Be Faithful in the Small Things

I occasionally watch Joel Osteen on TV, and these are my notes from one of his messages about being faithful in the small things.

When God has something great for you to do, He often starts with something small. How you handle those seemingly insignificant things will determine whether or not you see God’s blessings in a greater way. Luke 16:10 (NIV): "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."  You have to show God you are faithful in the “wilderness” before you get promoted to the “Promised Land”.  If you aren’t faithful where you are, you will never get where God wants you to be. 

Zechariah 4:6-10 (NIV):

6So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. 7“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” 8Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 10 "Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?" 

Don’t despise small beginnings, for that is what is laying the foundation for how far God is going to take you. Don’t underestimate the value of small things. You may feel like nothing is happening, but God is closely watching you and seeing what kind of attitude you have when you are not getting your way. 

How consistent are you going to be when it is taking a long time? Harvest is not the only season; there are seasons of planting, watering, and fertilizing where we don’t see any growth. But behind the scenes, God is getting us prepared and is going to take us to a new level. Galatians 6:9 (NIV): Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Proverbs 28:20 (NIV): A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.