READ: 1 Kings 13:1-26
“And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, …” – 1 Kings 13:26
Having faith in God concerning big things is as important as having faith in God concerning little things. Therefore, obeying God in little things is as important as obeying God in big things. Obeying God in little things is very important for your ministry. Most people are concerned about obeying God in the big things. But the little things are equally important!
If you have faith, you must have faith in the big commandments as well as in the seemingly little instructions. The story of the prophet who disobeyed the Lord will always stand out as an example of obeying God in little things and big things.
The prophet had such great faith in the commandment of the Lord to prophesy against the King Jeroboam. He risked his life in order to give this great prophecy. But he was also given a small instruction about his dinner: “Do not have dinner in the city of Bethel. Eat your dinner outside the city of Bethel.” This was a far easier, apparently minor instruction. The prophet obeyed the big instruction but failed to obey the minor commandment of the Lord. Thus he made a big mistake in his ministry. He had faith for big commands but no faith for little instructions.
I have had the privilege of going to Korea to learn about church growth from David Yonggi Cho. I went to Korea to learn the big skill called “Church Growth”. This was my whole intention. However, God showed me so many little things that were equally important. The many little things I learnt from Yonggi Cho probably outweigh the lessons about church growth that I received from Yonggi Cho. God showed these little things to me and they have radically transformed my life and ministry.