Being Faithful With the Work I’ve Been Given

In Luke 16:10-11 I read, “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (TLB)

If I think I’m going to be bored in heaven, think again.

I won’t be sitting around on a cloud doing nothing in heaven. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity.

I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference between work in heaven and work on Earth: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress over my work. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. I’ll have my dream job forever!

While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be in heaven. I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am with the roles and responsibilities God has given me on Earth. 

God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now.

What am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I’ll make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities once I get there will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth.

The Bible explains: “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:10-11 TLB).

God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities. 

The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth—if I’m always in debt, I can’t afford to tithe, and I’m not generous—then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity?

God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer.

When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.

In summary, I won’t be bored in heaven. I won’t be sitting around doing nothing. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t just make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity. I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be, I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am/was with the roles and responsibilities God gave me to do on Earth. God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now. So what am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth. God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities on earth. The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth, then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity? God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer. When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.

My integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details I could easily ignore. Heaven's riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little I have), I will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God's Kingdom. See that I maintain my integrity in all matters, whether big or small.

My Choices Control My Calendar

In Galatians 6:5 I read, “We are each responsible for our own conduct.” (NLT)

My choices are far more powerful than my circumstances.

I can see this more clearly in how I spend my time. I may not like how complicated and busy life has become. But with few exceptions, no one is forcing me to keep my life that complicated.

I have the power to simplify my life. In fact, God expects me to assume responsibility for my calendar and to carefully choose how I spend my time.

Do I really know how much time I have here on earth? I have just enough time to do God’s will. In other words, I’ve been given just enough time to fulfill my purpose. When I try to do more than God planned for me, it’s only natural that I’ll find myself constantly out of time or stressed over my schedule.

If the Devil can’t make me bad, he’ll make me busy. He’ll get me so busy that I don’t have time for the important stuff, time alone with God, ministry, and mission.

What do I need to let go of? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything is helpful” (HCSB). This means: A lot of things aren’t necessarily wrong; they’re just not necessary. Life often means choosing either “Am I going to do something good?” or “Am I going to do what’s best?”

Take time this week to pray over my calendar. Ask God to show me what parts of it are part of his purpose for me. As I do this, I may find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as I do only the things God created me to do.

In summary, I am responsible for my own conduct. My choices are far more powerful than my circumstances. I can see this more clearly in how I spend my time. I may not like how complicated and busy life has become. But with few exceptions, no one is forcing me to keep my life that complicated. I have the power to simplify my life. God expects me to assume responsibility for my calendar and to carefully choose how I spend my time. I have just enough time to do God’s will. I’ve been given just enough time to fulfill my purpose. When I try to do more than God planned for me, it’s only natural that I’ll find myself constantly out of time or stressed over my schedule. If the Devil can’t make me bad, he’ll make me busy. He’ll get me so busy that I don’t have time for the important stuff, time alone with God, ministry, and mission. What do I need to let go of? A lot of things aren’t necessarily wrong; they’re just not necessary. Life often means choosing either “Am I going to do something good?” or “Am I going to do what’s best?” So I should pray over my calendar and ask God to show me what parts of it are part of his purpose for me. I will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as I do only the things God created me to do.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.