Monday, November 2, 2015

Doing Business

Today let’s look at the story that Jesus told in Luke 16:1–8 called The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 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.’
“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 beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’“‘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.’“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.’“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

The three characters in the story are the Master, the Manager (Steward), and the Debtors. We see the scenes unfold from the manager being caught stealing, to his plan, and finally the master agreeing to keep him. Solomon tells us that:
 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold”
(Proverbs 22:1).
Be faithful today - store your riches in heaven. Amen?