The title is what this post is all about. And no, it’s not about the Blink-182 song, although yes, the small things are always important, even in relationships. 🙂

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I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot, and if not here, it’s been said in my head a lot. So much of my life is showing patterns. Messages keep popping up in multiple places – like Bible Study Fellowship (currently studying in the Old Testament) is lining up with messages I’m hearing on Sundays at church (sermons over Revelation). It’s pretty wild, but perhaps ordained by God because I need to hear it.

So, like I very briefly mentioned on Saturday, discipline in the small things matter. My example was about financial disciplines – sacrifices in the short term to achieve long term goals. Putting off what could be bought instantly, to be better prepared for the future. Setting goals. Prioritizing. Stewarding what’s given to us.

Two Sundays ago, our sermon in Revelation was titled “No Compromise” as we looked into chapter 13 where the first and second beast come up. Our pastor said that verse 10 is the heart of this chapter and what we as Christians should hold onto:

If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes. If anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The unholy trinity described in this revelation passage (go read ch13) is a parody off of our holy trinity. It highlights to us that evil does have power, but is no match for the true holy trinity. in regards to us? The enemy would like nothing more than for you to compromise. Where our God is a jealous God (there shall be no God but Him and we cannot serve two masters), the enemy just wants part of you so that you’re not carrying out what God has called you to. The enemy doesn’t really care whether you’re all in for him or not, but God wants all of you.

Which begs the question, where are we compromising?

I learned from this sermon what compromising does and how it can impact even the smallest decisions in our lives.

We compromise . . .

• to get something
• to avoid something
• to keep something

How often have you compromised based on this perspective? I’ve compromised plenty over the years without thinking about how it could have damaged my walk with God.

The little things matter. God wants all of us, but if we’re giving little pieces of ourselves elsewhere and thinking He’s okay with it, we’ve deluded the truth of who God is.

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During Bible Study Fellowship, we’re in the book of Daniel right now. I’m feeling like a noob that I had forgotten kind of the backstory and details of how Daniel and his friends got to where they were and what led up to them being thrown into the fiery furnace. It’s been interesting to revisit this story and dig into the details.

Daniel and his three friends were chosen by King Nebuchadnezzar because of their appearance, status and upbringing among the Jews. So started the brainwashing of all who were selected. This meant new names were given to them. Their original names were Jewish and reflected their identity with God. The King renamed them to tie them to the gods of his kingdom. This is where we first learn of identity because while their names changed (along with probably their schooling, the culture and clothing), their worth was found in God alone.

Their faith was soon put to the test in their new culture as captives. Daniel and his friends wouldn’t budge on their diet, refusing to eat the king’s food that was most likely sacrificed to idols. Daniel was able to get a trial period for he and his three friends, and God worked through them – showing the king’s guard that they were more fit than the others who ate of the king’s food.

They didn’t compromise on their convictions. They stood firm.

If we were in Daniel’s and his friends shoes, do you think we’d hold firm to these things like he did?

Our inability to follow God in the small things makes it impossible to follow Him in the big things.

Encouragement today:

• Start small.
• Trust in God today to be present in your small things so that you can trust Him with the big things as well.
• When asked to compromise something, let the thing you hold loosely be that of the world and the thing you hold the tightest be His Word.
• Encourage someone close to you that may be struggling with a life situation or the reality of compromise to hold onto Him over the world’s pursuits.
• “5 minutes of awkward is worth it over a lifetime of regret.” – my BSF leader (go tell someone the Good News)

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I hope you have a great start to your week!