Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’” (Luke 16:1–2) Luke 16 records Jesus’ parable about a man who should have ended up in prison. Jesus instructed Immediately as Jesus begins the story, He clearly indicates this character was managing money that didn’t really belong to him. The rich man in this story represents God, and the manager represents those of us who claim to follow Jesus. Our ability to understand and apply this parable rests on the principle that our financial resources actually belong to God. He generously gives money and other resources to us, with the expectation that we will manage those resources according to His plan and purpose. Clearly, according to this story, we will eventually be required to account for how we have managed His money. We don’t earn God’s favor through financial honesty. But we do accept that financial integrity is an elemental part of what it means to be a disciple. Absolute loyalty to Jesus requires us to be faithful, honest stewards of the resources He gives us. WEEK Week 3 25 Monday—October 23•It’s Not Your Money his followers, implying that a disciple should handle money differently than the world does. List three ways you can discern whether you are handling your money as if it belongs to you, or as if it belongs to God. Daily Reading: Jeremiah 42:1–44:23, 2 Timothy 2:1–21, Psalm 92:1–93:5, Proverbs 26:3–5 Tuesday—October 24•Going Overboard in Financial Integrity Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2) Our Father assigns to us the task of managing our God-given wealth in a way that will give Him pleasure. I believe a true disciple will go overboard to insure financial integrity. He won’t cheat on his taxes or on his expense account. He’ll be faithful to God’s desires, even when it seems counterproductive. When our daughter started college, she complained about being poor. Some girls in her sorority would take the quarters for the laundry machines, and they’d drop them into nylon stockings. After they plunked their money into the machines, they could retrieve the coins by pulling out the stockings. My daughter’s sorority sisters suggested that perhaps she should try that, so she could spend less money. My wife responded with an incredibly wise statement. She simply said, “It will always cost you more to have integrity.” But in the end, it’s worth the expense. A true disciple’s commitment isn’t to making and saving money. His commitment is to demonstrating absolute loyalty to Christ. That commitment will show up in all aspects of life, including money management. WEEK Week 3 How does your money management reveal the level of your loyalty to Jesus Christ? Daily Reading: Jeremiah 44:24–47:7, 2 Timothy 2:22–3:17, Psalm 94:1–23, Proverbs 26:6–8
20514 Man in Mirror
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