Luke 16:1-15

USE WORLDLY WEALTH TO GAIN FRIENDS

Keywords 16:9

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

 

1. How to use money and why (1-9)

A rich man found out his manager was wasteful, so he called him to give an

account and fi red him. This manager knew himself: he was weak and proud. He

did not know what the debtors owed his master! But he was shrewd. One by one

he authorized steep discounts on their debt with one goal in mind: “When I lose

my job, people will welcome me into their houses!” His master commended his

shrewd act. Jesus’ point is: “Use worldly wealth to gain friends.” This is how to

use money. Jesus values friendship more than money, jobs, and reputation. He

gave up everything to be friends of sinners like you and me, to be with us eternally.

2. You cannot serve both God and money (10-15)

We are to be trustworthy, and money is a way God tests us in this. All that we

have is not our own but has been entrusted to us by God. How we use money

reveals who our master is: God or money. Pharisees, who loved money, used their

resources to maintain religious and political power, crushing others. It is easy to

justify ourselves before people, but God sees our heart.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for Jesus who gave his life for his friends. Help me

follow his example.

One Word Gain friends for eternity