November 22
The Cost of
Cutting Corners
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
Luke 16:10 (NIrV)
Martha had worked hard to build her business. For years, she had poured her heart into it, sacrificing time, energy, and sleep to make it successful. Now, things were going well—very well, in fact. Her client list was growing, and her profits were higher than they had ever been. But in the back of her mind, a thought kept creeping in: I could use a little more. Just enough to ease the pressure, to give myself a little more freedom, a little more security.
The tax season had arrived, and with it, the dreaded tax return. Martha sat at her desk, looking at the numbers. She had been so busy with the demands of her growing business that keeping every receipt and making sure every expense was accounted for felt exhausting. She thought about how much she could save if she adjusted a few figures here and there. It was small, just little tweaks—no one would notice. After all, the government had enough, didn’t they? And who would it hurt if she just borrowed a little from the system?
Her hands shook as she filled in the numbers, making adjustments to reduce her taxable income. No one would know, she reasoned. Just a little extra for me. I deserve it after all my hard work.
But then, the call came.
Martha's phone rang early one morning, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the caller ID—Tax Inspector.
"Ms. Thompson," the voice on the other end said, "we’ve noticed some discrepancies in your recent tax return. We’d like to discuss them with you."
Martha’s stomach dropped. Her mind raced. How could I have been so careless? She had let her desire for a little extra cloud her judgment, and now she was facing the consequences. The fear and shame washed over her as she realized how easy it had been to compromise her integrity for something that seemed insignificant at the time.
That day, Martha spent hours thinking about her choices. She prayed quietly, asking God for forgiveness, and the more she reflected, the clearer it became: the small decisions mattered. If I can’t be trusted with what seems like little things, how can I expect to handle anything bigger?
Prayer:
Dear God,
I come to You today with a heart heavy with regret.
I know that I have sometimes been careless with the small things, believing they didn’t matter.
But You’ve shown me that the small decisions shape who I am and who I am becoming.
Forgive me for the times I have taken shortcuts, for the moments I’ve let greed or fear cloud my judgment.
Help me to be trustworthy in all things, big and small.
Teach me to honor You in every part of my life, and to be faithful with all that You’ve entrusted to me.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
