(Read Luke 16)
In 1927, work began on the George Washington Bridge, a structure twice as long as any suspension bridge before it. For more than 100 years, engineers had wrestled with how to link New York City and New Jersey across the Hudson. Swiss-born engineer Othmar Ammann finally cracked the challenge in 1923 with a design that won out over all others.
When it opened in 1931, over 5.5 million vehicles crossed all six lanes in the first year alone. As demand grew, two additional lanes were paved in 1946, and a lower six-lane roadway was added in 1962.
Its foundations are just as impressive as its span. On the New York side, the anchorage holds 110,000 cubic yards of concrete—260,000 tons, equal to a column 100,000 feet high and 6 feet wide. On the New Jersey side, 200,000 cubic yards of rock were carved from the Palisades to secure the main cables.
One of our pastors once shared a story about integrity that he simply called “Little Things.” His grandfather was a project manager for a large construction company. One day, two abrupt and self-assured men walked into his office, uninvited, carrying core samples of their product. “We have something that will be worth your while,” they told him confidently. The project manager examined the samples and immediately saw the flaws and weaknesses. Without hesitation, he told them he wasn’t interested and would have nothing to do with their business. The men leaned in and warned, “You don’t know who you’re talking to — we can make your life very difficult.” But it didn’t matter. He stood up, pointed to the door, and insisted they leave. Decades later, our pastor learned that those very samples had been intended as the foundation anchors for the George Washington Bridge.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
Luke 16:10
Jesus connects our behavior in seemingly small matters to our ability to be trusted with greater things. Integrity is an attribute of the heart. Faithfulness is forged in the small, often unseen moments of everyday life. Jesus reminds us in Luke 16:10 that the way we handle “very little” reveals how we will handle “much.” In God’s eyes, no act of integrity is too small to matter. Returning the extra change at the store, honoring a quiet promise, or managing a small matter wisely may seem insignificant, yet each is an opportunity to prove our trustworthiness. These daily choices shape our character and prepare us for greater responsibility in His kingdom.
God knows what our finished work looks like and values who we are becoming as much as what we do. Faithfulness in the ordinary shows that we value His trust, whatever the task. We may long for larger opportunities, but God watches how we steward what’s already in our hands. When we act with integrity in the little things, our time, our words, our resources, we invite Him to entrust us with more, both now and in the life to come.
There are sins of commission and sins of omission. The colors of them look the same to God. If we know we’re being deceptive, we can be sure He knows too. The choices we make in matters that seem small or inconsequential often reveal more of our true character to God than skillfully talking the talk when others are watching.
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
Judges 17:5-6
The statement appears in Judges 17:6 and again in Judges 21:25, almost word-for-word: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” By placing it near the start of the book’s final section (17:6) and at the very end (21:25), the writer (possibly Samuel) is giving us a reality that this is the lens through which we’re supposed to read the chaos that follows.
Israel experienced a long period under Moses, who served as their great prophet and priestly king, followed by decades of stability under the leadership of Joshua and Caleb. They lived under the clear authority of God’s covenant. Before crossing the Jordan River, they were commanded to remove the Canaanites from the land, but instead they assumed, “The Canaanites can be dealt with later.” Soon, they were worshiping Canaanite gods like Baal and Asherah and even sacrificing their children. “Right in his own eyes” meant each person decided for themselves what was right or wrong, apart from God’s law. Where God’s absolute authority is rejected, moral relativism becomes the norm, leading to spiritual wandering, societal breakdown, and violence.
In Gibeah, home of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin in the northern part of modern Jerusalem, a Levite’s concubine was abused to death by local men. In outrage, he cut her body into twelve pieces and sent them throughout Israel as a call to arms. The tribes demanded the guilty men be handed over, but Benjamin refused, defending them instead. What should have been a trial became a civil war. Though Benjamin’s warriors won the first two battles, they were nearly annihilated in the third, leaving only 600 survivors. Israel swore not to give them wives, but later broke their oath using questionable methods — yet another example of everyone doing what was right in their own eyes. This dark legacy clung to Gibeah, remembered as a place of moral collapse and national tragedy. Eventually, Israel’s intense desire for a king brought them Saul, a Benjamite from Gibeah, also a descendant of a tribe nearly destroyed, who himself once seized his wife from hiding in the bushes. The irony is clear: the king they thought would bring order came from the very place that symbolized Israel’s disorder.
The book of Judges ends with a haunting refrain: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” What began as small compromises spiraled into corruption, violence, and national collapse. The refrain is more than a historical note; it’s a timeless warning. When God’s authority is replaced by personal preference, the result is not freedom but disorder.
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”
Proverbs 10:9
As our pastor’s grandfather showed us, integrity is more than an abstract virtue or a pretty sign from Hobby Lobby. It is the mark of moral character, a source of stability, and the peace that comes from standing on the absolute truth of God. The person who is honest and upright has nothing to hide and no fear of being exposed, walking with confidence before God and others. In contrast, choosing deception may bring a momentary advantage, but dishonesty will always come to light. Integrity is seldom the quickest route to success, but it is the only path that leads to lasting security in the arms of our Savior.
Today, the George Washington Bridge carries more than 100 million vehicles each year. Had that faulty proposal been accepted, the cost in lives would have been tragic, but in some respects, the lifelong burden on the project manager’s soul would have been worse. God places choices before us for a reason, and sometimes the easiest answer is the wrong one. We must not let even the smallest test rob us of the integrity and glory of God.
Life Application:
- Be intentional about practicing faithfulness in the small, everyday things. Make your yeses, yes. Keep promises. Handle your business honestly, and follow through on commitments, because these moments don’t define you; they define Him who called you.