[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fbig-doors-little-hinges":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fbig-doors-little-hinges-surround":62},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":44,"date":45,"description":18,"extension":46,"image":47,"meta":48,"minRead":49,"navigation":50,"path":51,"postType":52,"publication":53,"publicationUrl":47,"seo":54,"stem":55,"topics":56,"__hash__":61},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fbig-doors-little-hinges.md","Big Doors, Little Hinges",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"Luke","Romans","Acts",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":40},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,28,31,34,37],[16,17,18],"p",{},"There is great wisdom in the words of Jesus, \"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much\" (Luke 16:10).",[16,20,21],{},"We demonstrate integrity by being faithful with small things. A worker is likely to be promoted if she handles the routine details of her job with excellence. A husband shows love for his wife not merely by the flowers he gives her on their anniversary, but through everyday acts of kindness like taking out the trash. A church leader demonstrates fitness for leadership not only by what he does \"up front,\" but by faithfully shepherding people outside the spotlight in the unglamorous arena of human need.",[16,23,24],{},"Likewise, if we're dishonest in small things, we can't be trusted with bigger things. A man who compromises his sexual standards before marriage weakens the level of confidence his wife will have in him after they are married. The student who cheats in class will not make a good candidate for student council. The basketball player known for skipping practice won't make a good leader on the court in the final moments of a close game.",[16,26,27],{},"Someone has said, \"Big doors swing on little hinges.\" Most of us can think of little decisions we have made—even some that seemed inconsequential at the time—that changed the course of our lives. When we select a college to attend, ponder a job change, or consider marriage, we realize that our choices will have lasting significance. But in the big picture, the course of our lives may well be determined by the comparatively small decisions we make every day. Somehow our heavenly Father weaves them all together \"for the good of those who love him\" (Romans 8:28).",[16,29,30],{},"When Pharoah's daughter pulled a Hebrew baby from the reeds of the Nile, a big door began to open in the plan of God. Could anyone have foreseen that the child she held in her arms would grow into one of history's most dominant figures?",[16,32,33],{},"A young shepherd must have wondered why he was called in from the pasture-field near Bethlehem for an unexpected encounter with an equally surprised prophet. From all outward appearances, someone else should have been selected to become king. David, though, had already demonstrated courage and faith in the little things while tending sheep. When Samuel anointed him, a big door began to open in the plan of God.",[16,35,36],{},"The apostle Paul must have felt bewildered when the Holy Spirit would not allow him to go preach in an important region of Asia Minor. Instead, the Lord led Paul to preach in Greece, thus opening the door for the evangelization of Western Europe (Acts 16:6-10).",[16,38,39],{},"Big doors swing on little hinges. God is at work in our lives, carrying out plans far larger than we can comprehend. Let's trust him for the big things, while we demonstrate our faithfulness in the small things. Especially in the small things.",{"title":41,"searchDepth":42,"depth":42,"links":43},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","2001-03-11","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fbig-doors-little-hinges","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fbig-doors-little-hinges",[57,58,59,60],"Church Leadership","Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Spiritual Formation","-pHPKF7C2qbTkfwiNdDEBbx4DNMfjBf2NHViPe335JQ",[63,68],{"title":64,"path":65,"stem":66,"description":67,"children":-1},"Beyond Self-Will","\u002Farticles\u002Fbeyond-self-will","articles\u002Fbeyond-self-will","One Saturday morning, I decided to replace the broken doorknob on my family's front door. My wife suggested calling a locksmith. I scoffed.",{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71,"description":72,"children":-1},"Blessed Rest","\u002Farticles\u002Fblessed-rest","articles\u002Fblessed-rest","We are, indeed, a restless generation."]