Read The Directions

Psalm 78:1-7

A Teaching Song of Asaph

O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth...we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the Law in Israel, which he  commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so that the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds, but would keep his commands.

God wants us all to know the truth of what He has done already. God won't repeat the miracles he's already done, He wants us to teach our children and grandchildren so that they can also teach their children and grandchildren. When they really know for fact who God is and what He's done, then they will be able to trust Him and follow His directions, the rules He established so we could live an orderly and pleasant life, the result of obeying His laws. The Bible is the Manufacturer's blueprint for how we are to build our lives. Always read the directions!

The Dishonest Manager

Luke 16:8-12

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.

Christians sometimes tend to be naive when it comes to financial matters.  We are to be "as harmless as doves" when it comes to evil and wickedness, but, "as wise as serpents" when it comes to both spiritual and practical matters (Matthew 10:16). So we can use them to benefit others.

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.

There is no grey area here, we are either honest or dishonest, with a few cents or a fortune.

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

So our honesty and our financial acumen are both significant to God. 

The manager still had the authority as manager to give discounts to his employer's debtors. So his boss didn't condemn him for "stealing" his profit, but complimented him for his idea to take care of himself. We are not to seek it for ourselves. As Christians, we are to learn the ways of financial responsibility and even investing (see the parable of the Talents, Luke 19:33ff). Jesus' tone in speaking this story (in Luke 16) sounds rather wistful to me, if we, as children of the Light, would only learn to manage our finances as well as the world does, then we would be fully His hands and His feet to accomplish His work, to "occupy" (Luke 19:13) until He returns!

Paul's Example For Us

II Corinthians 1:12

Now this is our boast:

What we will testify to on the Day of the Lord (see v. 14).

Our conscience testifies

We have a clear conscience.

That we have conducted ourselves

Our behavior.

In the world

Wherever we go, whoever we talk to.

And especially in our relations with you,

We paid particular attention to our treatment of our own family members.

In the holiness

Our being separate from the world.

And sincerity

Integrity and honesty, no masks.

That are from God.

The way God treats us, His children.

We have done so not according to worldly wisdom

Not the way people who don't know the Lord treat each other.

But according to God's grace.

God blesses us abundantly, even though we don't deserve it. And He doesn't give us the punishment we deserve; this is His mercy.

Our Attitude At Work

Colossians 3:22-25

Slaves [employees], obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

We are to work at our jobs doing what our bosses have delegated for us to accomplish, not only to show them we are good workers to earn a promotion, but inwardly realizing that our Lord has put us in our position to not only make our boss look good, but also to bring credit to the Lord in our attitudes and methods of doing things.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

No matter what kind of job we have, whether blue collar, white collar or no collar, we are to do it as though our boss is Jesus, giving Him our very best with passion.

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

How we do our jobs is important in the light of Christ's reputation. When we throw ourselves passionately into working out and completing the tasks before us as working for God's benefit, as well as our human boss, God will reward us, His paycheck. But if we cut corners, or conduct our business in an unethical or deceptive way, we will experience the negative consequences of our poor choices; because God doesn't "grade on a curve," He allows us to reap what we have sown, to experience the natural consequences of our decisions in how we think and act, whether good or bad, positive or negative.

Condemned Or Redeemed?

Psalm 34:22

The Lord redeems His servants, no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.

John 3:18

Whoever believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son.

Every one of us born into this world is born into the sin nature that Adam has passed on to all his progeny. So we all die, or are subject to death, because we are all Adam's descendants. But in Christ Jesus we all who trust in Him are made alive (I Corinthians 15:22). We will not be condemned anymore; we once were under condemnation, but now, in Christ, we have been given life right now, and life eternal, to be revealed at His coming.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Our Choices In Life

James 1:14-15

But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Each and every one of us has within us our fallen human nature, that twists our thoughts off the straight path into the mire of the ditch.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

When we allow our thoughts to wander, to want what we want rather than wanting what God wants for us, that leads us into making faulty choices to do what is not right; and those unrighteous actions always end up destroying whatever good God has put into our lives, and we miss out on the good life we could have had, the blessings our Father wants to lavish on us.

In Doing What We Do

Matthew 6:1, 3-4, 6, 17-18

Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven....   [So] when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.... When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.... [And] when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

So when I give to missionaries or share the material things I have with others, I'm not to brag about it; when I pray, I'm to do it in the privacy of my bedroom; and when I pray aloud in a group, I'm not to consider how eloquent my words can be, but simply share my heart with my Father; and when I fast, I'm to still shower, fix my hair and wear makeup as usual.