I stayed in a Marriott hotel during the 2018 spring holy days, and in the hotel lobby, there was a small history of the Marriott family mounted on the wall. John Willard and Alice Marriott purchased the Fairfield Manor House in the early 1950s. They bought surrounding pieces of land to add to the farm, and eventually, they had a 4,200-acre ranch in Hume, Virginia, that became known as Marriott Ranch. The Marriotts renovated the manor house and turned it into a bed and breakfast—where famous men like U.S. presidents Eisenhower and Reagan vacationed. This one bed and breakfast grew into Fairfield by Marriott, one of the biggest hotel chains owned by Marriott International.

One of Mr. Marriott’s quotes was mounted on the wall next to the family history. It is a belief that the hotel chain still works under today: “It’s the little things that make the big things possible.”

This saying relates closely to a biblical principle. Luke 16:10 says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

There are more distractions and pressures in the world today than ever before, and a lot of times, it is hard for teens to make the right decisions. But if you keep this principle in mind, it will help you immensely.

In an article from the January 1955 Good News, Mr. Armstrong wrote, “One can learn lessons from countless little things that happen every day.”

Try breaking down your day into the little things—into manageable chunks that you can check off on a checklist. This will make any tempting situations and pressures a lot easier to handle. If you find yourself in one of those situations, think about the little things. Ask yourself, Will I be faithful to God if I participate in this activity? It may not seem like a big deal. It might be something that no one else would find out about. But God knows. He sees whether you are faithful in the little things or not. If you keep that in mind throughout your day, you will be more likely to stay away from those temptations and stay faithful to God. God will bless you for that!

Galatians 5:9 presents this same principle: “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” The little things lead to the bigger things—both good and bad. If you compromise just a little bit, it will weaken your character, and eventually, you will compromise with something much more important. But if you remain steadfast and obedient to God in the little things, you will build the character you need to remain faithful in the bigger trials and temptations.

In How to Be An Overcomer, Gerald Flurry writes, “How much are you really doing the will of the Father in your life, even in the smallest areas?”

Every day, we must look at the little things in our lives to see if we are doing the will of God. If we are, then the bigger things will fall into place too. How we handle the smallest matters in our lives points to how we will handle the bigger matters.

Being faithful in the little things is worth it in the long run. If you are faithful in the little things, God knows that He can trust you with more responsibility. God wants to give you the universe! That’s a lot of responsibility, and He can only trust you with it if you prove yourself faithful in the little things today.

God is building a Family, and He wants you in it. You are His kings and priests in embryo! How much responsibility can God give you today, in preparation for that role in the future? He will judge your future reward based on how much He can trust you today.

We are all being judged today—according to what we do with what we have been given. Everyone has different strengths, talents and abilities, and God doesn’t expect us to do more than we are capable of doing. He does expect us to use the strengths, talents and abilities that He has given us, however. The parable of the talents, found in Matthew 25:14-30 makes this clear.

James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Do you have spots from the world in your life? Spots are things that stop you from building God’s character. They are the little things that can hinder growth, like too much of a focus on sports or entertainment. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We cannot be conformed to this world or the things of this world. We are here to learn to think and act like God!

Because of your parents, you are holy to God (1 Corinthians 7:14). You have access to His Holy Spirit. It is not in you yet, but it can work with you and lead you—if you ask for it (Luke 11:9-13). God wants and expects you to seek after Him and His Holy Spirit. If you do, He will empower you to make the right decisions in the little things and build the character you need to prepare for the big things. After all, the little things make the big things possible!