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Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/No-One-Can-Serve-Both-God-and-Money-e1nmvi3
1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:1-13 New International Version Bible)
Jesus says we will all face a day of reckoning. We will be asked to account for our lives, our faith, what we shared, what we didn't. It is all in this parable about a shrew manager. The parable is set in a cultural setting and a time when the images Jesus shares made sense to alll who were present and listening. Not every one was able to fully understand, even His own disciples. People knew the rich man of their village or town. They long suspected various ways in which he made his money; some even knew! But they also knew they relied on the help of others, and Jesus uses this as His example of how our lives will be evaluated on how we lived with what God has given to us. In this parable, the master has found out that his manager has misappropriated his funds and calls him to let him know that he will lose his job. This panicks the man and he calls in those who were indebted to the master. The first, who owed the master for 900 gallons of olive oil was then told that half of his debt was forgiven and all he owed was for 450 gallons. The second debtor was also asked what he owed. This man owed 1,000 bushels of wheat; and his debt was reduced to 800 bushels. The master was impressed with this action, and commends the manager, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." The comparison Jesus uses is to say that if we can be trusted with worldy wealth we can also be trusted with the "true riches." Our call is to trust God with all things that God has shared with us.
The thing will come to this; which Master was more important in your/our life? Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, oryou will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." God should be first in our lives. You and I have heard, many times, "You can't take it with you, " referring to money, though there have been who tried. "You never see a U-Haul being towed by the hearse." That's true, but some cemeteries have such elaborate tombs and personal mausoleums, that you can see they tried. The Rev. Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, amassed quite a fortune from the publication of that book, and he stayed humble in spite of the money he made. He later wrote that it was not a sin to be rich, but it was a sin to die rich, which in a way, sums up what Jesus was teaching here. Rev. Warren believes God blessed him with riches, and he has tried to use it to bless others, ultimately trying to give his money away where it can serve beneficial purposes and not be something that family will fight over.
Whatever God has entrusted to you, use it to glorify God and serve humanity. The best relationship we can have is with God, and that will bless others.
PRAYER: Loving God, You are the Author of all good things and Giver of all good things. Help us to graciously and gratefully receive what You share in a spirit of worship and service so that we can bless Your kingdom and all its citizens. Help us to grow Your kingdom in loving ways; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen,.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Love God in very visible and contagious ways that bless others!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
