Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
My husband and I have been married now for 53 years, and for every one of those years I have made him a carrot cake (his favorite) for his birthday. One year we attended a church camp with our fellowship and I made two cakes so everyone in our group could have a piece. Times when we’ve been out of town on June 22, I’ve found my way to a local grocery store and bought him one. So you can imagine my amazement at his response when I whipped out the candle-laden carrot cake this week and sang “Happy Birthday.” “I can’t believe you made me a cake!”
What????? Over 50 carrot cakes later, he’s still surprised? But he seemed to enjoy it, and I was happy to devotedly carry on the tradition.
Faithfulness.
Don’t get me wrong. I realize making a cake for my husband’s birthday each year doesn’t compare with far greater acts of faithfulness. But the Lord said, “One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). I believe God likes it when his kids display all kinds of faithfulness, even in the very little things. It honors him. And reflects his nature.
But I’m afraid our culture orients itself more toward being successful than faithful. We rationalize cutting corners for a bigger profit. We sacrifice family times and traditions to get ahead to the next level. And we become squishy on moral issues to make ourselves look more relevant. Solomon asks in Proverbs 20:6, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” The quality of faithfulness rests more on what we do than what we say. And it, evidently, occurs rarely.
So are we among the rare ones?
Do we keep our word (even when it hurts)? How about our responsibilities. Do we reliably carry out our duties? And do we do whatever God tells us to do? Because no matter how much we say we love him, if we disregard his commands, we prove to be unfaithful stewards.
Friend, let’s not only proclaim steadfast love, but live faithfully, even in little things.