Luke 16:9
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
This parable was a lesson that Jesus was teaching His disciples, those in that hour and those of us today. His parable proves that a good lesson can be found even amongst bad people in bad situations. Perhaps you have had similar experiences at work or in the ministry. Keep your eyes open; sometimes we are learning what to do, and sometimes we are taught what not to do. Other times, as in our parable, a good example can be wrapped up in a bad situation.
I trust you’ll read the whole parable for yourself (Luke 16:1-13), since I’ve only shared one verse of the parable and will summarize the rest. In summary, we have a steward who has been given access to his master’s accounts, but he embezzles the money. The master, having received news of his unfaithfulness, will undoubtedly remove him from his position. Being that the steward has grown accustomed to a lifestyle gained by laziness and pride, he is not willing to work for an honest living. So, he goes about making friends with those who owe his master by slashing their debts, which is again thievery from his master. To our surprise, the master commends the unfaithful steward, obviously not for his theft and trickery, but for his wisdom.
I admit finding any good in this horrible situation is quite hard, and separating the lesson we should take from this can be difficult, but here it is. He was not commending the unjust steward or condoning his ways but was using his foresight as an example of how we ought also to have foresight in this life to prepare for the next. This was an example of how Jesus many times would use an example on one extreme end of the spectrum to make the case for the positive example on the other end of the spectrum. Either way, what is being taught here is to use your time, position, money, and life wisely—have the foresight to invest in the days ahead.
We are all stewards in the light of eternity; there is no man that owns anything beyond his last breath. There is a great reckoning day coming for every one of God’s stewards, when we will stand and give an account for every breath entrusted to us, every opportunity, every dollar, and every hour. Do we live in the light of that great transition that will take place in an hour we know not? Our steward from the parable knew that he would be leaving his current position soon and thus made arrangements, albeit bad ones, being that he was a bad man. Now you and I will be leaving this world soon—moments, days, or years from now, our position will change. Have you made arrangements for the next stage of existence? If you are a bad man, you will make bad arrangements and further solidify your judgment in that day. But if you are a wise and prudent steward, you will make wise and prudent arrangements for that day.
Have you made arrangements for your debts—that is, your sin debt? Don’t you know that you owe a debt to this Judge you will stand before—a debt for your life and a debt for your sin? In this hour, make wise use of your time here in this position of life on earth and go to the Master. Beg His forgiveness. He is a merciful Master and has yet to turn away one who would repent and seek His forgiveness. Have you made arrangements for your rewards in eternity? You realize that what we do in this life as a Christian will affect our standing in eternity. There will be rewards given to those faithful stewards of life on earth, and there will be great loss for those Christians who embezzled all their blessings on earthly life. Act today with the stewardship He has committed into your hands: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven!”
How might I do that, you ask? Forgive those who trespassed against you, as you have been forgiven. Give to those who are truly in need. Send a missionary to another part of the world. Pray for the lost. Take your time, money, and blessings of this hour and make arrangements for the great change of position that is coming when you pass from this world to the next.
Jesus is encouraging us to take the things of this life and use them to prepare for the world to come. Think of David, who gave his time, heart, and wealth to invest in a temple where the Lord could be worshipped. Think of Paul, who gave his time, life, and occupation to the preaching of the Gospel and the establishment of Christians and churches. Think of those who are, in this present hour, living their life now as an investment for the life to come. Set an eye toward death and live this life in light of the day that you will leave this world and go into the next. I believe that is what is meant by,
“And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”
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