Luke 16:10 - Whoever Is Faithful In Little Things Will Be Faithful In Big Things.
Luke 16:10 (NLT) If you are faithful in
little things, you will be faithful in large ones.
But if you are dishonest in little things, you
wont be honest with greater responsibilities.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I read about a study that a business
group conducted on infidelity in the workplace.
Not surprisingly, they concluded that
extramarital affairs in the workplace ultimately led to
breakdowns in other areas of life.
In other words, if people were being
unfaithful to their spouses, they also would pad their
business expenses and cut corners in other areas of
their jobs. It makes sense, doesnt it? If
someone is willing to take down one wall, then why
not kick down other walls too?
Small things become big things. If
youre willing to cheat on a test in school, then
will you also lie on your rsum? And if
youre willing to cheat in school and lie on your
rsum, then in what other areas will you be willing
to cheat?
Little compromises turn into big
problems. Little things turn into big things.
We dont think about this sometimes.
Well say, Its all right. This is just a
minor infraction. But were not thinking
about the repercussions yet.
In the Bible we find story after story of
lifelong repercussions that came as a result of a
single decision. Adam ate of the forbidden fruit,
and it cost him paradise. Esau compromised for a
single meal and lost his birthright. Samsons
sexual compromises cost him his strength, his eyes,
and ultimately his life.
Are there some small areas where youre
making compromises now?
Deal with those, because the Lord is
revealing them for your own good. Little compromises
turn into big problems. Jesus said, If you are
faithful in little things, you will be faithful in
large ones. But if you are dishonest in little
things, you wont be honest with greater
responsibilities (Luke 16:10 NLT).
In a single moment in time, you can make
a decision that affects your entire life.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Its common today to hear people say,
What you do in your private life is nobodys
business. Well, that isnt really true. What you do
in your private life - behind closed doors or
out of view of other people - builds and reveals
your true character. And God sees it just as
clearly as the things you do in public.
In fact, the small, unseen things you do
are the seeds to Gods public blessing on your
life. You cannot compartmentalize your life and
say, I have integrity in my public life, just
not in my private life. I bet you could make
a list right now of public figures that have
tried to live this way, only to have their private
indiscretions lead to public scandal and personal
downfall. No matter what they say, any leader who is
not faithful in small matters will not be
faithful in large matters.
This principle is nothing new. Jesus
said, If you have not been faithful with what
belongs to someone else, who will give you what
belongs to you? (Luke 16:12 GNT).
For centuries, everybody who learned a
skill, trade, or vocation learned it through an
apprenticeship. If you were going to be a mechanic, you
apprenticed to another mechanic and served in that
persons business before you started your own. As the
apprentice, you had to be responsible with your
masters business before you were entrusted with your
own.
This principle of apprenticeship applies
to every area of your life. It applies to how
you handle other peoples money, how you
handle other peoples possessions, and even how
you handle other peoples ministry before God
gives you your own.
Before God gave me my own ministry, I
served as a youth pastor under another mans
ministry. God was watching how I handled it; he was
testing my integrity. I needed to prove my
faithfulness in that ministry before God would allow me
to lead the ministry of Saddleback Church.
If someone loans you a car, how well do
you take care of it? If a family lets you stay
in their house for vacation, do you treat it as
well as you treat your own home? When no one is
watching at your job, do you work diligently?
God is watching and testing your
integrity. You show that you can be trusted with the
big things by being faithful in the small
things. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
INSIGHT
What is denial? It is the attitude that
avoids looking realistically at issues and pretends
that things are not the way they are.
Most Christians (myself included) are to
varying degrees held together by denial. Deep down
we sense that if we were to face the realities
of life openly and honestly, we might not be
able to cope, and so we pretend things are not
what they are.
I know Christians who pretend that what
they have in life satisfies more than it does, or
pretend they haven't been hurt as badly as they
have. They refuse to face and feel what is going
on inside them, due to the strange belief that
it is lack of faith on their part to admit to
anything that is negative.
This faulty teaching - that we ought to
ignore what is going on inside us instead of facing
it and dealing with it - is responsible for
more casualties in the Christian life than
anything I know. A Christian psychologist says: "I am
convinced that much of what we admire as spiritual
maturity is a fragile adjustment to life based on the
foundation of denial." I would agree. My own
observation would lead me to say that I have found some
non-Christians to be more open and honest in facing what is
going on inside them than some Christians.
Is denial a wise plan for life?
Absolutely not. The choice, then, is stark: either to
deny and live comfortably or to face every
painful issue - and go on to climb the heights with
God.
Father, help me to see that I need never
be afraid to face anything, for in You I have
the resources to resolve all problems, not just
skirt them. Show me how to blast denial right out
of my life - once and for all. In Jesus' name.
Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn
Hughes devotional]
CLOSING THOUGHT
There are few who realize the influence of
the little things of life upon the development
of character. Nothing with which we have to do
is really small. The varied circumstances that
we meet day by day are designed to test our
faithfulness and to qualify us for greater trusts. {PP
222-223} [Remnant SB]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100414-1105.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs FGGibbs@abible.com
