1Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “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. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:1-12)
The Lord Jesus told this parable to His disciples. He commended the unrighteous manager, not for his unrighteousness, but for his wisdom and for preparing for the future. Then the Lord Jesus said, “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” This means that worldly people are wiser and more diligent in pursuing worldly affairs and temporary gains than believers are in pursuing eternal values.
The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to use worldly wealth to gain eternal friends. Every believer is a steward of God’s property; the resources we possess today are temporary. We must use worldly wealth to prepare for eternity and invest in the eternal realm. We can provide for the poor, donate to the church, and help those in need.
The Lord Jesus continued, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” Jesus was speaking about being faithful in the small matter of money so that we will also be faithful in the great matters of the eternity. If we are unfaithful with worldly wealth, God will not entrust true riches to us in the future. Right now, we are stewards of God’s wealth; money belongs to God, and He allows us to manage it. If we are unfaithful with what belongs to God, He will not give us what belongs to us in the future, the eternal heavenly treasures, the things that will truly belong to us as our own eternal inheritance. Therefore, we must seize the opportunities of this present life to invest for eternity and store up treasures in heaven.
May God bless you and your family!
