“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
Jesus points out a very important fact about human behavior – “whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (verse 10). It’s a sad truth, but a truth none the less. I say to myself “it’s just a little thing, I would never do anything largely dishonest!” Unfortunately that’s our failing, we don’t see the little things as the first steps on the wrong path.
Perhaps each of these little things are relatively unimportant by themselves, no one is harmed and life goes on. The problem is a pattern of repeated behavior, and humans are creatures of habit. Each of these acts are like a grain of sand and many grains of sand will eventually be a truckload!
Jesus warns us that being dishonest, even a little, can lead to a life of dishonesty. The manager in this parable probably didn’t start the job saying “I can’t wait to start acting dishonestly!” As with many of our sins, it happens little by little, step by step. Don’t take that next step! Turn and step confidently into His forgiveness and love.
Heavenly Father, we are sorry when we fail to act honestly, behaving in ways that shame us and separate us from Your purpose for our lives. Help us to be strong in the face of temptation and always rely on Your strength and wisdom, not our own. Amen.