Faithful In Little

Bible Reading: Luke 16:1-13

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-12)

Speaking in the context of money, Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest manager, who, despite being dishonest, was very shrewd or clever in the way he managed and secured his own finances. On the contrary, Jesus rebukes His followers for not using the little things such as money (termed ‘unrighteous wealth’ because true wealth was eternal wealth) for eternal purposes. Jesus taught how we should be generous with our money so that we can be a witness of our faith through our generosity. 

Jesus highlights how a lot of the time, we dream of an idealistic and way-up-there faith. We care and ponder about the big things like God’s kingdom, evangelism and missions. However, we fail to manage down-to-earth things like our finances, studies, chores, and everyday responsibilities. Here is the question that Jesus poses, “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” 

If we are not faithful in our everyday down-to-earth responsibilities, how will God ever use us for the eternal work of His Kingdom? 

Obedience starts with the small things. Don’t be idealistic. Did you wake up this morning early enough to have your devotions, eat breakfast, and get changed before attending online school? Are you up to date with your schoolwork and homework? Have you cleaned up your room and completed your household chores? 

Our head is sometimes full of profound thoughts. How can I reach out to more lost souls through this ministry? If I die tomorrow, have I done enough for God’s Kingdom? Wow, I must go and spread the gospel more. 

These thoughts are good. Yet, often we think of ourselves as superheroes. If only I spent more time evangelising and serving in ministry, I would change the world. We often dream of doing extraordinary things. But, we forget that God works marvellous things through ordinary means. Paul Washer once said, “In extraordinary circumstances, we are called to live as normal Christians”. We are called to have a simple faith in God, trusting and obeying Him one step at a time. 

What has God called for you to do that is laid out right before your eyes? Have you finished your homework? Don’t think big. Start there. Have you put out the bins? Do that now. From here, God will lead us to reach out in ordinary ways. Have we talked with our school friends recently? Maybe we could encourage and be kind to them. This in itself is a powerful witness. Don’t expect to hold a gospel rally over the phone. 

If we train to obey God in the small things, He will mould and grow our faiths to have a simple trust in Him. If we trust God and obey Him in the things that seem like a pain today, He will teach us to continually trust Him no matter what we feel. This way, if God calls us to go to Africa one day to spread His Word, we obey Him with a simple, “Yes, Lord”, as in every little thing God has entrusted to us. If He calls us to die a missionary, we can say, “I am willing”. By the time we get there in our walk of faith, these things were no more as ordinary as a simple trust in God. We are not called to jump the line and have extraordinary faith. We are called to be faithful in little because only then we will be faithful in much. 

Lord, thank You for calling us to trust and obey You. Teach us to be faithful in the little things You have entrusted us today. As the hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus”, teach us what true happiness is — in simple faith to You. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.