“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.”  (Luke 16:10 KJV). 

Most who are followers of Christ would not think of engaging in things we call “big sins” (stealing, adultery, lying, etc.).  And sometimes we can pride ourselves (if we are not careful) in not doing those things.

However, we sometimes fail to realize that we must be just as diligent in guarding against what we call the “little things”; things like looking at someone and thinking that  because they are not “like us” that we are somehow better than they are.  It is easy to look at someone from another race, culture, social or educational background and be critical and condemning of them because they are different from us.  We forget that every human being is made in the image of God. 

We must also be diligent in guarding our thought life.  Christians can have unholy thoughts enter their mind just like anyone else. We must guard against allowing those thoughts to stay and take root.    We have been given the ability, through Christ, to capture those thoughts and cast them out of our minds.  (2 Cor. 10:5).

Diligence is also required in cultivating our personal relationship with Christ.  It is easy to become so busy in life that we push our relationship with Christ to the bottom of our priority  list.  We think that just going to church will be sufficient.  But church only enhances and encourages our relationship.  It is no substitute for cultivating  own personal relationship with the Lord. 

There are many other things we could name.  But the point is that if we neglect the little things, we can easily find ourselves doing things that we never thought we would.  It is in doing the little things that we build the foundation upon which we can stand against the bigger things that come against us.

James W. Black