The rich man really did not have time to look after his own business. There was just too much for one man to keep track of. He had plenty of money, and he was ready to share with others—at a price. He was rich, and he wanted to stay rich.
Now here’s a secret. There is one kind of riches that you can freely share or give away or pour out, and you will still have more than you had before! Wait until you read the story, and you will find what kind of riches that could be.
This rich man looked for a smart man, called a “steward,” who could manage his business money since he didn’t have the time, and he found one. Yes, the steward he hired was a very smart man. You see, the steward wanted to be rich too, and he was smart enough to find ways of cheating his master and filling his own pockets. He had smart ideas, no doubt, but his master found out that the steward was cheating him, and he fired the steward from his job.
What could the steward do now? He had two choices: get hired as a ditch digger or beg for money on the streets. Now the man knew ditch digging was hard work, and he also knew he wasn’t strong enough for that kind of work. His other choice wouldn’t work either, because he was too proud to beg for money. But he was still a smart man, and he thought up another plan.
He knew where the bills were kept of people who owed money or something else to his master, and he found the bill for customer number 1.
How much do you owe my master? he asked the first customer.
A hundred measures of oil, was the answer.
Sit down quickly and write fifty, he said.
Do you think you can fool God that way? Can you tell God that you are a sinner, but not a very bad sinner? Would you tell Him that you are only half-bad, and maybe your good deeds can make up for that somehow? There is no use to try, because God knows the details of your life perfectly!
Then the man talked to customer number 2 about his bill.
How much do you owe? he asked.
One hundred measures of wheat, was the answer.
Sit down quickly and write eighty.
He seemed to be in a hurry, but the master knew all about it. Smart man! said the master, but the steward still lost his job.
Yes, he was a smart man. And maybe you have tried tricks like that to make money or to show people how smart you are. Then nobody will know what you are like at home.
What was so smart about what this man did? Just this—he knew trouble was coming, and he felt he was smart enough to deal with it.
What’s coming in your life? If you are a real believer, you don’t need to wonder what’s coming, because no matter what, you KNOW that you are going to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus—one of the true riches from Him.
Are you one of the children of “light” or one of the children of this world? If you are a child of this world, then to prepare for an honest future here in this world is probably the best thing you can do.
But if you are a child of “light,” let the world see that your hope and your home are beyond this world altogether. A life spent for Jesus is never wasted, and there is a reward for this—another of the riches He promises. Work for Him, study your Bible and learn from other Christians who are studying their Bibles too. This will help you to always do your daily job honestly for God’s glory.
You may read the story of the dishonest steward in Luke 16:1-131And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16:1‑13).
ML-02/10/2013