“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]? 13 No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely). 14 Now the Pharisees, who were covetous and lovers of money, heard all these things [taken together], and they began to sneer at and ridicule and scoff at Him. 15 But He said to them, You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted and highly thought of among men is detestable and abhorrent (an abomination) in the sight of God. Luke 16:10-15 AMP
The Pharisees, religious leaders, appeared “holy” on the outside, but, in reality, their hearts were far from God. They were covetous and lovers of money, therefore, they were offended at Jesus’ words. They loved mammon more than they loved God.
If you read all of Jesus’ words taken together, you will see that He never says that you cannot have or enjoy material possessions. He does make it abundantly clear that material possessions should not have you! You cannot serve God and mammon, and every person must make their own choice for God or material possessions. God must be more important to you than your possessions – after all, everything you own is His first. Only when you recognize that your blessing comes from God, and not by your own power alone, can you truly enjoy the things He gives you.
If you pursue God and put Him first in your life, trusting in Him and depending on Him, He will pursue you with blessings. You will not ever need to worry about whether or not you will be taken care of. However, if you put things first in your life, trusting in them and depending on them, you will spend all your time and energy on trying to acquire them and protect them, with no time to just enjoy your life.
Jesus says that if you want the blessing of God on your life, you should be faithful in three areas.
You must be faithful first in small responsibilities
The principles of faithfulness remain the same, whether in a big thing or a small thing. If you are faithful in very little things, you will also be faithful in the bigger things, and if you are dishonest and unjust in very little things, you will also be dishonest and unjust in the bigger things. It is not possible to suddenly be faithful in big things if you have not already been faithful in the small things! You always begin small, therefore, you must be faithful in small things; things that seem little, too easy, insignificant, unimportant, menial, not noticed, not obvious, taken for granted, expected, not valued by others, or “beneath you.” Only then, will you be given responsibility for bigger and more important things.
You must be faithful with money
Who would have thought that the way you handle your money would determine how you handle spiritual things – the true riches? Jesus says that the two are inseparable. You prove that you will be faithful with the things of God – His Word; His call; His anointing; His gifts – by how faithful you are with plain, ordinary money. Covetousness corrupts. If you are covetous, then you will allow your greed and selfishness to determine how you handle the things of God. You will put yourself first and you will manipulate people for your own ends, instead of lovingly serving them as Jesus did. You will do things for a selfish money motive, not allowing the Word of God or the Holy Spirit to lead you. You won’t be submitted to the Lord – you will set your own agenda. How should you show your faithfulness with money? Put God first where your money is concerned. Work, be a giver, be a person of integrity, do not take that which is not yours, and always pay what you owe.
If you want to be a good boss you need to be a good worker
Before you are given your own authority and responsibility you will be asked to take responsibility for that which belongs to another. Only when you have taken responsibility for someone else’s stuff and proven your faithfulness, will you be given your own responsibility and authority. Your integrity and faithfulness is what causes you to be promoted, in due time. The natural realm carries into the Spirit realm. The way you treat another man’s things is an indication of how you will handle God’s things. If you are faithful when you are under authority, it follows that you will be faithful when you are in authority. Even then, any authority you have is given by God and you are still responsible to Him. Every gift, talent, call, and anointing you have is God’s and is given to you for His glory – not yours!
If you make the decision to put God first in your life, before mammon, you will not find it difficult to be faithful in these areas, and you will be rewarded by the Lord in your due season. Remember – nothing you ever do for Him will go unnoticed or unrewarded!