The parable of the shrewd manager contains an important message for a money obsessed world. It reminds us of what is most important in life: relationships. This isn’t about being dishonest and ripping off our employers. Jesus is saying that what the shrewd manager did with his master’s money is exactly what God wants us to do with the resources he has given to us. He is telling us to use money to bless others and he is inviting us to be almost recklessly generous. Consider the shrewd manager; he knew that he wouldn’t have the money for long and that what would really matter after his life in his master’s employment would be his relationships with other people. So, he invests his master’s money on what would matter the most to him at the end of his term: relationships. It’s the same for us. Money will have no worth when our life-term is up but the kindness we have shown to others will. So judge your wealth, not by what you earn, but by what you give. Money spent on ourselves will bring temporary reward but money spent on others will bring an eternal reward. You can always afford to be generous. In fact, I encourage you to be generous until it hurts a little. A sacrifice that costs you nothing is also worth nothing in the eyes of God. Remember, you don’t win acceptance with God by your sacrifice because Jesus has won that for you by his death. What you win through sacrificial generosity is the reward that he loves to give to those who love and bless others.
Reflect on who you can bless today.
Read Luke 16:1-9
