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Few people that are successful started at the top. I have a friend who is a billionaire. He started by cutting and selling firewood. Now he owns 5 corporations and about 50 banks.
What’s true in the business world is true in life. You want to do great things for God? You want to see his power flow through you? You want to see victory over that habit? You want to get out of debt? You want to start eating healthy? These are all things we hope for.
I think the ‘trick’ is to start small. Too many times we try to change everything all at once. This leads to frustration, discouragement and eventually giving up trying all together. Take small steps. What sins are you holding on to that need to be brought before the power of all-mighty God? What attitudes are you justifying because you’ve been hurt too many times? Who do you need to forgive?
Choose one thing today that needs to to change. Take the first step. Tomorrow do it again. If you mess up don’t give up. Start over. Growth that lasts takes time and we serve a patient, loving and understanding God.
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. Take, for instance, the lug nuts on the tires of your car. Small, right? Insignificant? Especially if you’ve ever tried finding one on side of the road as your trying to change a tire in the rain? However, without them, you won’t go far.
History is full of stories of little things going wrong with big consequences. Little things can make a big difference!
But this is also true in the positive end. I have a friend who recently lost his management level position at the company he worked for. Even though he was good at what he did, when restructuring of his company came along, his age played against him and his position was ‘eliminated. His age also played against him as far as getting a job of the same caliber even though he was only in his 50’s.
I remember talking with him one day and asking how the job hunt was going. He was frustrated. “No one will even look at me at the management level,” he said, “and there’s no way I’m starting at an entry level job.”
I thought about that as we left. No one likes to start at the bottom. No one likes to do the ‘little, unimportant jobs’. Yet it’s proving ourselves in the little things that prepare us for the big things.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If you want to see God do great things in your life; if you want to experience God’s power in a mighty way, pay attention to the little things. How you treat people, the words you say, the discipline of spiritual growth are all things that help us see God do great things in our lives. By the way, what you consider ‘great things’ and what God considers ‘great things’ may not always be the same so be patient. Remember, the mighty oak tree was once a nut!
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Luke 16:10
Jesus tells the story of a man who was caught cheating by his employer. As a result of the dishonesty the man was informed that he would lose his job. Before he was fired he went to all the people that owed his boss money and gave them huge discounts. While this further cheated his boss, it made the man many friends. We aren’t told in the story, but no doubt these people were willing to help the dishonest person because he helped them.
The lesson from this story is that honesty isn’t dependent on the amount entrusted but on the sense of responsibility a person has to those who trust him. The man in the story may have been considered generous by those he gave discounts to, but in reality, he wasn’t concerned in the least about their well-being. He was really only concerned about himself.
Our view of ourselves has a huge part to play on whether we are honest or dishonest. Many times we will lie to cover up our own mistakes, choosing to blame others instead of accepting the responsibility. Other times we may lie to make ourselves look better. We don’t want to admit we are weak, so we lie to make ourselves look better than someone else.
Dishonesty at any level destroys our entire reputation. If I lie about a little thing, then I most likely will lie about bigger things as well. On small amount of dirt in a clear glass of water taints the whole glass and makes it undrinkable. In the same way one little lie, on little act of deception tarnishes our entire character.
As Christ-followers each of us is responsible for making sure we are men and women of integrity and trust. There is no place in our lives for any action that has it’s basis on avoiding responsibility for our actions or making others look bad for our own benefit.
Grace teaches us that we are, in some senses, completely helpless to live a life of purity and perfection. There will be times when we fail in our attempt to be honest. There may be times when our actions are misunderstood as being malicious when they are not. Those are the times we can come to our Savior, Jesus Christ, for forgiveness, and strength to continue on.
Start with the small things. As you learn to trust Him for strength in the small areas of your weakness you will find it easier to tackle the larger areas where you tend to be dishonest. Jesus didn’t come to condemn liars. He came to empower them to be honest.
PRAYER: Father you know that I tend to be dishonest in some of the things I say. I ask that you would forgive me for those times. Empower me by your Spirit to be willing to accept responsibility for my actions. Enable me to be a person of integrity for your sake. Amen.
Built with Grace 