“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.” — Luke 16:10
It’s wise to take a 5-mile hike before attempting a 20-mile one because trails test more than desire—they test preparation, endurance, and awareness. Shorter hikes expose what longer ones will demand, without carrying the same level of risk.
Most men want to live their lives in large ways. They think in terms of calling, impact, and leadership. Men acquire this desire at an early age. When I was young, everyone wanted to be the quarterback on the football team or the pitcher on the baseball team. The spotlight rarely forms character. Luke 16:10 dismantles the illusion that greatness is built in big opportunities. Jesus points instead to the proving ground of little things.
Men sabotage their own advancement by refusing to take on the small tasks that prepare them for the position. Men want leadership, but not the formation—influence, but not the apprenticeship. On the trail, short hikes train you for long ones. Small tasks teach faithfulness, attention, humility, and follow-through. A man who won’t handle what seems small isn’t ready to carry what’s big.
What is rarely addressed is how men sabotage future strength by dismissing present responsibilities. They want God to entrust them with more while being casual with what they already hold. Character does not rise to meet opportunity; it is revealed by it. The man shaped by small obedience walks steadily when greater weight is placed on his shoulders later.
application
The tension most men miss in Luke 16:10 is this: small choices reveal what a man truly values, not what he says he values. A man can talk devotion, discipline, and faith all day long, but his daily decisions tell the real story. How he uses his time, handles money, guards his words, and follows through on what he says—those are the places formation shows up.
On the trail, these decisions look small and disconnected from spiritual growth, but they’re not. Character is formed as a whole. Neglect one area long enough, and it begins weakening others. A man who cuts corners in responsibility eventually drifts into obedience. Footsteps expose the condition of the heart.
What often goes unsaid is how quiet small faithfulness feels. There’s little applause. Little visibility. No dramatic sense, you’re advancing. Many men grow restless. They start looking for bigger assignments. That restlessness isn’t readiness—it’s impatience with the slow work that actually builds the man.
Live it out
Today, focus on one small choice and take it seriously. Do the next right thing in front of you without minimizing its importance. Faithfulness grows through repetition, not recognition. Let obedience become your normal pace, not your emergency response. Stay steady. Walk the trail one faithful decision at a time, trusting that God uses unseen choices to prepare you for what lies ahead.
pray this…
“Father, that I would find the small assignments as important as those larger.”
Photo by Michiel Annaert on Unsplash
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Information lays the foundation—
Practice builds the man.
