March 25 2010, Luke 16

Key Verse: 

“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.”

(Luke 16:10)

Central Truth:

Use what God has given you wisely; when you get to Heaven it will be gone, and God will want to see your checkbook.

USE IT OR LOSE IT, GUARANTEED!

Read verse 9 again if it did not stick in your head. Did Jesus tell me to use worldly possessions to gain friends? He did. Just like the shrewd manager, we are given certain possessions on this earth to manage while we are here.

The "rule" is simple: Use your possessions to God’s glory. That’s it; end of devotion; have a great day.

OK, maybe I will expand a little: "You cannot take it with you" is a truth that is repeated throughout the Bible and in every day life. In the parable, the master (God) fired the manger for mismanaging what he was in charge of, he was lazy. When the manger realized he was losing all he had, he made some wise decisions. The manager received a percentage of what was collected as his salary. In cutting the amount paid back, he did not steal from the master but cut his own pay. He used his portion of the possessions to gain favor among his peers.

Similarly, the rich man was given everything but could not even share a crumb with Lazarus. We see him literally burning in Hell for eternity. Lazarus who had nothing but was thankful for everything is sitting beside Abraham. (Not sure how that conversation would go . . . "So Abraham, how’s the family?")

God may bless you with millions of dollars, great wisdom, a passion for helping, or simply a kind heart and warm smile. You may be living in a mansion or living under a bridge. Regardless, when we get to heaven, God will ask us what we did with what we were given.

Are you managing it wisely?

There is nothing wrong with being wealthy. God has not asked everyone to take a vow of poverty and give it all away. But, He does command us to use it to his Glory; it's that simple.

On a side note, I encourage you to research verses when they are not clear. I used a commentary on BibleGateway.com to get another prospective on Luke 16. There is a lot of scholarly (boring) information, but there are also some great facts about the time Luke 16 was written (and verses 16-18 which I did not touch on here). Whenever you read a verse that does not make sense, spend a few days of your quiet time researching. It is amazing what you can find.