If God decided to audit your life today not just your bank account, but your conversations, your thoughts, your relationships, and even your private motives, what would He find? Would there be a clean record of faithfulness, or would He uncover “red flags” tucked away like suspicious transactions? In Nigeria, the EFCC rarely starts with the billions. They investigate the small deposits, the little transfers, the quiet “settlements” because those details tell the real story. Heaven’s audit works the same way. God looks at the moments no one applauds: how you treat the okada rider when he scratches your car, how you handle the N1,000 that isn’t yours, how you speak when the person you’re talking about is not in the room.
And here’s the truth: the way you handle the little you have now is the strongest predictor of what you’ll do with the much you’re praying for. In Amos 8:4–7, the prophet addresses a group of traders in Israel who outwardly appear religious: they observe the Sabbath, they attend the assemblies but their hearts are somewhere else entirely. They cannot wait for the Sabbath to end so they can return to cheating customers with false scales, inflating prices, and even selling the poor into slavery over trivial debts. God swears that He will not forget their injustice.
The core sin here is not commerce but corruption, greed that sees people as tools for profit. In Luke 16:1–13, Jesus tells a puzzling parable about a steward who, when caught mismanaging his master’s resources, quickly strikes deals with the master’s debtors to secure his own future. Jesus is not praising his dishonesty but highlighting his shrewdness; his ability to act decisively in the face of a crisis. His point is simple yet sharp: if worldly people can be so creative in pursuing temporary gain, how much more should the children of light be strategic in securing eternal treasure? We tend to think God’s greatest tests come in grand moments, but most of them happen in the quiet, ordinary spaces of life.
If you can’t be truthful over a N500 transaction, you won’t suddenly become honest when millions are involved. If you can’t show up on time for a small church meeting, why should heaven trust you with a ministry that influences thousands? In our culture, we often say, “When I hammer, I will start doing good.” But the truth is, if generosity, discipline, and honesty are not habits now, more money will only make you more of what you already are. The small is where God measures the large. The little test you face in your office today whether to sign that inflated invoice, whether to gossip about that colleague is not “just a small thing.” It’s a page in your spiritual audit. Think of David. Before he ever held Goliath’s sword, he held a shepherd’s staff.
His faithfulness in protecting sheep from lions and bears prepared him for national responsibility. The principle still stands: small doors open to big rooms. The dishonest steward in Luke 16 was quick-thinking, resourceful, and strategic but all for the wrong reasons. In Nigeria, “sharpness” often means outsmarting someone for personal gain. We praise people who can “run levels” or “package” themselves into opportunities, even if it bends the truth. But imagine if that same creativity, networking ability, and problem-solving skill were harnessed for Kingdom purposes: to mentor young people, create honest jobs, fund scholarships, or start projects that meet real needs. Jesus is not asking you to be naïve.
He is asking you to be as intentional about your soul as others are about their pockets. If an entrepreneur can spend sleepless nights perfecting a business pitch, why can’t we spend that same focus building our prayer life, serving with excellence, or sharing the Gospel? Kingdom sharpness means spotting opportunities to bless others before you spot opportunities to benefit yourself. Beloved, your life is a trust. Your job, your income, your influence, your time: they are all resources God has placed in your hands for a season. Handle them with the seriousness of someone who knows the Auditor is watching. Be faithful in the little, creative in serving the Kingdom, and relentless in prayer.
The Nigeria we dream of will not only be built by policies in Abuja but by honest transactions in the marketplace, fair deals in the office, Christlike patience in traffic, and knees bent in prayer behind closed doors. Faithfulness is not glamorous, but it is powerful. And when God finds you trustworthy in the small, He will open the door to the much both in this life and in eternity.
May the Lord make you wise without compromise, generous without grudging, and prayerful without ceasing. May your small acts of obedience echo loudly in heaven. And may the God who sees in secret reward you openly, now and forevermore. Amen.
• Rev. Fr. Joseph Odozi, Assistant Parish Priest, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Victoria Island, Lagos.
