GOD’S WATCHING YOU FOR THIS!
Luke 16:10 Phillips
The man who is faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things, and the man who cheats in the little things will cheat in the big things too. So if you are not fit to be trusted to deal with the wealth of this world, who will trust you with the true riches? And if you are not trustworthy [faithful] with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? —Jesus
Luke 16:10 NASB
He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much. —Jesus
This Scripture has had an incalculable impact on my life. I read it in 1975 having just totally committed my life to Jesus Christ and to His service. I realized then, this was an essential quality God was watching for in my life. I understood my being faithful in very little things, would be the real test as to whether or not God would give me more throughout the rest of my life. This would determine whether God would use me more or put me on the shelf.
Let me say this again—God is watching you to see whether or not you will be faithful with every little thing He gives to you, or whether you will waste it, squander it, ignore it, or be negligent and irresponsible with it.
It is absolutely imperative you understand this. As the Bible teaches in Galatians—You can’t ignore God and get away with it!
At 19, I realized for the very first time, everything in my life mattered to God. How I did my job as a machinist. How I took care of my old car. How I kept my room. How well I took care of the apartment I was renting. How I used my meager paycheck in those early years, all mattered greatly to God. How would I use the Bible God gave me? What would I do with the things God showed me from His Word? How would I use the gift of prayer God gave me? How would I use the musical ability God gave me? How would I use the spiritual gifts God gave me? How would I take care of the body God gave me? God was watching me, asking, “Is Mark faithful in the very smallest things? Can I trust him and give him more?”
You have no idea how much that divine reality impacted my life. It has been the pathway to all the tremendous blessings God has given to me, and the opportunities God’s given me over the last 50 years to serve him.
I took care of my old, used ‘63 Falcon like it was a new car. I recovered my old Bible in leather, and read it with great diligence. Though the pages are worn, I still have that old NASB Bible 50 years later, in very good, usable condition. I did my job as a machinist, striving to do the best I could as if I owned the company. When God gave us that old, used, $600, 560 sq. ft. trailer to live in, I faithfully cared for it. I faithfully mowed the vacant lot in the trailer court to make it look nice and usable for others. I planted flowers around the trailer to make it look attractive. I walked around that trailer court faithfully picking up trash. When my wife and I cooked at the college sorority they assigned us a $30,000 food budget for the year to feed the 60 people living in the house. We worked so hard, so faithfully, to plan out all the menus and stay on budget, as the former cooks had blown through the budget given to them by thousands of dollars.
You see, I knew I was auditioning for God, as to whether He would give me more and use me more.
When it came time for my 3rd child to be born, having no health insurance of any kind, I called around to several hospitals in other small surrounding towns, and discovered if I drove 10 miles to Story City, Iowa and had my daughter there instead of Mary Greely hospital in Ames, Iowa, I would save almost $5000!! So we had her in Story City for approximately $3000!
When I worked selling auto parts I made the very most of the opportunity given to me. I prayed over the business and my sales, for an hour everyday. I faithfully used my old 1973 AMC Hornet 3 speed, to drive all over the countryside loaded with batteries and auto parts to deliver to repair shops. I used an old piece of plywood I found thrown away at a construction site to make a flatbed in the back of my Hornet station wagon with the seats down, instead of buying a fancy delivery truck.
When I finally became a Pastor in 1986 and moved to the Twin Cities, I prayed God would provide us a house to rent for my family of 5 for under $550 dollars a month. Others who lived there told me that’s impossible. Nothing rents that cheap. But on the last weekend I had to look, God answered my faithful prayers and gave us a brick house, on an acre of land, 20 beautiful trees, with a garage, knotty-pine wood finished basement, 2 fireplaces, and 2 bathrooms, in Bloomington, Minnesota for $525 a month! We lived there for 13 years.
I started and planted churches using, primarily, rented facilities for 32 years. The first 20 years we rented a beautiful school auditorium in Bloomington. Then I planted another church using rental facilities in Minneapolis for years. I officed from home instead of renting an office space. We saved millions of dollars this way. Over the course of those 32 years, God provided and entrusted to me, and the churches I planted and led, approximately 100 million dollars! That money was faithfully invested in God’s kingdom work.
I was faithful with the spiritual gifts God gave to me. I took on every responsibility I could to lead and serve the Lord. When I was first asked to speak at a small college retreat of 20 people over a weekend, I drove hundreds of miles to be there and spoke as if I was communicating with an audience of thousands. Eventually, God gave me opportunities to speak at conferences of thousands of people. But even then, I also flew thousands of miles to speak to just 10 people.
With my own income and possessions, I am a fanatic about being faithful in very little things. I know God is watching me, that he will give me so much more if I am extremely faithful with every little thing he has given me. I use the money given to me by God as faithfully as I possibly can. I set aside money to invest for the future. I’ve lived in the same, modest house for the last 25 years. I purchased well cared for, inexpensive, primarily used furniture for our home. I faithfully care for our 25 year old van. I bought it 12 years ago for $5400 and it is still serving us today. My lawnmower recently went kaput after 28 years of use. I bought a used one in new condition for $140 this fall. I will use it for years. My point in all of this is—I’ve tried to faithfully maximize every single dollar the Lord gave to me.
I realize God is watching me all the days of my life to see, “Will Mark be faithful, so I can bless him with more, so I can give him more?”
When God gave me this Strong Disciple ministry, with all my heart I strive to be faithful in every aspect of it.
God has blessed me beyond what I could have imagined when I started this faith journey at 19. I am astounded by what God has done for me and entrusted to me.
I give God all the glory, all the thanks and all the praise. He branded my heart with that eternal truth–He who is faithful with a very little thing will be faithful with much.
So let me ask you. Are you faithful in the very little things? Are you faithful with the income God has presently given to you? Are you wasteful with it? Are you wise with it? Are you squandering any of it? Are you putting it all to very good use? Are you using it on things you really don’t need? Are you generous with what you can be? Are you faithful with the possessions God has presently entrusted you with? Do you take really good care of them? Are you faithful with the body God has given to you, which is the temple of the living God? Are you faithful with the talent and gifts God has given to you?
This is the secret to future abundance. God will give you more, if you are faithful in the very little things.
David was faithful with his father’s sheep, risking his life to kill a lion and bear to protect them. As a result, God made him King of Israel.
Joseph was faithful in the prison he was unjustly thrown into for 13 years. As a result, God made him second in command in Egypt.
Daniel was faithful to honor God, eating only what God prescribed, even though he risked his life doing so. As a result, God made this jewish slave the greatest advisor in ancient Babylon, delivering him from the mouth of lions.
Will you choose to be like them?
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling