Without a Clue

Scripture – Luke 16:5-9: 5“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6“‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ 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. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Reflection: So this manager needed to make some friends before he lost his job. He called in people who owed debts to his master and offered them a discount if they paid right then. The master then recognized what a shrewd move this was, and he “commended the dishonest manager.”

Jesus then makes a point I don’t get. In part He’s talking about acting shrewdly in life – using some street smarts – making some political moves. I also like the part about using worldly wealth, rather than being used by it. But how all that connects with being “welcomed into eternal dwellings,” I don’t have a clue.

If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. For now, though, I’ll remember everything comes from God. The stuff He’s entrusted to me is to be used on His behalf. And as long as I remember this stuff is not mine, it won’t be able to use me.