Sermon Topic was: Two Masters
Luke 16:1-13 (The Message)
1-2Jesus said to his disciples, "There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about you? You're fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.'
3-4"The manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do? I've lost my job as manager. I'm not strong enough for a laboring job, and I'm too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I've got a plan. Here's what I'll do . . . then when I'm turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.'
5"Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6"He replied, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.'
"The manager said, 'Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now— write fifty.'
7"To the next he said, 'And you, what do you owe?'
"He answered, 'A hundred sacks of wheat.'
"He said, 'Take your bill, write in eighty.'
8-9"Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior." 10-13Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you're honest in small things,
you'll be honest in big things;
If you're a crook in small things,
you'll be a crook in big things.
If you're not honest in small jobs,
who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
He'll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
This passage not only spoke to me for obvious reasons, finances, it spoke to me about putting any and every thing before God...because in the end, there is a choice to be made as to who or what we choose to take priority in our lives, how we live our lives and how we take care of ALL that God has given us: life, family, children, work and of course, money. I sat there listening to the words being spoken and was so convicted that I seem to put God on the back burner way too often. I mean I do talk to Him ~my form of prayer, I do worship and praise him, but do I really serve Him as he so rightly deserves to be served? I don't study His word as I should, but I know it's deeply embedded in me, yet I rarely pick up any one of the more than 6 bibles I personally own. I felt like I'd been brought to court to answer the charge of "Do you or Don't you want to have a real and right relationship with God?". My heart desperately does, I'm flawed and I am a sinner, plain and simple. I don't manage anything well that He has entrusted me with. My prayer is that I rearrange my priorities and adore the One who adores me enough to continually forgive me and welcome me back with open arms.
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