“13No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.” – Luke 16:13 (ESV)
Wow, what a statement of truth. I cannot be devoted to God and devoted to money. In effect, as devoted, I am a servant of, and therefore cannot be a servant of God and a servant of money.
But there is more to it than just that. In this passage, Luke 16:1-13, Jesus is telling the parable of the dishonest manager. And whereas there is a lot to unpack in the passage, verse 13 only gets me started in understanding. When I look back at verse 9, Jesus is telling the disciples to use their money to “make friends”.
“9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” – Luke 16:9 (ESV)
When I read this verse on its own, I see that I should “make friends” by using my wealth. This confused me into thinking that I should buy friendships with my money. But what Jesus is really referring to after some study is that I should “use wealth and possessions for the care and well-being of others so that when wealth does fail, ‘they may receive you into the eternal dwellings’” (ESV Commentary).
It is okay to earn a living and even a good living, however I have to remember not to serve that living and focus my attention on serving God. I should be using my earnings to care for those around me as I carry out my kingdom purpose.
How are you using your earthly possessions? What is the purpose of your earnings? When you look back on it, will others care for you when your wealth fails?
Trevor's Thoughts 