Does the way you handle money now make you trustworthy to handle true riches?
Read / Listen
Read Luke 16:10-13
Listen to passage & devotional:
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 110
Q. What does God forbid
in the eighth commandment?
A. He forbids not only outright
theft and robbery,
punishable by law.
But in God’s sight theft also includes
cheating and swindling our neighbor
by schemes made to appear legitimate,
such as:
inaccurate measurements of
weight, size, or volume;
fraudulent merchandising;
counterfeit money;
excessive interest;
or any other means forbidden by God.
In addition he forbids all greed
and pointless squandering of his gifts.
Summary
These words of Jesus, spoken at the tail end of the parable of the dishonest manager speak to a matter of stewardship. Those who are faithful in very little are also said to be faithful in much. Likewise, those who are dishonest in very little are also dishonest in much. With these words, Jesus is encouraging the Disciples to remain faithful in small matters for their faithfulness in the seemingly minute will better prepare them to remain faithful in matters of the highest importance.
Dig Deeper
In this teaching, Jesus is speaking to more than the stewardship of monetary resources. The way in which you steward your earthly possessions is an indicator of whether you can be trusted with spiritual wealth. If you are unwilling to be faithful in that which is of the world and therefore temporary, how then can you be trusted with true riches, such as the immeasurable treasure of the Gospel?
As the Body of Christ, we have been entrusted with the Gospel message. However, if your focus is solely upon the building of your financial household, how then are you able to give proper stewardship to the Gospel? As Jesus states in verse 13, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
The Greek term translated here as “serve” more literally means to “be a slave of”. Jesus is warning the Disciples against allowing money to make them its slave. He says as much, closing this teaching with the words, “you cannot serve God and money”. If your focus in life is upon your own wealth and comfort, this will choke out all room to faithfully serve our Lord and Savior. Devotion to earthly riches is by nature at odds with one’s devotion to Christ. Both cannot be your master, either you belong to Christ, or you belong to the riches of this world. As you remain devoted to Jesus and show yourself as a faithful steward of earthly resources, you also demonstrate your trustworthiness in matters of spiritual wealth.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has trusted us with much;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the strength to resist the temptations of the world that seek to drag you away from your one true Master;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 4
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