Parable of the Shrewd Manager

“”Jesus told this story to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Get you report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

The manager thought to himself, ‘Now at? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situatiion. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’

‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man “I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. “here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

“The rich man had do admire the dishonest rascal for be ing so shrewd. And this is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when you earthly possession are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?”

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16, vv. 1-13, NLT)

Excerpts from Romans, Chapter 12

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” (Romans 12: vv. 9-12, NLT)

Excerpts from The Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32

“”Listen ,O heavens, and I will speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I say!

Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.

I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God, who does no wrong; how just and upright He is!””

(Deuteronomy 32: v. 1-4, NLT

More from Lamentations

“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in Him!’

The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for HIm. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of His discipline.”
(Lamentations 3: vv. 19-27,NLT)

Living Stones for God’s House

“For you are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.

And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. ” (2 Peter 2, vv 4-5, NLT)

“”As a result you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”(quoted from the prophet, Hosea in the Old Testament)

Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desire that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if thy accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world.”” (2 Peter 2, vv. 9-12, NLT)