Managing My Wealth

A manager was mismanaging the funds. The rich man who owned the funds heard about it and did an audit asking the manager to give an account of his management. Knowing he was caught and not liking his prospects, he quickly began using the rich man’s wealth to make friends while he still could. He called in some of the people who owed money and reduced their bills. Even though he had been taken by the manager, the master commended his shrewdness. “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:8-9

At first look, it seems that Jesus is saying to use money to buy friends. But since that doesn’t line up with other things Jesus taught, I have to go back and look at that again. Maybe I can come in through the back door and look at what Jesus ties to being welcomed into eternal dwellings.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:34-36

Using my resources to care for others is important to God. Jesus says that is what will separate those whose hearts belong to God from those whose hearts are focused on themselves. So maybe what Jesus is intending here is for us to understand that worldly wealth needs to be left in the world. Use it to help others and Jesus will call you his friend because that is where the heart of God is. Jesus read Isaiah in the temple when starting his ministry, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19

If we are using our resources to help carry out his mission, he will be pleased with us. Jesus goes on in explaining his parable about wealth. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? Luke 16:10-12

How we handle wealth and resources in this world is an indicator of how we will handle ‘true riches’ which I would take to be eternal life. Is it possible we are building our own mansions in heaven by how we use what God gives us here on earth? In that case, I’m paying very close attention to the widow who gave 2 small copper coins – all she had – because in God’s accounting, she gave more than the rest of them put together. It’s not the physical amount, but the heart that gives it. By giving everything she had, she showed that she fully trusted God to take care of her.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:13 About the matter of the heart… am I motivated by money or by God? Money in itself is not bad. In fact it is quite useful. But if I make my decisions to keep or have more money and if I use my money to seek power over other people, my heart is not with God’s heart.

“The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’” Luke 16:14-15

Oh God, keep teaching me your heart. Help me to look at your face as I look into the faces of others who have needs. Help me to respond with a heart fully tuned in to you and trusting you with everything I have because everything I have comes from you and belongs to you.