Can we serve both God and money? This scripture that Luke has written is one of the least talked about scriptures. For some reason, we do not like to hear or talk about money in church. It has taken me quite a while to wrap my mind around it myself, but there is a connection to God we are missing if we don’t.
I know you remember when Covid came into our lives, and everything shut down. Maybe you remember when we were finally able to go back to our normal activities like going to church; we sat masked and far apart. We would have baskets out front so people could drop off their offertory. One Sunday, I overheard someone say, “Yea, I see they still want my money.” I was kind of taken aback by the comment. Money is a challenging subject to talk about for people. Still, it’s extremely important to God that we understand you cannot serve both money and God. With that said, please do not shoot the messenger.
Did you know that the words money and possessions are the second most referenced topic in the Bible – the word money is mentioned more than 800 times. Why do you think that is? Whether you have money or not, it is a great learning tool for God to teach us.
It says in Luke 16:10-12, “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?
Worldly wealth is the money we make in today’s world, and true riches are what awaits us in heaven. You’ve heard people say you might as well spend it because you can’t take it with you. After understanding this scripture that, may not be necessarily true. No, we can’t buy our way into heaven. We get into heaven by believing in God and knowing that Jesus is His son who died for our sins on the cross. That’s how we get into heaven, but what determines our position when we get there? People may say it’s our good deeds, well, in a way, but not all of it. If the word money is mentioned so many times in the Bible, how important do you think it is to God that we understand it?
Let’s back up and look at the dishonest manager in Luke 16. This man was trying to save himself, and the way he went about it was very shrewd. He bargained with the people that owed his master money, and he bargained and lowered prices that were not his to lower. Even the master praised him for his shrewdness. It says in Luke 16:8, “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
We are the people of light, and we are usually not as shrewd-minded as people of this world. He bargained because he saw no other way to save himself than to lower the prices, so when he was out of a job, they would have to hire him because they were an accomplice in what he had done. Even Jesus follows this up by saying in Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
This doesn’t mean we buy friends, it means to put your money into things that will share the gospel with others, so when you get to heaven, they will welcome you with open arms and thank you for bringing them into the eternal dwelling.
Who says you can’t take it with you, because in a way you can? God wants to reward us for spreading his gospel all over the world. Many people are doing that today. Let’s just make sure we are part of it. Remember, there’s a place waiting for you in heaven. How well will you be received, when you get there?
Let's pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word, Lord. We thank you for the lessons you teach us every day. We thank you for those lessons, Lord, that they bring us closer to you every moment of every day. When things are hard to do Lord, we remember that we can do all things through you who makes us stronger. Thank you for being our light and our path. In Jesus Holy name we pray. Amen.

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