I heard the story of a young man who was asked to build a house for his boss. But he used substandard materials. Unknown to him, the house would be his eventually. So when he finished building, the master handed him the key to the house. Instead of rejoicing, he broke down in tears of regret. He had built with inferior materials. He did not build with ownership spirit.
Friend, the spirit of ownership is the spirit of the kingdom. It is living and working with a stewardship mindset. In this kingdom, we are not owners; we are mere stewards. We are put here on earth to serve the interest of God (Luke 17:10). There are three tests of stewardship; stewardship of money, small things, and of another man’s things (Luke 16:10-12).
Stewardship is owning it without owning it. You use, keep, and multiply it as if it is yours (Genesis 2:15, Luke 19:13). Although God loves you unconditionally, He will test you before He trusts you. God will first give you a taste of His blessings before bringing you into a state of His blessings (Psalms 34:8). Many people have missed great things in God by the way they handled small things.
Fear and shame are two principal tools the devil uses to stop people from stewardship (Matthew 25:25). It is the fear of not losing what they have and the shame of having to start small. If you are not ashamed to start small, God will take you to greater heights. The Kingdom of God glorifies the least, the last and the lost (Matthew 13:31-32, 19:30, Luke 15:1-32).
God often starts us small for a number of reasons. It is the kingdom way to greatness (Matthew 13:31-32). It is because He wants to break pride in us. When you know where God picked you from, it would help you to stay humble (1 Samuel 15:17-22, 2 Samuel 6:20-21). Starting small helps you to master the skills needed for greatness.
What you need to handle big things is acquired when you are handling small stuff. Use the season of smallness to master your skills. Make your mistakes when nobody sees it and when it won’t mean much. God starts us small to take the glory in our lives. God loves to use the small and abased things to confound the big so that no man will glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria