Being trustworthy

“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
There’s a saying, ‘Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.’ It’s referring to our attitude in dealing with small things, because if we have integrity with small things, we will also have integrity with big things. If we don’t steal pens from work because we know it’s wrong, we won’t cheat on our taxes. If we don’t flirt with our co-workers, we won’t be drawn into adultery.
This principle doesn’t just apply to money. It applies to secrets we might be asked to keep, ministries we might be given to do in church – the list is endless. We may desire to minister to thousands. But are we faithful in ministering to our own family at home?
Jesus told a couple of parables about some servants who were given large amounts of money and told to put it to work until their master returned (talents, Matt. 25:14ff, and minas, Luke 19:12ff). In the parable of the talents, although each servant received a different amount and gained a different amount through his work, all received the same commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:21, 23). With the minas, each one received the same amount, and gained different amounts, and received a reward in proportion to what they had gained (Luke 19:16-19).
There are rewards in heaven to be gained. They are gained in proportion to what we were given in the first place. Here Jesus tells us that money is one of the ‘little’ things (Luke 16:11). In the light of eternity, all our material possessions won’t add up to much. None of it will matter. But our attitude is demonstrated in how we treated those things. Have you proven yourself to be trustworthy in the little things?