Two intriguing stories bracket this chapter. It opens with a corrupt manager and ends with the intermingled lives of a rich man and a beggar. Buried between these main acts is a single sentence that caught my attention. Verse10: 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.
As I read and reread that sentence, I found myself thinking about building a life legacy. And this word from Jesus reminds me to start in the right direction.
Whoever can be trusted with very little… whoever is dishonest with very little. Certainly a life can change but don’t underestimate your start. Start well signals Jesus.
When I was a youngster my parents emphasized honesty. One day my friends and I got into some neighborhood mischief and a neighbor caught us and sent us scattering into the woods. What I didn’t know was that my neighbor called our parents. When I came home, my mom asked what I had been up to. I lied, replying something like, “Oh, nothing, just riding bikes.” Then the hammer fell. She started “Mr. So-n-so called…” I don’t remember much of the rest of what she said but what I do remember is the conclusion… “You are in trouble,m not for what you did, but because you lied to me…”
I learned a tremendous lesson about honesty that day, one that has served me well throughout my life.
My parents understood that I should learn this key lesson early in life so I could build a life on honesty.
ON the flip side, statistics show that prison is populated with people who began with petty crimes and over time things escalated. Be wise in choosing your path, that’s the Lord’s devotional ‘take-away’ today…
Lord, I want to be an honest person. Lord, I want to be a person who hears Your voice and follows. Lord, I want to be a person whom You can trust. Lord, where I have started and journeyed well, I pray You will use me.
And, Lord, in those areas where I have not traveled the straight and narrow, I ask Your forgiveness and I pray that you will allow me to start over in the right direction. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
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