Faithful with Five Dollars

Luke 16:10"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."

Faithful with Five Dollars

Have you ever found yourself making funny promises like, "If I ever win a million dollars, you can be sure that I'll give you half of it!"? It's actually quite easy to make such a promise because we don't really believe it will ever happen. It's much harder, though, to give someone half of the five dollars you already have in your pocket. If you are not willing to part with half of your five dollars, you would not be willing to part with half of your million, either.

This principle is set forth for us in Luke 16:10, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much...." The Lord tells us here that it is not the amount that really matters; it is what you do with the amount that you have. There are many factors that determine how much you have-you are not in complete control of that. But what you can control is what you do with the amount the Lord has given you.

Don't spend your life saying, "If only I had . . . I would do such and such." It doesn't matter what you would do; it matters what you do right now! There is a familiar saying about what you would do: "If wishes were diamonds, beggars would be kings." The Lord tells us that the proof of how we would handle much is in how we handle little.

The key word in this verse and the verses following is the word faithful. God is looking to see if we are faithful with what He has given us. I Corinthians 4:2 tells us, "Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." Throughout the Bible, the Lord links the word faithful to the word steward. Being a steward is more than being a servant (though you have to be a servant to be a good steward). You see, a steward is a servant who is entrusted with what belongs to another. It is a position that holds great responsibility. We never read about Joseph's personal belongings, but we know that he was entrusted with the wealth of Potiphar's household-and ultimately the wealth of Egypt itself! He was a faithful steward.

God calls us stewards as well-stewards of what belongs to Him. None of what we have is truly ours. God has chosen to entrust His riches to us. Are you being faithful with what you have?
Look at the next verse: "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" Notice that money is not our greatest responsibility. Yes, it may be our greatest test of stewardship, but there are other things in life that are far more important. The Lord says here that if we are not faithful with money, how can the Lord entrust us with "true riches"?

The next verse asks another rhetorical question: "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" We automatically take better care of things in which we have a vested interest-things that we would call "ours." But the Lord looks to see how we take care of those things which are not "ours." If we can learn to be faithful with these things, the Lord can entrust us with things that are far greater and dearer to us.

Notice in these verses that God is the One Who determines our stewardship. He chooses how much to give us, not only in material wealth, but also in responsibilities. Are you being faithful with what the Lord has already given you?

Don't spend your life wishing for more money or for more of something else. Spend your life being a good steward of what God has put in your hands. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." Be faithful with your five dollars!


Prayer Requests:

1. New York City Evangelistic Outreach this week (Jan. 5-9)
2. Revival services tonight in Delray Beach, FL
3. Evangelists traveling to services this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Palm Bay, FL; and Reserve, NM

For more information about the Bill Rice Ranch visit our website: billriceranch.org