There
is something that is somewhat ironic in the passage about the shrewd money
manager from Luke 16:1-13. The irony is that the manager
was praised for doing something that appears to be wrong, but in fact he had
the foresight to plan for his future by preparing for the financial needs he
would have after his dismissal. He used his expertise with money to make
friends for himself-friends who could help him if and when they were needed.
Was
the manager crooked? Perhaps he was, and perhaps he was not. You see, at that
time Jews were not allowed to charge interest to other Jews, but they could
charge interest to the Gentiles. The Jews could get around this by charging for
100 items instead of 50 items, for example. Those who received his favour would
be obliged to do something for him in return. While they would likely not hire
him, they would likely show him hospitality or help him find a job.
Jesus
once said that “No one can serve two
masters”. In other words, we cannot serve both God and wealth. Jesus was
teaching his disciples that they must also use money to prepare for their
future, and he teaches us to do the same today. For example, many of you
prepared for your senior years by saving and sacrificing when you were younger.
Some people think that planning is unspiritual. They think, “I’ll just trust
the Holy Spirit. I’ll just go through life. I don’t need any plans. I’ll just
kind of drift with the Holy Spirit’. Then there are those people who refuse to
work. They are the type of people who think that God or society will provide
for them, but Saint Paul said that those who do not work should not expect to
eat.
There
is a word for those kinds of people-dumb! God gave us his will when he gave us
brains. He solved most of our problems when he gave us intelligence. Let me ask
you this: why would God give us intelligent brains and then say, “I want you to
put them on the shelf and don’t ever do what is common sense”? He wouldn’t. God
revealed much of his will for our lives when he gave us brains. All through the
Bible, the Scriptures say we plan. God helps all those who call upon his name,
but he will not do for us what we can do for ourselves.
Jesus’
idea was that we must use our resources, including money, to serve others and
the work of God’s kingdom. We do NOT own our possessions-God owns them. He
lends them to us with the hope and understanding that we will use them to do
his work in our world. Money is not an end in itself; it is a resource from God
that is not to be wasted.
One
of the wisest things we can do with our money is to give it away. Why? Because
gaining friends through generous gifts means that we will be welcomed into
eternal dwellings. How will they help us? One answer has to do with the
upside-down nature of God’s kingdom as expressed in Luke 13:30. There, the
first will be last and the last will be first. In other words, the poor will be
rich and can easily welcome us into their eternal homes. Hopefully they will
also serve as witnesses on behalf of those who help them.
We
do not have to be extraordinary people for God to use us. God uses ordinary people
to do extraordinary things. He makes a way when there is no way. He uses
unlikely people so he will get all the credit from their frail and faulty
efforts. We start in this journey by doing small things. If we faithfully help
others, God will bless us.
How
we deal with little things indicates how we will deal with big things.
Faithfulness in the small assignments God gives us qualifies us for the
opportunity to serve in greater and more influential ways. My own journey as a
lay minister started with reading scriptures on Sunday morning, and has
included assisting the priest, preparing prayers and leading worship services.
If we are obedient and faithful where God plants us, He will do awesome things
in our lives. God has blessed the choir members for helping others, and he has
blessed me in my ministry.
Proverbs
14:8 states, “The wise man looks ahead.
The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face the facts”. We must
remember that one day God will ask us to give an account of how we have used
the resources he gave us. How we use our resources determines how much God will
bless us. Long term security is more important than short-term gain. Like the
dishonest manager, our lives will be far more secure if we maintain our
relationships instead of striving to get rich quick. We must not waste our
resources on “stuff”. Stuff does not last. The best investment of our money,
time and life is in people and the Word of God, because these are the only
things that will last. What is highly valued among men is hated in God’s sight.
The choice to serve God rather that wealth requires the wisdom to see that
spiritual riches are true riches.
The
manager was a person in a crisis who recognized his situation, knew what he had
to do, and acted quickly to do it. We as children of God need to do the same. Please
do not misunderstand me. God wants us to pray when we are in a difficult
situation, but he also wants us to act. Pick up the phone Ask for help from a
family member or friend. Learn some new skills. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t
sit there passively and wait for someone else to rescue you. We need to know
how to use the resources God gives us, and continue to live in God’s esteem.
Thanks be to
God, AMEN
Bibliography
1.
Charles F.
Stanley Life Principles Bible, New American Standard Version
2.
EVS Study
Bible, part of Wordsearch Bible software package.
3.
Jamieson-Fawcett-Brown
Commentary, part of Wordsearch Bible software package.
4.
Wycliffe
Bible Commentary, part of Wordsearch Bible software package.
5.
Lysa
TerKeurst, “Do You Have a Dream?” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com
6.
Rick Warren,
“God Will Never Exempt You from the Mundane”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
7.
Bayless
Conley, “Faithful to Another”. Retrieved from www.answersbc.org
8.
Rick Warren,
“Lessons From a Shrewd Money Manager”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
9.
Daniel
Clendenin, Ph.D., “Faith and Wealth: Gospel Lessons, Wall Street Examples”.
Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net
10.
Jude
Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 25th Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved
from www.preacherexchange.org
11.
King Duncan,
“There’s Something about Con Men”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
12.
Brett Blair
and staff, “Increasing Our Standard of Giving”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
13.
Dr. Mickey
Anders, “The Dishonest Manager”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
14.
Dr. Keith
Wagner, “It’s the Little Things That Count”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
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