Nehemiah was a cupbearer; a humble beginning. My first job? Working at a hog farm. My dad managed a 10,000 hog operation in Texas. I wore fishing waders while wading in pig manure deeper than my waste. I moved hundreds of piglets and had to scrape the manure off my hands when I was done. I’ll stop there because it only gets worse. I had other interesting jobs along the way including pumping gas. Many of you are too young to remember that when you pulled up to gas station that someone actually pumped your gas for you.

I was 16 years old when I sensed God calling me into ministry. I remember my first sermon. I was really nervous. I remember speaking in the nursing home. Those poor people! Ha! When I was in Bible college I worked in the children’s church. I cleaned the church. Wherever I saw a need, an opportunity, I tried to help. The point is, we all have humble beginnings.

But, the question is, how do we handle those humble beginnings? We are told in scripture not to despise them. In fact, how we handle them determines what we are given next. To him who is faithful with the small things, more will be given. (Matthew 25:23) We all have vision and passion for a greater future and there is nothing wrong with that. But we do not want to miss the opportunity, the responsibility that is in front of us right here, right now. What has God given you to do today? Whatever it is, give it your best. How we handle today determines our future.

From Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson:

“Be the best cupbearer you can be. Don’t whine. Don’t complain. And don’t check out. Make the most of the situation. Do little things like they are the big things. Keep a good attitude. And faithfully carry out your current obligations. If your job isn’t exciting, then bring some excitement to the job. One of the greatest acts of worship is keeping a good attitude in a bad situation. And doing a good job at a bad job honors God. It will also open doors of opportunity down the road. It did for Nehemiah.”