This story in Luke is a hard one to interpret. A wealthy man has a manager who has been dishonest and so is going to be fired. The dishonest manager then goes to those who are in debt to the master and advises them to change on paper the amount that they owed the master. So the master praises the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly to protect himself. It still seems that the manager was dishonest but the master does praise him for quick thinking.
Jesus then goes on to say that we should also use our "worldly wealth" to help those around us in need or to help them come to know Jesus. In this way, our financial means are reaping an eternal benefit. For us and for those we influence.
The final lesson in this story is Jesus' admonish to be trustworthy in all things, because "whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much..." (verse 10).
As we utilize our Faith for the Future funds we have the opportunity to prove ourselves trustworthy with the resources God has given us. When we create a warm and inviting space for guests to come and hear about Jesus, we can be assured that God will bring those guests to us.
When we secure our church family's future through paying off our debt, we can be assured that God will bless us with growth in the future.
And when we help to transform our community through giving back 10% of these funds for community transformation work, we can be assured of blessing our neighbors and gaining opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with them.
Won't it be grand to see God repeat this cycle of blessing on us as we prove ourselves trustworthy?
- Holly Barrett
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