This refers to our use of worldly wealth here on earth, but other areas of responsibility should not be neglected. I have worked in a correctional facility for several years now and I think about this principal as I see new hires come and go-mainly with regards to time. Like any other job, we are supposed to be on time. This is the simplest of all expectations when it comes to work. Arriving on time is also a tell tale sign of reliability. I have seen new hires come in late to their initial training, (not just once but several times) however, they seemed to have “time” to stop at Dunkin Donuts and grab a coffee. So, if I were a supervisor and saw this, why would I entrust to them greater responsibility when basic expectations are not met? Likewise, how can we, in our Christian walk, expect God to entrust us with certain ministries or careers when we haven’t shown ourselves to be faithful in the little jobs he has given us? We must not forget our character is a sum total of our individual traits.  On June 24, 2000 the New York Times reported the following story: 

 

J. P. Morgan & Company, a bank worth $21 billion, was disconnected from the Internet on June 13, 2000 for failure to pay a $35 bill. The venerable Wall Street firm found itself without a Web site or an e-mail connection to the outside world because it had failed to renew the registration of www.jpmorgan.com , the domain name that serves as its address on the World Wide Web. Throughout the day, clients were unable to visit the Web site or exchange e-mail messages with the firm’s bankers and traders. All that frustration could have been averted if Morgan had sent a check for $35 for the annual registration fee to Network Solutions, a domain-name registrar in Herndon, Virginia. It pulled the plug on Morgan six weeks after Morgan’s bill came due and after sending the firm at least three bills, said Chris Clough, vice president for corporate communications at Network Solutions.

 

Granted, $35 dollars doesn’t seem much to a billion dollar company but it affected the entire organization that day. Our stewardship with little things in our lives is like the individual strokes on a painting forming a “picture of faithfulness”. What does yours look like?

 

So you, too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'” Lk. 17:10

 Today we are seeing the disappearance of words like “duty” and “ought”. I remember that when I first entered the Navy, the word “duty” took on a whole new meaning. I actually came to realize that I did have an obligation to give back to my country which had given me so much. However, after a short time that sense left and once again I was performing my “duties” only to be praised and recompensed. 

The Christian life can be the same way. We can start out serving joyfully and with the understanding that this is what I “ought to” have always done. But this, too, changes over time and when we feel we are not appreciated for what we have done we become embittered and cynical. I am just as guilty as the next guy. So what’s Jesus’ answer to this? Well, He basically throws a bucket of ice water on us. He gives us a reality check and puts things into perspective using the illustration of a servant. Here the servant’s work is not done when he comes in from the field. Why? He’s a servant. It’s his role all the time and it does not change. His completed work is what is expected of him, nothing more, nothing less: his duty. Jesus gives us the perfect example. He came “not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” Keeping things in perspective always helps with our own expectations of others and the recognition we think we deserve.