Luke 16:10-11 “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?”

Verse 13 of this chapter is perhaps more famous, but this is equally deserving of our attention. This is the ultimate answer to those who those who ignore God in financial matters, whether by insisting that tithing was only for OT days or whether by perhaps tithing but then ignoring God in the use of the other 90%. Jesus is saying that material wealth is like play money, to teach us stewardship principles so that we will be ready for the real stuff. The problem is, we get entranced with the play money, and don’t value what is real. I’m reminded of a cartoon I saw of someone who, for some reason, had been allowed to take a bar of gold with him to heaven. When he showed it to a friend who had arrived before him, the friend said in astonishment, “You brought paving!?” Children often play with pebbles they pick up, sometimes pretending they are gems. Jesus is saying that all material wealth is exactly like that. God has “the riches of glory” (to use Paul’s expression) available for us, but we need to show that we are ready to handle it by our stewardship of material things.

Once again, I had a head start on a lot of people in this area because of my upbringing. In a missionary family there were certainly times when money was tight, but I don’t remember ever feeling like we were poor. On the contrary, God provided abundantly for us in various ways, to the point that I think quite a few people thought we were wealthy. The point is, the focus was never on the material, but on spiritual, intangible riches. We loved music and reading and family, and above all we loved God, and He took care of everything else. As a missionary myself, and in my case, without the support of a sending organization, I have certainly experienced God’s faithfulness in more ways than I could list. However, the temptation is always there to get anxious about material things, despite God’s perfect track record. Right now we’re in the middle of trying to simplify and eliminate, and that too is a part of stewardship. I need to be faithful in all of it, not just for my own sake but because I am an example for many, and almost everyone is caught in materialism to some degree.

Father, help me be faithful with everything You put in my hands, whether material or spiritual. As You said through me yesterday, everything You give us has a purpose. Help me recognize Your purpose for each thing so that it may be fulfilled, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!