Luke Part 2 Week 31

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 16:1-2 

¹ 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. ² So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’” 

Jesus told another parable to His disciples. It had to do with being faithful in handling money. The manager was wasting his employer’s money. The manager was told to bring his report up to date and that he was about to be fired. What would the manager do now?  

REFLECT 

Have you been in a position of being responsible for someone else’s money? If so, Jesus’ story has an important lesson for you. 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in reading Psalm 51:5-7 that tells of King’s David’s comments after his sin with Bathsheba. David was pleading for forgiveness and expressing what he knew God required of him. 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 16:3-6 

³ “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. ⁴ Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ ⁵ So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ ⁶ 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.’” 

The manager used deceit in his plan to assure he would make friends who would give him a place to live after he was fired. He suggested the person who owed his employer should cut the amount in half. He was reasoning that the employer would accept that and the manager would have made a friend who would provide for him after he was fired. 

REFLECT 

How do you think the manager was feeling as he was involved in this deceitful plan? 

RESPOND 

Read the counsel the apostle Peter gave to believers in 1 Peter 2:1-3. Notice what he told them what to do with deceitful practices. Discuss these verses with a friend. 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 16:7-9 

⁷ “‘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.’ ⁸ The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it 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. ⁹ Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” 

In the story Jesus told the manger continued with his deceitful plan with others. When the employer learned of his manager’s dishonest practice, he admitted the manager was clever in what he had done. In His story, Jesus acknowledged the manager was shrewder than believers in dealing with worldly affairs. Jesus ended that portion of His story by saying what lesson was to be learned from it. 

REFLECT 

Do you find it interesting that Jesus told the lesson to His story? Often others had to ask what the meanings of His stories were.  

RESPOND 

Notice that Jesus’ comments had to do with being welcomed into one’s “eternal home.” His lesson had to do with one’s spiritual destiny not just how one lives on earth. In this regard read Romans 10:14-15 to see the importance of giving the gospel message to others. 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 16:10-12 

¹⁰ “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. ¹¹ And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? ¹² And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?” 

These statements by Jesus have significance to the way believers should live today. Being faithful in little things is an indication of whether a person can be trusted with greater things. The way a person handles what God has provided in this life relates to how he handles eternal matters. The believer is to be faithful in the way he handles the business of others. 

REFLECT 

How are you doing in the areas these verses mention? Do you want greater responsibility? These verses tell how to get it. 

RESPOND  

Visit with a friend about the importance of being careful about the little things in your life. If you are, God may grant greater responsibility. This would especially relate to interpersonal relationships. Read about Tabitha (Dorcas) in Joppa to see what she did (Acts 9:36). 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 16:13 

¹³ “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 God and be enslaved to money.” 

There was a believer involved in a counterfeit religious group. When he read this verse he realized he could not stay in that group any longer. It was exercising authority in his life. He knew that only Jesus should have authority in his life. He left the counterfeit religious group.  

REFLECT 

Is there an area in your life where Jesus does not have full control? Are you trying to serve two masters? 

RESPOND 

In 2 Timothy 2:1-2 read what the apostle Paul told younger Timothy how to instruct others. Notice one is not to get entangled in the affairs of this life. As someone has said, “There is nothing wrong with having money, unless the money has you.”