The comments are taken from ‘Mountain Rain’, Fraser’s biography written by his daughter Eileen Fraser Crossman.
Luke 16:10-13:
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (KJV)

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, 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? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?” (NLT)

Fraser’s comments from his diary written 100 years ago, around 1912…
His daughter commented: “James was only 22 and fast learning to school himself against the subtle inroads of apathy and lethargy. He tried hard to be faithful in the seemingly trivial tasks at hand.

“A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in a little thing is a great thing.” (Hudson Taylor)

James’ diary says:
“ It has come home to me very forcibly of late, that it matters little what the work is in which we are engaged. So long as God has put it into our hands, the faithful doing of it is of no greater importance in one case than in another.
The temptation I have often had to contend with is persistent under many forms.
If only I were in such and such a position, for example, shouldn’t I be able to do a great work?
I’m only studying engineering at present, but when I’m in training for missionary work, things will be different and more helpful.
Or I am just in preparation at present, taking Bible courses and so on, but when I get out to China, my work will begin.
I have left home now, but I’m only on the voyage, you know. When I’m really in China, I shall have a splendid chance of service.
Well, here is the training home in Shanghai, all my time must be given to language study, how can I do missionary work? But when I’m settled down in my station and able to speak freely, opportunities will be unlimited, etc., etc.

It is all if and when. I believe the devil is fond of those conjunctions. I have today, to a limited extent, the opportunities to which the devil has been putting me off.
The plain truth is that Scripture never teaches us to wait for opportunities of service, but to serve in just the things that lie next to our hands.”

And so in these early days James sorted out his tenses. There is no such thing as spiritual victory if it is not in the present tense.

“We often say ‘I’m looking forward to this, that or the other.’ Have we any right to be so dissatisfied with our present condition which God has ordained for us that we hanker after something in the future?
There is one great exception. We are to look forward with earnest expectation to the coming of the Lord.
Why should I look forward to the time when I should be able to speak Chinese more freely? Didn’t God intend me to serve an apprenticeship in learning the language?

And why should I look forward to a little more time for myself, for reading, etc.?
Though it is the most natural thing in the world to have such thoughts, I feel they are not at all scriptural. The Apostle Paul said that he’d learned, in whatever state he was, therein to be content, applying that he’d reached that attitude through discipline. And I suppose it must be so with all of us. The natural tendency is always to be straining after something in the future.”