5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Samuel 1-2
Luke 16:1-18

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Luke 16:8-9 (CSB): “The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd than the children of light in dealing with their own people. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In Luke 16:1-13, we have another of Jesus’ parables. My Bible added the heading, “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.”

The parable begins with a very rich man who discovered that his manager had been squandering his wealth. The rich man wisely decided to fire the manager, but his mistake was that he didn’t do it right away.

The corrupt manager heard of his master’s intentions and began thinking about how to make things easier on himself after his master fired him. He determined to call in all of his master’s debtors. He asked each one how much they owed his master, then whimsically trimmed a substantial amount off each one’s debt. In this way, his master’s debtors would be grateful (and indebted) to this dishonest manager for decreasing the amount they owed his master. This manager could cash in on all that goodwill after losing his job.

After telling this parable, Jesus said: “… For the children of this age are more shrewd than the children of light in dealing with their own people” (Luke 16:8).

Basically, Jesus said that unbelievers tend to be wiser than believers in how they strategically help others. He was pointing out that the unbelieving, dishonest manager was a sinner. Yet, he wisely used money to increase his friends as he prepared for his future.

The point I’m about to make is very important! Jesus did not approve or commend the dishonest manager’s actions. He simply stated that his actions, although wrong, were strategic and prepared him for a desirable future.

The lesson Jesus made with this parable isn’t that we should engage in dishonest practices or “buying” friends. Instead, He wanted us to wisely prepare for our future (like the dishonest manager) in how we use our resources to bless others. We are to use our wealth to make friends for eternity.

Luke 16:9 (CSB): “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.”

How does this work? How can we use our “worldly wealth” to “make friends for ourselves” who will “welcome (us) into eternal dwellings”?

You may already know the answer. But here it is…

We are to use our (God’s) resources to help people get access to the Gospel. We are to use our wealth to help unbelievers who need the essentials of life, and we are to do so “in Jesus’ Name.”

In doing so, we are using God’s entrusted wealth to draw people closer to Jesus. Some will hear the Gospel because we used our money to help missionaries and anyone else who could share the Good News with them. Others will be drawn to Jesus because we used our wealth to meet their needs in Jesus’ Name (we aren’t a government agency; we help others as we point them to Jesus).

When we get to Heaven, many of those people will meet us and say, “Thank you so much for using your money strategically so that I could come to understand just how good Jesus is. You are the one God used to point me to Jesus. I trusted in Him because of you. Thank you so much!!!”

I can only imagine our joy when so many in Heaven thank us for using our wealth to distribute aid and the Gospel to those who so desperately need it.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you see your wealth as His wealth.
  • Ask God to help you use His wealth wisely.
  • Ask God to help you use His wealth strategically to help someone in their time of need (in Jesus’ Name) and to help someone hear the Gospel.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the parable of the dishonest manager, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)