Faithful in Small Things

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling” — Jude 24.

This is a precious promise. The revised translation expresses it accurately and gives us much to think about. God wants to keep us not only from falling, but even from the slightest stumble.

We are told that Abraham did not waver at God’s promise. God wants us to walk so steadily that there will not be even a tremor in the ranks of His army as they face the enemy. The small stumbles of life discourage and hinder us most, and most of them concern trifles. Satan would much rather knock us down with a feather than with a shell from a powerful cannon. Defeating a child of God through some flimsy trifle brings him greater glory and malicious delight than overcoming that person through a great temptation.

Beloved, let us watch out for the orange peels that trip us along our path, the little foxes that destroy the vineyards, and the dead flies that can spoil a whole jar of precious ointment. “Trifles make perfection.” As we advance in the Christian life, God holds us more closely to obedience even in things that seem insignificant.