be happy?" or "Don't you want Dad to be happy?" but the little children's hearts are broken. How about it, husband? Are little things working on you that should not be? Wife, are little things working on you? You ought to take care of those little things.

Do not let anything come between you and a brother or a sister, because when that happens, something comes between you and God. That hinders your prayer life and your spirituality. If something is working in your life, you need to take care of it before it destroys you.

(Cassette C-4227E)

to the top | home