A Good Manager?

Scripture:

Luke 16:10 ¶ “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
Luke 16:11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Luke 16:12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
Luke 16:13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Observation:

This passage comes on the heels of the story of the dishonest manager who cuts the debts of all his master’s debtors. He is described as being dishonest and yet shrewd. This negative example is used to set up this section. The Pharisees were lovers of money and on a spiritual level, Jesus did not view them as good stewards of the Master’s kingdom. So, while they thought highly of themselves, Jesus was bringing them another paradigm. Even the dishonest steward was showing more resourcefulness than those who called themselves religious. Notice he said, “if you have been unfaithful with dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”

There was an expectation that followers of Jesus Christ were to be good managers or stewards of the things of the kingdom. They were to learn to be good managers of every resource and unless they managed the small items well, they would not be given more to manage. The love had to be for the master and not for the wealth of the world. The Pharisees had fallen in love with the things of the world. They no longer managed God’s resources.

Application:

This week Dr. Roger Hahn preached a beautiful message on management. A message that challenges us as God’s followers to understand that we are simply managers, not of our human and/or physical resources, but of all that we find in the kingdom. We are to be faithful with what God has provided. Practically speaking, followers of Christ are to be good stewards of resources in their own personal lives. This takes education and discipline.

Far too often a minister is known as one who does not know how to manage his/her own financial resources. This can make it extremely difficult to be a manager of God’s resources. Too many Christians are living far beyond their means as living examples of ones who do not know how to manage resources. We need to draw back and manage our own personal resources, living with what we have and not swim in consumer debt.

John Wesley, in his sermon, The Use of Money, famously preached “Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” This is a word on stewardship and management. It’s a fallacy to believe that you can somehow dissect a spiritual life from our physical lives. How we live our lives on a daily basis is a reflection of our relationship with the Master. How we manage the little that we have on this earth is a reflection of how we will manage the much of the kingdom.

May God help us to be faithful managers of God’s kingdom resources.

Prayer:

Lord, give me wisdom today and everyday to be faithful with all that you have placed in our hands.  Amen.