PRINCIPLES OF TRUSTWORTHINESS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

Luke 16:10-12

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I interview people a lot in my line of work. A lot.

One of the questions I ask is in regard to qualities they look for in a friend and almost across the board, one word seems to come up consistently.

Trustworthiness.

As a people, we really put a premium on being able to rely on people and know they will be true to us. No one likes to be let down or, even worse, be deceived by someone they believed they had placed their confidence in.

Well, as we see in today’s scripture passage, we as a people aren’t the only ones who put trustworthiness at the top of the list when it comes to qualities we want to see in someone we confide in. For God’s word, and in particular, the words of Jesus show us that the matter is also important through the scriptures. As we look at today’s passage, we find principles of trustworthiness being laid out by our Savior. Look again at these words here:

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”  Luke 16:10-12

  

Here, we find the Lord showing us there is no gray area in the matter of trustworthiness. One can either be trusted or they can’t. They are either honest or they aren’t and this applies to any volume of trust that might be given to them.

Someone who is honest in regard to small things should remain honest if more trust is placed on them. It’s a principle of direct proportion.

The same applies to the matter of dishonesty. If someone can’t be trusted with something small, you definitely can expect they will be just as dishonest if relied on more.

Now, you might be saying, Okay, but so what? What does this have to do with anything about how we are to live our lives, outside of the obvious, that the Lord expects for us to be trustworthy?

We turn back to the words of Jesus for the answers:

“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

Here Jesus is providing us with the spiritual application of his teaching, a teaching that as usual transcends worldly interpretation.

Note the comparison and contrast he uses in discussing the matter of riches.

“If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  

To better understand what Jesus is getting at here, let’s go back to what He said during His Sermon on the Mount:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Putting these two together, we see where the true riches are not found anywhere here on earth but rather in heaven. Further, if the Lord, who sees everything we do, observes that we are dishonest with the things of the earth, why would He ever entrust us with anything of a higher, spiritual value? Why would He trust someone who is deceitful and sinful with anything righteous or holy?

The same principle of trustworthiness applies to property as well. Back to the words of Jesus:

“If you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

Let’s say you are someone of the world who has rejected Jesus as Savior. You are happy doing your job through which people have entrusted you with managing and handling their property. Little do they know that you are not being trustworthy in what you are doing, no better than the shrewd manager we looked at in yesterday’s devotion. Maybe you think you’re getting away with your sinful, wicked behavior but the truth of the matter is that you never get away with things. There’s always a price to be paid and in this instance, that price involves the evil, dishonest transgressor missing out on being entrusted with a piece of eternal property with their Creator, Master, and Savior.

Yes, there is that much at stake when it comes to the matter of trustworthiness and believe me, Satan would like nothing more than to lead everyone away from heaven and into hell, somehow making the world more enticing than the promise of a better life to come.

If you’re reading this, I pray you haven’t believed the lie that there is anything decent and good about being untrustworthy. Rather, I hope you have allowed the Lord to be your guide, following the lead of His Spirit which will always bring you to a place that is honest and true, a place where the Lord will feel comfortable trusting you with even more, a place where you are living in a way that is pleasing in His sight and garnering His favor.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE POTENTIAL DANGER FOUND IN SHREWDNESS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.’”

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’”

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’”

“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.”

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’”

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’”

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.”

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’”

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.”

“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Luke 16:1-9

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Many apologies for not getting a devotion posted yesterday. I was ill and not well enough to write. Happy to report I am a little better today and feeling stronger. The Lord is restoring me and for that I am grateful. Now onto the devotion…

Shrewdness.

It’s the act of being shrewd or as the dictionary would explain:

“The quality of having or showing good powers of judgment.”

Synonyms include: intelligence, acumen, cleverness, common sense, discernment, insight, understanding, and perception.

Now on the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with a person having these qualities. Shrewdness actually is something a person should strive for.

But just as in so many other things, sin can lead a person to take something meant for good and turn it into something wicked and evil. In other words, there can be a danger found in shrewdness.

Need an example?

Jesus gives us one within the context of the following parable, drawn from the opening verses of Luke, Chapter 16:

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.’”

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’”

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’”

“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.”

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’”

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’”

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.”

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’”

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.”

“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”  Luke 16:1-9

Before the parable is revealed, we know Jesus is teaching His disciples. As He paints the opening scene, we are introduced to the two main characters, the rich man and the manager he hired to handle his affairs. The rich man is evaluating the work of his manager and the overall grade was not good. In fact, the rich man accused the manager of “wasting his possessions”, demanding an accounting of the manager’s management.

Now we get a sense that the rich man is telling the truth because we don’t hear any rebuttal from the manager. He doesn’t dispute his boss’ accusations. Rather. He starts to ponder what his life is going to look like unemployed and the way he sees it, it’s not going to be pretty. He didn’t feel he was strong enough to dig (i.e. do physically demanding, manual labor) and he was too proud to beg for assistance.

And so he came up with a plan, a plan grounded in shrewdness but also grounded in sinfulness.

You see, up to this point, all you could convict the manager of was being terrible at managing. That in and of itself was not a sin. But what caused the manager to cross the line from right to wrong was when he intentionally tried to defraud his employer.

Go back to the scriptures where we read where the manager went to one of his master’s debtors and advised him to alter his bill to reflect owing half of what he actually owed (450 gallons of olive oil vice 900). Then he went to another and counseled that debtor to change his bill to where he would owe 2,000 less bushels of wheat.

When the rich man (the master) discovered what the “dishonest manager” had done, he commended him for acting shrewdly and it wasn’t meant to be a compliment. Glorifying sin will never be.  

So what was Jesus getting at? What was the primary takeaway He wanted His disciples to hold onto from the parable?

Well, He tells them (and us) through these words:

“The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

In a variation of the modern day saying, “Birds of a feather stick together”, Jesus makes it clear that people of the world, that is people who are not of the Lord, deal better with their own kind. Sinners find great solace in the company of other sinners but struggle to have relationship with those who are of the light, those who are in Christ Jesus.

So how can someone shrewdly manage their worldly assets to secure eternal blessings?

Jesus points His listeners to the matter of charity.

“Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

The rich man was not using his wealth to help someone in need. No, he was too concerned with penny pinching and expecting his manager to get every bit of what was owed by the debtors.

Jesus addresses this by encouraging people with worldly wealth to use it for divine purposes, making a difference in the lives of people who are in need, people who would befriend anyone who helped them in their lowly state of financial hardship. One can’t take their possessions with them so you may as well give what you can, being good stewards of not just the treasure, but the time and talent, that the Lord has provided.

When we live selflessly and sacrificially, following the direction Jesus provides, then we can be assured that we are living life that is pleasing in the Father’s eyes, the same Father who has promised an eternal dwelling for anyone who has placed their hope and trust in His Son Jesus as Savior.

So friends, be shrewd in the right way.

Listen to and obey the words of Jesus so you will show everyone that you possess the quality of having or showing good powers of judgment.

Read and allow the word of God to take root in your heart, mind, and soul, resulting in a spiritual intelligence, understanding, and acumen that will not be of this earth but rather from above.

and

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all you do, receiving the gifts of insight, perception, and discernment.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one, all working to make you who you need to be, all working to keep you from any danger that may be found in shrewdness.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE PRODIGAL: THE BIGGER PICTURE

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15:31-32

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The oldest son just couldn’t understand what was happening.

He was doing what he did every day, working in the fields for his father, when he heard music coming from the house. I’m sure he must of wondered what was going on because his father hadn’t mentioned anything about a celebration that day.

And so the eldest boy left the fields to go and see what all the commotion was about. Along the way, he ran into one of his father’s servants and asked him what was happening, at which time the servant told the son that his younger brother had returned home and that his father had ordered the fattened calf to be killed, symbolizing a great feast was about to happen since his lost son had returned safe and sound.

This was something the older brother could not stand for, not in the least. His father even came to him and tried to get him to come in from the fields to join the celebration but the son would have nothing of it. Instead, he became indignant with his father, disrespectfully questioning his judgment in deciding to do what he was doing for a son who had went off and squandered the property given to him. Of course, the older son framed this in such a way to make himself look superior to his brother because he had remained with the father, laboring in the fields. Consumed by his own self importance, the eldest son had hardened his heart in such a way that he was not willing to see the bigger picture of what was going on. As we finish this series on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we find the father trying to open the eyes of his angry, jealous boy to that bigger picture. Look at his words again here:

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”  Luke 15:31-32

What do we see in these words?

The same level of love and compassion shown to the younger brother at his return. Just as he had before, the father could have become angered at his older son for his sinful, self centeredness but he didn’t. Instead the father reminded his son how much he cared for him, how much he cherished him. The party for his little brother didn’t change that but as the father reminds him, it was necessary to rejoice and be happy, for his brother who was once dead was alive; once lost, he was now found.

That was the bigger picture of things and indeed, the young son’s realization he had sinned against his father, his return to repent, and his father’s willing acceptance of him meant more than any party thrown, more than any robe and signet ring placed on the prodigal, more than any fattened calf sacrificed to provide the celebration feast.

This truth has remained through the ages since Jesus told this parable. For there is much rejoicing in the heaven when anyone who has been lost, destined for death because of their sins, choose to come to God the Father, repent, and seek His mercy, grace, and pardon through His Son, Jesus Christ.

And if the heavens can rejoice at this, so can we and we will if we simply keep our eyes on the bigger picture.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE PRODIGAL: BLINDED

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Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’”

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.”

“But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’”

Luke 15:25-30

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The younger son had to be in a state of disbelief.

He had wrongfully requested half of his father’s inheritance before he was dead, went out and squandered every bit of what he had been given, doing his own thing and living wildly. He hit rock bottom when a sudden famine struck the country he had gone and came to his senses after hiring himself out to a local citizen to feed the pigs in the field, who ended up getting more to eat than their feeder.

You’ll recall the younger son decided to return home to his father and ask for mercy, hoping at best that his father would take him in and allow him to at least be a servant. And so he set out to see his father who, instead of condemning and chastising his son, had compassion on him. In Jesus’ parable, we saw where the father wrapped his arms around his once lost son and embraced him lovingly before commanding his servants to bring a robe and sandals and signet ring for the son to wear in advance of a great feast to celebrate his homecoming.

It was a joyous time for everyone, everyone that is except for the older brother of the returning son. We see this clearly as we look at today’s scripture excerpt from our continuing study of the Parable of the Prodigal Son:

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’”

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.”

“But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’”  Luke 15:25-30

The older of the two brothers was in disbelief.

While working in the fields, his ears picked up on the din coming from near the house as music played and people danced. Not knowing why the celebration was happening, the older son called to one of the servants to inquire and was told:

“Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.”

Now we don’t know how long the brother was gone after he left home but we know it wasn’t just overnight. There was no other indicator within this parable that a strained relationship existed between the brothers but as we see, the older brother did not appreciate the fact his younger sibling has taken off as he did. Perhaps the older son ended up having to assume a heavier workload while his brother was gone. We don’t know this but we do know one thing.

The older brother was not happy. Not one bit.

In fact, the scriptures tell us that refused to go in and join the party, a decision that sparked a discussion with his father who came out and pleaded for his participation. The older brother’s words reveal his state of mind and reason for displeasure:

“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

You could cut the tension with a knife. Obviously, the older son had an axe to grind with his father, the father he had worked so hard for. He felt he deserved more than his younger sibling because in his eyes, he had done everything the right way while his now-returned brother had not. And yet, the older brother had not been given any recognition for his hard work, not even a young goat so he could celebrate with his friends. It was something he felt was completely unfair.

But here’s the thing.

The older brother was really no better than his younger sibling. He wasn’t.

You see, he was blind to his sinfulness which now included jealousy, anger which border lined on hatred, and covetousness. His very words reveal this. And while the younger brother had come to his senses and returned to the father, repenting of his wrongs and seeking his father’s mercy, the older son was doing his own thing when it came to his attitude and behavior. He certainly wasn’t consulting God as to he should handle his emotions.

And so while the young son had been lost and then found, blind but now able to see, his older sibling was now the one who was astray and erring, disrespecting his father by questioning his decision to celebrate his brother’s return the way that he was. He had allowed his heart to harden to the place where he could not rejoice in what had happened, in how his brother had come to his senses and returned to confess and receive the grace, forgiveness, and deliverance of the father.

I think in the final translation, the oldest son was just like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the law in Jesus’ time. Jesus would do miraculous acts of healing, removing long term afflictions or driving out demons that had terrorized their victims but instead of rejoicing in the new found liberation of those healed, the Jewish religious leaders chose to be critical. Their hearts were so toughened by legalistic ways that they could not find themselves to grasp the bigger picture of what was going on.   

So what can we take away from this teaching of Jesus?

Let us be careful to never be like the older son, allowing our hearts to be so hardened that we are blinded and unable to see and then rejoice in the redemption of others, no matter how badly they may have sinned against us or others.

Tomorrow, we’ll conclude this series with hearing the words of the father as he replies to his oldest son, words that we will see contain the same level of compassion and mercy that were extended to his younger brother.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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