Little Tugs for Jesus

The Harbor is a very crowded and busy place. Big ships from all over come to dock there. There are big ships that carry cars, and cranes. There are ships that carry big containers. There are ships from other countries that bring over different foods, and clothes. When ever you buy something from the store, and it says , made in China, Japan, Brazil, or any other country, all those items came over to the United States on big cargo ships. Some of the cars we drive come from Japan. Lots of the things we have around our house like lamps, glass or crystal nick-nacks, and even many toys all come from China. Do you know that all those big ships would not be able to come into the Harbor to dock if it wasn’t for a tiny little boat called the Tug Boat?
The Bible says in Zechariah 4:10, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” Do you know that it is small things that matter to God? The Bible also says that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25. And God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. 1: 27.
Here are a few examples of small things in the Bible, yet if you take a close look at them, you’ll find that they are great and mighty. Take for instance those little ravens that fed the prophet Elijah in 1Kings 17:4. God tells us to consider the ways of the ants in Proverbs 6:6. The word consider means to reflect upon carefully, to examine with great care, and worthy of attention. God tells us that the little ant under our feet is worthy of our attention. God tells us that if we study the ant, we will be wise. I would advise you to pick up an ant book and read it.
Hey, here’s something else. What about the widow’s mite in Luke 21:2. Jesus said she gave more than all those rich people throwing gobs, and gobs of money into the treasury. What was that one little mite to all the rest that was taken up that day? And yet God said that it was more than all of the money put together. I recon this shows you what God thinks about one little mite, huh?
Then there were the small loaves, and fishes. This one will really get your attention. I’m going to prove to you that God would rather use small things to get his job done. In Matthew 15:34, Jesus had 7 loaves, and a few fishes. He fed 4000 with that, and took up 7 baskets full of leftovers. In John 6:9-13, he had five loaves, and two small fishes. He fed 5000, and took up 12 baskets full of leftovers. In this passage he had less food, fed more people, and took up almost twice as many baskets of leftovers.
You would think a God so great, mighty, and powerful as ours would like using big, and important things. So why does he like using small things? Well, God has an answer to all our questions in his word. He gives us the answer to this question in 1 Corinthians 1:27. It says, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
So you see, God likes using the small things in life so he alone can recieve the glory. You know what? It was a little bird that taught me the greatest lesson in life that a child of God could ever learn. My little blue jay taught me how to trust in my heavenly Father, and depend on him for everything. You can read about my little bird in the Trusty story. Do you know that the Wright brothers studied the birds? It was their study of the birds that made it possible for man kind to fly, (in airplanes that is.) In the Wright brother’s story, it was told that over, and over again the boys failed at the attempt to try to fly, until one of the brothers got a good idea. He decided to study the birds. They spent hours and hours just bird watching. They studied in fine detail everything about the birds. They did a special study on the bird’s wings, and their feathers. Just think, we have the means to get up into the air, and travel for miles, and all because of a little bird.
Now I want to talk about another small thing. It’s just a small thing, but it has a mighty important job to do, and that is the Tug boat. The tug boat is a very small, simple, unattractive little boat. But yet it is the hardest working boat you’ll ever see. His job is to bring the big ships into the harbor and park them. The big ships also need the help of the tug to take them back out to sea. Without the tug, the big ships would not be able to come into the Harbor and dock. And if they were not able to dock, how would we get the cargo off the ships? Some ships carry decks and decks of huge containers. Some carry as much as eight decks of cars. Some of those big ships are fifteen times the size of the tug, and even more. For example put a ping pong ball next to a basket ball, and that should give you some kind of an idea. Just think about it, we really need the tug boat.
When that big ship gets close to the harbor, he calls on none other than the little tug boat for help. Spiritually speaking, do you know who the big ships call for help when they start nearing the harbor? Yes, it’s that little unattractive hard working Christian. It’s that little boat, who is the hardest working boat in the harbor. It’s the little boat that does nothing but what it was made for and designed to do. Without this little tug, life just wouldn’t be worth living.
Also, the tug boat could not get the job done if it didn’t have the right kind of rope. Not just any rope would do. Remember, that little tug is pulling over ten times its own weight. We as Christians have a special kind of life line, and it’s Jesus Christ . No other rope will do. With him, we can spiritually pull as much weight as God allows us to.
Sometimes the big ships are so heavy that one little tug is not enough. So it needs the help of another tug to get the job done. They work together as a team, and the job is done smoothly. They are never in competition with each other to see who can pull the hardest. They work together, and they know exactly how hard to pull, so that there’s an even balance. You know, sometimes out on life’s sea, we might need the help of another brother or sister to help pull a big ship in.
Another thing about the tug boat is that it has two big engines. Each engine has the power of ten cars put together. Those engines would not be able to do the work if they didn’t have fuel. Do you know that a tug boat can hold up to 70,000 gallons of fuel. Without that fuel, the tugs would be useless, and the big ships would be in trouble. A Christian’s fuel should be the Word of God, that old King James Bible. The more fuel we have, the more work we can get done.
Another thing about the tug is it doesn’t have a steering wheel. It is steered about by a small lever. It is much easier for the captain to handle the turning about of the boat by the lever. All he needs is just one hand. You know, we as Christians should not have a very big wheel (will) of our own. It wouldn’t take much for the hand of God to steer us if our will wasn’t so big. The Bible says that I must decrease, and God must increase. Meaning, my will needs to get smaller, and smaller. When that happens, God can easily, with one hand, guide and direct us where ever he wants us to go. With God as our captain, the Bible as our fuel, and a very small will of our own, we can be used in a mighty way. Just like the little tugs at sea.
Don’t leave behind the one small thing that God has designed for you to do because you’d rather reach for something you might think is bigger. You’ll do nothing but ruin your whole life. Not only will you ruin your life, but you’ll ruin the lives of others as well. God has a special plan for your life. It may seem small to you, but it’s mighty to God. Remember, don’t despise the day of small things. Small things are mighty in the sight of God.