Bible Studies

---

The Gospels
Luke 16:1-13 - Shrewd Discipleship
Key Verses: (NIV)

• 1: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions." - Luke relates this parable to us without context; it simply is being told to the disciples. As such, it tends to broaden the application to all people. It is not just a finger pointing at the Pharisees or others who have strayed.
  
  
• 2: "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer." - A day of judgment. As we live out our lives each day we must bear in mind that at some point in the many tomorrows that approach we will be called to "give an account of (our) management."
  
  
• 4: "I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses." - The shrewdness of the manager is revealed as he lays out a plan for his future.
  
  
• 6b: "Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred." - Maybe the amount owed had been inflated by the manager and he was fixing his wrong doing or, perhaps, he was only focused on making friends. Either way, he was utilizing the resources that were provided in order lay the foundation for his tomorrow.
  
  
• 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." - Jesus is telling his disciples that they are to serve God like this manager. The "children of light" are to have the same wisdom and foresight in serving God as the "children of this world" have in serving themselves.
  
  
• 13: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." - Jesus moves His lesson from the focus on the self, as in the case with the shrewd manager, and turns it towards the kingdom of heaven.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you wasting your possessions? As you have accumulated things in life, have you been using them for the building of God's kingdom? Do you acquire things simply to 'live on' or do you 'live for' the accumulation of wealth? Have you been blessed richly by God? Has He put you in a management position in control of great wealth and resources? Why? What purpose has God in mind for this wealth? In what way is He calling you to be a blessing to the world? What steps can you take to insure that you are not wasting the possessions that God has provided you?
  
  
• Are you being shrewd? Jesus' story of the shrewd manager seems to be telling us that using our wit to scheme and plot in behalf of God is a good thing. Do you wonder why Jesus would point to a selfish cheat as an example for Christian behavior? Do you think that Jesus is saying it is ok to cheat and swindle if it is in the name of God? Or is He suggesting that, as Christians, we must be purposeful about our ministries? Do you put all of your energy and focus into the success of a ministry or do you find it acceptable to simply get by with a half-hearted effort? Do you work at improving and enhancing your talents and gifts in order to be the best you can be for God or do you simply show up Sunday morning without preparation and expect the Holy Spirit to lead you through the day? How far could you go in the building of God's kingdom if you were as shrewd and purposeful as the manager in this story?
  
  
• What master do you serve? The manager in this story was focused on wealth and self-preservation instead of serving his master. What aspects of your life have become more important to you than your service to God? Do you line your nest and fulfill your needs first? Do you look around at each situation to see what is in it for you? Are you involved in ministry only because it meets your needs or the needs of your family? Do you evaluate the benefit and purpose of a program by what it is achieving in the building of God's kingdom or by how it fulfills your needs or validates your ideas? Are you putting yourself first or God first? Which master will you choose to serve?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

As "children of light" we become separated from the world only in the aspect of which master we have chosen to serve. People of the world are focused on themselves. They reach out and grasp for more wealth in very shrewd and intentional ways. They are always focused on how to turn each situation they encounter into a favorable position for themselves. Jesus is teaching through today's parable that as disciples we are to be just as shrewd and decisive. However, instead of an inward focus, our intent and purpose is in the building of God's kingdom. We are blessed to be a blessing. The resources and wealth God provides has a purpose beyond the feathering of our own nests. When we choose to live for God and not for the accumulation of wealth, when God is our only master and our selfish needs and desires are set aside, then and only then, will the building of God's kingdom be fully achieved in our lives.

FUMC Devotionals

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE