"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.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?"
Luke 16:10-12
This is a great reminder that the small things matter. We so often want to believe that something is just a "little white lie" or that a sin is of the "small" or "not serious" variety, but God makes it clear here that everything that we do is tied together. If we're dishonest in one area, we're overwhelmingly likely to be dishonest in another area. Not because we're inherently horrible people, but because our guard isn't up, and slipping in a lie in one place makes it easier to blurt out one somewhere else. Any justification makes it easier to justify another one as no big deal. In our minds at least, we think that we might as well sin a little more since we already did in some other area. So, today, let's start taking the little things seriously. Let's remember that it is important to keep our tempers with telemarketers AND with our families. Let's remember that we should work hard at our jobs AND our callings. Let's make it a point to be honest on our taxes AND in our relationships. In all these cases, and in everything else in our lives, yes... sometimes one thing is more important than the other, but clearly that doesn't mean that the other things are unimportant... they also matter, and they affect who we are, and the integrity of our hearts.
The whole faithfulness thing is kind of like convincing our parents to let us have a pet. :) We have to prove we can take care of it first. As we work on being just and faithful with God's stuff and other people's stuff, we start learning how to take care of our own stuff. Let's commit to be faithful with the little things so that God can trust us with the big things.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?"
Luke 16:10-12
This is a great reminder that the small things matter. We so often want to believe that something is just a "little white lie" or that a sin is of the "small" or "not serious" variety, but God makes it clear here that everything that we do is tied together. If we're dishonest in one area, we're overwhelmingly likely to be dishonest in another area. Not because we're inherently horrible people, but because our guard isn't up, and slipping in a lie in one place makes it easier to blurt out one somewhere else. Any justification makes it easier to justify another one as no big deal. In our minds at least, we think that we might as well sin a little more since we already did in some other area. So, today, let's start taking the little things seriously. Let's remember that it is important to keep our tempers with telemarketers AND with our families. Let's remember that we should work hard at our jobs AND our callings. Let's make it a point to be honest on our taxes AND in our relationships. In all these cases, and in everything else in our lives, yes... sometimes one thing is more important than the other, but clearly that doesn't mean that the other things are unimportant... they also matter, and they affect who we are, and the integrity of our hearts.
The whole faithfulness thing is kind of like convincing our parents to let us have a pet. :) We have to prove we can take care of it first. As we work on being just and faithful with God's stuff and other people's stuff, we start learning how to take care of our own stuff. Let's commit to be faithful with the little things so that God can trust us with the big things.
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