The Little, the True and The Trust

““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. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:10-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Little

How one handles the little – time, family, friends, money, children – speaks a lot about their character. At times all one needs to do is listen to what a person talks about know where their priorities lie. Often times people tend to blame their lack of performance, motivation or excellence on their circumstance – “because I don’t have that position”, “because he/she treats me like this”, “because I don’t have a burger”. Okay, I made that last one up, but you get the picture. We fall prey to the thinking that says, “I’ll do well when I get that promotion.”, “I’ll treat them better if they are nice to me”, “If only I had more money, then I could’ve achieved my dreams”, “if I had that kind of a figure then I would have more confidence”. But at the end of the day the question isn’t how much you don’t have or where you haven’t reached. The question is where are you now and what are you doing with what you have in your hands now. It’s important that we start now. Espouse the quality of character, faithfulness, friendship, loyalty and lifestyle right now that you want to see in your most successful self. Because the principle holds true – how you handle the little, is how you hand much. While the quantity, visibility, and positions may vary – the principle is the same.

The True

Jesus spoke a lot about money. But he didn’t use money to measure the richness of a person. He taught that it was in how rich a person was towards God that one could take pride in. And that richness comes not by giving him money, but by doing his will. Look at the distinction he makes between “worldly wealth” and “true riches”. SO if we thought that “worldly wealth” was true riches we are sadly mistaken. Richness for me is found in relationship. And I think it’s the same for God. During a time when Abraham refused to take a plunder from a wicked king, God comes to him and says, “Do not be afraid Abraham. I am our shield and your very great reward.” In other words, don’t worry about the money or riches you had to give up, I am your great reward. What is your reward today? Is money your measure of richness? Let’s move from that to “true riches” – how we use our money and resources to bless those around us – that’s true richness. How we love our families – that’s true richness. How we coach people who are in need – that’s true richness. How we live for and enjoy God – that’s true richness.

On that note, it is so easy for us to get carried away with priorities of people around us – living to make that extra buck, fame, chasing significance on social media, and keeping track of people approval. No wonder are a lonely, anxious and depressed generation – because it’s not true riches – it will never satisfy.

The Trust

It’s very telling when Jesus makes the distinction again between what is our own and what is given to us as a trust. And from this, he makes it clear that what we have as “our own” is in actuality nothing more than a trust for us to steward and make better, So things like – our money, family, jobs, the world we live in, the life we have, the health we have – all of it is a trust. How would we treat our families, our friends, handle our money or take care of this world, if we knew that it was given to us for a small period of time? Our lifetime. This is preparation for true riches and true ownership. How we handle it here would affect how much we are entrusted with and how we handle things in eternity.

Today, don’t lose sight of that. We were made for eternity. God has trusted us here, and is preparing and testing us here for what he wants to give us in eternity. More on eternity later. Be blessed!