Serve God, Not Money

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “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. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 16:1–13
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Serve God, Not Money
This parable can be quite difficult to understand. Jesus is surely not praising theft and lying or dishonest gain. So what is the message we are supposed to take from these words? Our Lord would have us guard against becoming enslaved to the pursuit of wealth. All our riches are a blessing from God and should not be misused. Instead, we are tasked with using the talents and treasures God has given us for godly and eternal purposes. We need not worry and become obsessed with wealth and its accumulation, for the riches of this world will all fade and pass away eventually. Instead, God offers us lasting treasure in Christ and a true perspective on money and possessions. May God continue to deliver us from the love of money, while at the same time increasing our love for Him and for one another.