Luke 16: 1-9
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?’
” ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
“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. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
A Thought
The manager was a dishonest steward who was looking out for himself in an underhanded, shrewd way. He was trying to make friends at the expense of his rich master by having the debtors only pay for a portion of what was owed. God wants us to be honest in all of our dealings with people, and to share our wealth with others.
Our Prayer
Father help us to be honest and fair in all our dealings with people. Help us to be willing to share our blessings of wealth and all our possessions that you have entrusted to us. Help us to be accountable to you in all things. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
