God is looking to see how well you are stewarding what he has given you. Whatever you have does not belong to you it belongs to him. As a Christian you are part of a family business; you drive a company car and you are responsible for company funds. Everything belongs to the company, that is, the Kingdom of God. It’s important that we think like this lest our wealth and possessions become tools for our sense of security, autonomy and independence. If your wealth makes you feel less dependent on God, then you have a dependency problem. Your life is shaped by what you depend on. If your faith does not radically affect how you handle your finances, then you have reason to question whether it is real faith. It is not only your wealth and possessions that you should steward wisely. You are also to steward your relationships. God puts people into our lives for whom we are to be, in some sense, responsible. People are not commodities to be handled as a means to our pleasure or advantage. The Old Testament law was focused on relationships and Jesus was always adamant that it be interpreted as such. As an example, in this section of teaching, Jesus uses the divorce loophole that the Pharisees were using to abandon their wives. He reprimands those who would discard people when they are no longer attractive or useful or if they become too much trouble. Don’t throw away what God has given you. Don’t squander his gifts for your own advantage. Life is about other people.
Reflect on how well you are stewarding the relationships and the resources that God has put in your life.
Read Luke 16:10-18
