Faithful in the Little Things

In my recent article, God's Way to Greatness, I highlighted the lives of seven Hebrews whom God exalted to high positions. I emphasized that when He does that, it depends more on Him than on any striving for greatness on the part of the individual whom He is elevating. In fact, it is just the opposite. As I said in Paradoxes of the Kingdom of God, you must humble yourself beneath the Lord's mighty hand, and He will lift you up in due time.

The Bible teaches us not to despise the day of small things, but rather be faithful in the little things in the place where we now find ourselves. The Lord said, "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." (Lk 16:10). This is true regardless of what the Lord has called you to be, whether it is a king, a president, a prime minister, a preacher, a teacher of the Word, or a lowly servant.

Consider the examples I gave in God's Way to Greatness, and what would have happened if they had not been faithful in the little things. If any of these people had not been faithful, things would have turned out differently.

Joseph
If Joseph had become bitter toward God or toward his brothers for being thrown into a pit, sold into Egypt, or ending up in prison for doing the right thing, then things would have been quite different. The same is true if he had given in to the seductive demands of Potiphar's wife and compromised with her by sleeping with her. The same is true if he had held a grudge against his brothers, or if he had given up his faith in God during those long years in prison. He would not have been elevated to second in rank to Pharaoh, nor would he have been used to save the nations of Egypt and Israel during the seven-year period of famine. But he was faithful in the little things.

Daniel
If Daniel had not refused to eat the king's food and drink his wine, things would have turned out differently. If he had not been a man of prayer, who continued to pray to God daily even when it was illegal, things would have turned out differently. What if he had feared being thrown into the lion's den and to save his own life had stopped praying to God? What if he had succumbed to fear rather than trust in God when they did throw him into the lion's den? What if he had not given the accurate interpretations to the king's dreams for fear that the king would put him to death? The Lord would not have exalted him to the third highest ruler in the kingdom. But he was faithful in the little things.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Likewise, if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not been faithful in the little things, their lives would have turned out differently. They too, refused to partake of the royal food and wine, but lived on vegetables and water instead. But things would have been different, if they had bowed down to the idol for fear of being thrown into the blazing furnace, rather than trust in God. They would not have been promoted to administrators in the province of Babylon. But they were faithful in the little things.

Esther
The same could be said of Esther, too. If she had been a coward and feared for her life, refusing to go before the king on behalf of the Jews, they would have been annihilated, and even she and her family would have been killed. If she had not humbled herself with fasting, before she sought an audience with the king, things would have been different, just as they would have also been different if she had not first prayed for three days. Things would have been different if she had not given Mordecai the credit for exposing the assassination plot against the king. They would have turned out differently if she had not followed the advice of Mordecai and not kept secret her national identity during the king's selection process when he was in search of a wife. They would have been different, if she had not followed the advice of the chief eunuch assigned to the king's harem during the period of preparation before she appeared before the king, and if she had not taken with her only what he recommended she take. But she was faithful in the little things.

Mordecai 
Likewise, if Mordecai had not reported to Esther the assassination plot against the king, things would have turned out differently. Perhaps the royal officers would have succeeded at assassinating King Xerxes and made Haman king in his place. If Mordecai had bowed down to Haman like all the royal officials at the king's gate did, things would have turned out differently. If he had not raised his orphan cousin like a daughter, things would not have turned out the same for him. If he had not humbled himself with fasting and had not prayed to God when he discovered Haman's evil plot to destroy all the Jews, things would have turned out quite differently. But he was faithful in the little things.

Putting it All Together
Thank the Lord that each of these seven people were indeed faithful in the little things, and the Lord did exalt them to positions of greatness, in which he used them to save many lives. The same holds true for God's Amazing Plan for Your Life, too. Let this be an encouragement to each of us not to seek positions of power, not to seek greatness, but to bloom where we are planted and be faithful in the little things right where we are now.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image may be subject to copyright. I would like to thank my wife Jennifer Lacroix for her contribution to this article.

Author's note: The Day of Small Things, God Chooses the Weak Things, What is That in Your Hand?, Multiplying Your Talents, The Ebb and Flow of Ministry for the Lord, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, The Servant of the Lord, The Kingdom of God is Like This, Multiplication, Multiplication Illustrations, Better a Little, The Beauty of Brokenness, One thing, The Secret Kingdom, and Success in God's Eyes. For more articles on this blog, please see the Home Page. You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Day of Small Things

I want to talk to you today about the day of small things. You may have known a time in your life when God was using you in a much greater way than He is today. Or you may have never been used by God in any great way at all, but you long for the day when God does use you to make a mighty impact for His glory. Perhaps this time in your life seems like the day of small things, but don't despise it. The Scripture says, "For who has despised the day of small things?" (Zec 4:10a).

After the Jews had been in Babylonian exile for seventy years, and they returned to Jerusalem, they needed to rebuild a new temple, because Solomon's temple had been destroyed by the enemy. Though the beginnings of the new temple seemed so small in comparison to the beautiful temple Solomon had built, God had greater things in store for them.

And on an individual basis, the same is true. Obadiah wrote down what God gave him, and it became a book of the Bible. Since it was only one chapter, he could feel inferior and wish he was like one of the other prophets that God used in a much greater way. He could look at Isaiah whose prophetic book is a very lengthy sixty-six chapters. Or he could look at Ezekiel, whose book is forty-eight chapters long. He could wonder why the Lord only used him to write that short passage. Yet now it is part of the Bible, and we are blessed by what he wrote about the day of the Lord.

Likewise, Jonah only wrote four chapters. He had that one time when God used him mightily to save those who were headed for destruction. He preached to the perishing people of Nineveh and they repented, from the king on down to the least of them, therefore God changed His mind and decided not to destroy them as He had planned. He had mercy and spared them, because they humbled themselves and repented. Afterward, Jonah could wonder why he was not used in a greater way. He could look back upon that time as a real high point in his ministry and wonder why there were not more opportunities to do great exploits for God like that. Yet those four chapters became part of Scripture and every time we read them we are blessed over and over by what God inspired him to write.

Then there is Jude, who wrote that short epistle. He could feel as though he was inferior compared to the apostle Paul, who wrote so prolifically, and whose epistles now comprise about half of the New Testament. Yet just think how many people over the past two thousand years have been blessed by the inspired words of Jude's epistle.

Each one did what God gave them to do, and did not despise the day of small things. They were content to be used to the extent that God chose to do so. And I'm sure that once they reached glory, they discovered the marvelous way the Lord used them and continues to use them. They must have been humbled and awed when they realized what the Lord did with their little lives.

For most of us, we will not find out until we reach the kingdom of heaven all that God has done through our lives, and the people He has touched through us. It's best that we don't know now, lest we become proud and think we have done something great for God.

What about the person who led Sid Roth to Christ? I am told he is a humble man, yet look at what the Lord is doing through our brother Sid, reaching Jews and Gentiles for Christ around the world with the gospel and the demonstration of the Spirit.

So when we look at the way God is using us, and we feel it is insignificant, let's remember not to despise the day of small things. Let's do it as unto the Lord and for His glory. Let's be content to leave the results with God. And let's keep in mind that He uses the weak things and the things that are not to shame the strong and the mighty.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image may be subject to copyright.

Author's note: Faithful in the Little Things, God's Way to Greatness, God Chooses the Weak Things, What is That in Your Hand?, Multiplying Your Talents, The Ebb and Flow of Ministry for the Lord, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, The Servant of the Lord, The Kingdom of God is Like This, Multiplication, Multiplication Illustrations, Being a Witness for Christ, Fruit in Every Season, Better a Little, Hidden Treasures, The Beauty of Brokenness, One thing, A Personality Profile of the Apostle Paul, The Secret Kingdom, and Success in God's Eyes. You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.