How To Be Faithful In Small Things

Many times we are impressed by those who accomplish tremendous feats of faith in God. We are tempted to see them as great spiritual warriors when the reality is that they learned faithfulness in the small things first. God shows His tremendous grace and power through believers who’ve humbly submitted their lives to Him.

In the Bible, there are numerous people who accomplished great acts of faith in the name of God. Yet many of them had humble beginnings that led to greater opportunities for the miraculous. We can learn from their example in faithfulness in the perceived smaller things in order to reach the greater purposes of God in our lives.

Moses

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1).

Moses was brought up in the wealth and luxury of an Egyptian palace, but after killing a man—he went on the run. He found himself in the desert depending on the graciousness of Jethro in marrying his daughter and making his living as a shepherd. Moses spent 40 years of his life tending sheep until the Lord appeared to him at Horeb. He needed to care for sheep in order to lead the people of Israel to the Promise Land. Moses was humbled by his circumstances initially, but he willingly submitted himself in the smaller task of a shepherd in order to successfully lead God’s people in the future.

Joshua

“Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God” (Exodus 24:13).

Joshua stayed by Moses’ side and served him faithfully. He was young when he became Moses’ aide, but he lived to be a very old man leading Israel into battle and the Promise Land. While Moses was revered by the people and honored by God’s presence, Joshua was simply an obedient assistant. Yet through his simplicity of obedience, God raised a mighty warrior who would defeat all the enemies of the nation of Israel. By doing the smaller tasks of assisting Moses, Joshua was proved and prepared to take hold of leadership.

David

“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36).

David’s courage was emboldened because of prior experiences of being tested when under threat.

Just as Moses learned to take care of sheep prior to leading Israel, David also was a shepherd. He defended his sheep from both the lion and bear in preparation for future battles. David was anointed by God to overcome the obstacles of being a shepherd before he could strategize and defeat the enemies of Israel. His courage was emboldened because of prior experiences of being tested when under threat. David started with learning the smaller responsibilities of being faithful under duress so that he could become a capable and mighty warrior for God.

Ruth

“‘I will do whatever you say,’ Ruth answered” (Ruth 3:5).

When Ruth followed Naomi back to Bethlehem, it was a humbling and destitute experience. Naomi arrived home with the sadness and bitterness from the loss of her husband as well as her sons. Ruth faithfully helped her mother-in-law regain strength through the gathering of grain so they could eat. Through the intervention of God and Naomi’s insight, Ruth would become the wife of Boaz and the great-grandmother of King David. Her small steps of persistence in being obedient and faithful to Naomi led Ruth to the greater blessings.

Stephen

“‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables…choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.’ They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2-5).

Stephen was one of seven believers chosen to wait on tables for the Hellenistic widows. It wasn’t the most glamorous of jobs for the disciples; however Stephen being wise, faithful, and full of the Spirit of God took on this responsibility. Eventually Stephen would be singled out for his faith and become the first martyr of the church. Stephen’s humility didn’t diminish his insight in preaching the word to those who persecuted him. He started out with the small task of feeding widows and finished greatly with the sacrifice of his life for sharing the truth of the gospel.

What task can you humble yourself in today in order to be prepared for the future?

Our willingness to do the small but necessary tasks can most certainly open up the doors of greater opportunities for God to use us. We must trust God in the minor issues of life in order to gain a larger perspective of His purposes. Faithfulness in the smaller responsibilities speaks loudly to God’s calling on our lives. May we be found faithful and willing to accomplish His will even in the perceived inconsequential things!

Read more about God’s faithfulness here: 21 Bible Verses on God’s Faithfulness

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