Hello everyone! After a little break, I’m back! Life has been quite busy with so much happening lately. My oldest daughter, Bellamy, has started Pre-K here at home. We’ve also been working on our house to prepare for this new season, all while juggling the everyday busyness that comes with the end of summer. In the middle of it all, God has been reminding me of the importance of being “faithful in the small things.” I put “small” in quotations because nothing we do for God is ever truly small. Some things may be considered a “big” purpose or calling, but often it’s the “small” things that matter the most.

In October 2024, I listened to Episode 84 of the Unashamedly You podcast, featuring an interview with Sis. Denee Richardson, and it impacted me deeply. In that episode, she spoke about being faithful in the small things, reminding us that God will then lead us to the bigger things. She emphasized that we must first learn faithfulness in the small areas before God can trust us with greater responsibilities. I saved this episode in my notes because of how strongly that message resonated with me. Through it, God began to deal with me personally, calling me to greater commitment in the “small things” of my own life.

When I speak about being faithful in the “small things,” I’m referring to the daily or regular practices that should be a part of every believer’s walk with God. For example, daily prayer—not just offering “lip service” to God, but truly communicating with Him and praying until you press past the flesh and connect with Him in the Spirit. Daily Bible study is another, where we obey the command to “study to shew thyself approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) and connect with Him through His divine Word. Other vital practices include fasting on a regular basis, being faithful in tithes and offerings, and consistently attending church services, prayer meetings, and church functions. One that is sometimes overlooked, but just as important, is witnessing and soulwinning. This is vital to our Christian life, as we are all called to be witnesses and to share the Gospel with unbelievers: “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47 KJV).

1 Corinthians 4:2 (KJV): “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

When we show ourselves to be continually faithful in the “small things” to God, then we can be found trustworthy to do God’s Will in the “bigger things.” In Matthew 25:14-30 (KJV) and Luke 19:11-27 (KJV), the parable of the talents is found, which talks about the servant being faithful with the few talents that his master gave him.

Matthew 25:21 (KJV): “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Luke 19:17 (KJV): “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”

In these parables, the servant showed his master that he could be trusted to care for the “bigger things” because he was faithful in the “small things.” Luke 16:10 (KJV) states, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Sometimes, when we are in a waiting season—waiting for prayers to be answered, for God’s direction, or for our greater purpose and calling to become clear—we can grow weary of being faithful in the small things because we don’t see the results we’re hoping for in the moment.

In the past, I’ve found myself pushing hard spiritually, striving to be faithful daily in the small things, yet growing discouraged when things didn’t happen in the time frame I expected. The answer I was seeking didn’t come right away, the direction I needed didn’t appear—or it looked very different than I imagined—or God simply placed me in a waiting season. In those moments, I would slow down in my spiritual walk and become discouraged. I would stop being as faithful in the small things as I would need to be.

This can become a vicious cycle unless we recognize that we must be faithful in the small things no matter what season we’re in. Whether it’s a season of blessings and direction, a season of waiting, or a season of trials, we are called to remain steadfast. By doing so, we show God that we are trustworthy—ready to walk in a deeper purpose, handle greater spiritual responsibilities, and be trusted to win souls for Him.

Hebrews 10:23 (KJV): “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Galatians 6:9 (KJV): “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV): “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Sometimes we may feel that doing the small things daily isn’t that important, and that our focus should instead be on the bigger things or the more visible “talents” we may have—such as singing, preaching, or teaching Sunday school. While these are valuable and we should indeed work hard to cultivate the callings and talents God has given us, the truth is that the only way to grow in those greater areas is by first being continually faithful in the small things.

This reminds me of the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. The prophet told him to dip in the muddy Jordan River seven times to be healed of his leprosy. Naaman was disappointed with this instruction, thinking he should be asked to do something grand or difficult in order to receive his healing from God. But in verse 13, his servant reasoned with him: “…My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”

In the same way, the answers and direction we seek from God often come not through grand gestures, but through consistent faithfulness in the small things.

It may seem simple to be faithful in the small things, but in reality, it’s not always easy. Faithfulness requires self-discipline and a daily crucifying of the flesh. In listening to the Biblos podcast with Bro. Nathaniel Urshan (Season 5, Episode 3), the topic of self-discipline was discussed. One statement in particular stood out: “The Holy Ghost will not put self-discipline in your life. That is something you have to do yourself.”

They also explained that there are four levels of service to God. When you first decide to do something for Him, it begins as a duty (level 1). Through perseverance, that duty becomes a discipline (level 2). With time, the discipline grows into a desire (level 3). And finally, as you continue in faithfulness, it becomes a delight (level 4).

It takes self-discipline and perseverance to be faithful in the “small things,” but once you establish a routine and form the habit, it will eventually grow into a desire and a delight. Whether you are in a waiting season, a busy season, a season of trials, or even a season where everything seems to be going smoothly, it is vital to remain faithful in your daily walk with God.

This is my prayer and my goal—to continually desire that daily walk with Him and to find joy in doing the “small things” for Him. I pray to keep growing in Him, and I hope this thought encourages you as much as it has encouraged me.

Psalm 31:23 (KJV), “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.”

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV), “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

P.S. While working on this paper—and even before I finished it—I happened to be listening to Unashamedly You, Episode 144 (one of my favorite podcasts, if you couldn’t already tell!). Once again, the message of being faithful in the small things came up, this time in an interview with Sis. Nalani Gallardo. In the interview, she shared, “God wants to see if He can trust you with the small things that He gives you before He can give you bigger things.” She then referenced Luke 16:10 (KJV), which I have already mentioned, as well as Zechariah 4:10a: “For who hath despised the day of small things?”

This was just a small portion of a wonderful podcast episode, and I highly recommend listening to the whole thing. For me, hearing it while writing this paper was such a powerful confirmation of how important it is to God that we remain faithful in the “small things”—and how vital that faithfulness is to our daily walk with Him.

– A Redeemed Ruby