In Luke 16, there is a parable which has always escaped my comprehension… until today.
Jesus told the story of a rich man’s steward, accused by his master of wasting his goods and not taking care of things as he should have. Alarmed, the steward quickly found a way to be sure that he would never be without place to stay or food.
What he did was to take other accounts of his master’s debtors and decrease the amount owed by them to his master. I never understood why he did this until today. The steward was taking steps to ensure that his future was provided for. How? By making other people feel indebted to him personally.
All these people owed his master money and now he was telling them, “Quickly, write on your bill that you only owe this much.” To me, this never seemed a very commendable thing to do, but in the parable, this steward’s master commended him on his actions. He had made the best out of a potentially disastrous situation and had turned the tables, providing for his future security.
Not only did the master commend this action, but so did Jesus. He pointed out that making friends of the world – the “mammon of unrighteousness” – was a worthwhile pursuit. Why? “That when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”
We are supposed to prepare now for our futures. Not in a concerned, worrisome, obsessive way, but with wisdom and prudence. I see it as a sort of positive stacking of the decks; making connections and acquaintances which can be called upon in a moment of need… “when ye fail.”
Jesus went on to tell about how your level of faithfulness and justness can be judged just by how you handle the little details in life. Faithfulness and justness in dealing with even the minute details of your life can affect your future.
Did you ever think that how faithfully you brush your teeth could communicate to others your level of trustworthiness? Did you know the balanced state of your checkbook can be a witness to your consistency in life? Think about it!
Every thing we do, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is a testimony to the way we view our responsibilities in life. Being faithful in the minutiae of life is an indicator of how you will do when handling larger issues.
“And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
Yes… We are specifically challenged to be faithful in the small matters. It is only by proving ourselves in these that we can demonstrate a capacity for dealing with larger, more important details and tasks.
