He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.

— Luke 16:10

Jesus didn’t say to everyone what He said to the rich young ruler; instructing him to sell all he had, give to the poor, and follow Him (Luke 18). I think that what we really have in the story of the rich young ruler is the story of the taproot sin.

Some trees that have taproots have other roots that extend out a little bit on the surface. But they have one root that goes deep down into the earth. You can cut all of the surface roots, and you can’t remove that tree to save your life unless you cut the taproot. In His encounter with the rich young ruler, Christ put the axe to the taproot of his sin. The rich young ruler trusted in his possessions.

What we have been given is for our benefit and for the good of God’s people and His Kingdom. Numerous times I have seen how much good one committed Christian can do for God using his wealth. Whether we have little or much, the important thing is: Can God trust us to manage what He has given us?

Question to ponder:
How can you use your possessions for God and His Kingdom?