As a Pastor I often find myself focusing on the big picture. One of my greatest passions is to cast a vision and develop plans and strategies to fulfill that vision. However, seeing the big picture means nothing without careful attention to detail. In life, there are many problems and trials that can be avoided by simply paying attention to detail. The God that we serve is a God of detail. Just look at the amazing design of creation and the details of the smallest molecule to the largest star. Paying attention to detail is important in many areas of the Christian life. (1) Bible Study. Many mistakes have been made in interpreting the scriptures by not taking time to pay attention to detail. We should take the study of God’s Word seriously and examine every detail of every word of scripture in order to fully grasp and understand what God has revealed to us in His Word. (2) Prayer. I am learning more and more of the necessity to pray in detail. We often miss out on what God desires for us simply because we do not pray in specifics. Too often our prayers are too general in nature. We need to learn to pray in specific ways. (3) People. Being a ‘big picture’ oriented person, such as myself, the temptation is there to focus too much on the process and neglect the people. As a church, we must realize that every single person has a need. We need to learn to listen and to genuinely care about what others are facing in life. (4) The Church. We may have a big vision. We may believe and expect great things from God, and we should. However, you cannot see great things take place without careful attention to every detail. This is why proper planning and organization is so important in the life of the church. (5) The Heart. Most of all, we must pay attention to every detail of the heart. If we do not guard our hearts then we will find ourselves falling into a pit of sin. If we focus too much on the ‘big picture’ that we neglect our own personal walk with God, then failure and despair is certain to come. Above all else, pay attention to the issues of the heart. We live in a detailed world. Therefore, both in life and in ministry we must pay attention to every little detail in order for the big picture to ever be realized.