This is a story about Much and Little. Much grew up learning from the neighborhood kids how to do bad things and Little grew up in a very restrictive home. Much had teachers for parents and Little had a pastor with the mom as first lady of the church. Much lived life with many hard and crude experiences. Little lived life sheltered with very little hardcore experiences.

Much’s life was more in the everyday world and Little’s life was centered around the church and family. Much saw the world and visited the church only when forced to go. Little saw from the church and visited the world out of normal requirements. Much’s life was more surrounded and sustained many deep scares from the world, while Little was the majority of the time inside the walls of the church.

MUCH/LITTLE – IN THE CHURCH WORLD

Much one day gave their life over to God and started a soul depth relationship with God’s Spirit and Word. Little maintained doing the expected daily chores and routine of things in the church following the steps of doing what was taught them to give their life to God. The many sins and scares upon Much caused a greater and deeper love for God because of the many, many sins that God forgave them of which the feelings of total unworthiness compounded upon their soul.

Everyday life had changed greatly for Much. Life in Little remained the same doing the expected routines and duties. The love for God grew stronger everyday for His wisdom, fellowship, and guidance that Much never had before. Little went along with the custom copying the actions of others developing their world within the church. God was truly alive inside the mind, heart, and soul of Much and Little was functioning under the words on the outside that was taught Little.

The amazing forgiveness of God over the depth of sins Much had committed overwhelmed the thoughts and comprehension everyday in Much’s life. Much saw sinner’s in the world humbly realizing there goes Much if it were not for the grace of God. Little saw sinners coming into the church without truly putting themselves in their shoes connecting with the deep understanding from where the sinner came from.

The difference from Much and Little is like two people having a debt of $5,000.00 and $50.00. The person told the one who owed $5,000.00 who was unable to repay that it was forgiven them and they do not owe it now. The other person who owed $50.00 and could not pay was told the same forgiveness. Who do you think had more love for the forgiveness? The one who owed the most? Much had many sins to be forgiven and therefore had greater thankfulness and loved much, “…but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:36-50 absolutely a beautiful story to read). Much and Little do not go together.

The only way those who have lived a sheltered life with ‘little to be forgiven‘ can gain the understanding of those ‘much to be forgiven‘ by being among the ‘much to be forgiven‘ after the ‘little to be forgiven‘ have made up their minds to follow Jesus no matter what because it will take a strong mind and spirit to witness the conditions people live in. I have always thought all young ministers no matter the denomination should sign up to be a Chaplin for their local police departments for a year before becoming a full time minister. Also, old ministers that have been to long inside the walls of the church should sign up to be a Chaplin with their local police. How many wise in the flesh, physically powerful in the flesh, and noble have been called into the service of God?

ASPIRATIONS – Aim, Goal, Longing

Much fell in love with God with such a deep love that Much dedicated all of the life left in this world to being in full time serving God to show others this love that goes beyond all understanding and what God has for all who will listen. Little was set inside the routine and daily customs forming a habit inside the walls of the church desiring nothing beyond that routine. Doing the service as a required habit to be done.

This calling Much felt in the mind, heart, and soul was so strong no desires were present to follow the physical abilities and talent in the world was considered. Little was just abiding time doing the routine of the church for the spouse to come along to continue that routine. No desires to improve the fleshly intelligence Much had compared to the desire of serving God full time. Little had no other desire outside the world Little dreamed about achieving. All the focus of Much was following whatever it took to attain that place wherever it may be in the full service to God here or another country. Little was totally focused on living a life locked into the routine of the church and nothing outside those repetitive steps. Anything else would rock Little’s ideas of what type of church they wanted to have. The ‘loved much‘ was the power source of existence to Much. The ‘love little‘ was the power source of creating the little existence of a white picket fence doing the church routine motions.

MUCH’S QUEST FOR THE FUTURE

Much felt called to go to another state where the inspiration of the Spirit of God said the training would begin. In this state Much saw how spouses made a huge difference and even propelled the ministry in serving God. The life that Much lived was now a life of “…unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” (Luke 12:48). Much was known as a young preacher preaching and teaching in a local church in this state God said He would train Much.

Much took on the quest of looking for a help mate to further the aspiration and fulfilling the burning fire of ‘loved much‘ for God. It was a search to find another person with the ‘loved much‘ in their life. Much visited other churches youth services and events fellowshipping with different kinds of church goers. Much sees and meets several, but nothing worked out.

Then Much meets Little, not knowing they were Little, during a youth service. Much discovers Little is from a pastor’s home. Much interprets this as a notch up for possible experience in the full time ministry. Much was looking on the outside, but not based on physical looks. Much did not use the wisdom of “never judge a book by it’s cover“. None the less Much visited Little’s church observing Little going to the prayer room, playing an instrument, and singing solo songs in the church. Little doing the routine of what appears to be a ‘loved much‘ actions in the church. Much lacked wisdom seeing beyond the blinder’s goal of a full time ministry.

Much was blinded by the aspiration of ‘loved much‘ for the full time ministry that Much did not see Little as little, but possibly a partner of ‘loved much‘. Love is blind even if it is for a noble cause of the full time ministry. The routines of Little in the church was seen as a faithfulness to the ‘loved much‘ mentality. Much asked Little for their hand in marriage totally focused on a partner for the full time ministry and not based on any fleshly reasons. The ‘to whomsoever much is given… much required‘ was the power source inside of Much, but Little had the ‘ to whomsoever little is given…little is required‘ for the fleshly dream world of attending church routine. This is a spiritually unevenly yoked and physically out of sync situation that many fall victim.

MUCH MARRIED LITTLE

How many marriages out there have the Much and Little partnership bonded by vows and the word of God? This is not the same situation of ‘sometimes opposites attract‘. In the passage of scriptures of Luke 7:38-50 could you see the marriage of the Pharisee and the woman a sinner in the city? One in this marriage would not hesitate to wash, dry, kiss, and anoint the feet of Jesus from the depths of their heart. The other would not think past the surface of offering water to wash, a towel to dry, no welcome kiss, or anoint the head with oil. They were not married in this passage of scripture. Yet, there are some marriages today that have the Much and Little contract.

Much is willing to do whatever to please the Lord and Little just gets by with as little as possible doing the routine they have always wanted and nothing outside those lanes. If the Pharisee and the sinner woman were married one would try to tone down the other to change them into the outward appearance of doing the Little and not to be so much of the Much because it is beyond their fleshly dream world. The woman was free from a marriage from the Pharisee and she could walk away forgiven of her sins, but what happens to the “loved much” and “much required” ones stuck with the Little?

Much can live for God as best as possible with the hope the painful stripes or fire (1 Cor. 3:15) trying the works will still leave them with the ability to enter into heaven even though they have suffered loss, while Little takes their chances living in a routine life going through the motions. For the “loved much” people married to the Littles it has becomes a spiritual survivalist journey.

ARE YOU A MUCH OR A LITTLE?

If you are a Much then you must battle “…the love of many wax cold” (Mtt. 24:12), “…weary in well doing” (2 Thess. 3:13), “lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot…” (Rev. 3:16), and “…draw back…” (Heb. 10:38) in the Lord. You will need to keep yourself in the examining yourself mode (2 Cor. 13:5) and answering the knock at your spiritual door from God (Rev. 3:20).

If you are a Little and see yourself with understanding then repent for the blindness taking yourself before the Lord and imagining yourself with all your might how the sinners in your community feel. Stop and look deeply into the lives that have it worse than you placing yourself inside their shoes on how they must feel everyday. Ask God to show your mind, heart, and soul the pain and suffering they must feel up to the point all of it is lifted off their shoulders with the power of God’s forgiveness.

Allow God to change you for yourself and the Much in your life if it is not to late on a burned bridge between you and the Much. If you have burned the bridge with the Much in your life let them go and allow some time to see things can be patiently mended. The top priority is to be right with God and all is well with your soul with God no matter if you are the Much or the Little.

Psalms 13:3 “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;“