10/3/2015
Luke 16.10-11 10 “One
who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is
dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not
been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true
riches?” – Jesus
In my vocation, I work with other people’s money. I am
held responsible for how it is handled and how it’s reported. If I make
mistakes there are strict consequences. The shrewd manager in Luke 16 made some
mistakes with his master’s money and the manager lost his job, but not before
he greased a few palms and secured his future. His master commended him for his
trickery, but he didn’t hire him back.
When we look back through recent history we find that
there are almost endless cases of monetary shenanigans in our world. Not only
is the love of money the root of all evil, but the desire for money and what it
brings, is a powerful power, and has led to the ruin of many. To possess great
wealth one must have great faithfulness, erstwhile it's not how much money one has but how much money has one. Money appeals to a very dangerous
part of our lives.
Jesus said if we’re faithful with little, we can be
faithful with much. His point, methinks, is that to honor wealth properly if
one’s wealth is small, helps to honor wealth properly if one’s wealth is great.
I think Jesus is speaking to our attitude toward money and our relationship
with it.
In this world we relate to everything in our lives –
money is just one of the many things to which we relate. A relationship with
money is knowing how to treat it and knowing how it treats us. Though money isn’t
a living thing, it still has an influence in our day to day living. Do we
possess money or does it possess us? In our relationship with money who is in
control, us, or it? What would happen in our living if we kept money in its
proper place? I think this is what Jesus was getting at.
I marvel that in this great world there are things called
wealth and economy. I am amazed that God in all His wisdom has allowed us to
live in a world where there is the exchange of currency. I am amazed that we
have valuation; that we have this understanding of wealth and its transfer. But
I am not amazed that in the midst of all this transaction that God has called
us to be wise in our relationship with it, and to it.
One of the strangest verses in all of Scripture is
Ecclesiastes 10:19:
A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything. (NIV)
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything. (NIV)
Hmmm, what would our world look like if we treated money
with respect, and each other with love?
Faithfulness goes a long way with God. Humility goes even
farther. And I think there is a great grace available to all who struggle in
their relationship with money – rich and poor, and indebted. My prayer today is
simply this:
Lord, as I work
with people to be wise with their money, may I partake of Your great grace to
be wise with my own. May I be found faithful with little or much, and may my
relationship with money be a relationship that honors You. Amen
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