“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11)

After sharing the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16: 1-15), Jesus offers a number of comments about money and wealth and suggests that there is a correlation between good stewardship of worldly wealth and the true riches available to us from God’s Spirit.  If we are careless with worldly things and wealth, how can God trust us with the true riches of faith in him and his presence through the gifts and fruit of his Holy Spirit? 

Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10) Some examples come to mind such as taking advantage of a salesclerk’s mistake of giving back too much change; overestimating mileage for the business use of a car for reimbursement on an expense account; helping yourself to office supplies for personal use.  How strong is our integrity if we can’t be trusted with small things that don’t belong to us?

Petty theft erodes our integrity and faithfulness to truth in both our actions and beliefs. It dulls our sense of goodness and justice and how we relate with others, for the focus is inward on ourselves instead of outward on God and others.  Like a distant black hole in the universe, we keep the light that Christ offers from shining outward.  This self-focus is an obstacle to our truly experiencing God in a personal way through his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

To all of this, Jesus adds the admonition that “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)   While God expects us to work in order to take care of ourselves and his creation, he does not want this to become our principal focus to the exclusion of our love and pursuit of him. 

Success in the workplace, moving up the corporate ladder, and earning more money are not bad in themselves, but they should not be our primary focus to the exclusion of other priorities.  Our first priority should be to love God and seek his will in all things.  I have written in these pages before how my focus as young attorney for a large company got out of whack early in my career, detracting from my relationship with God and my family.  Fortunately through God’s loving grace and a personal encounter with Jesus, he opened my eyes to what was happening and helped me to change my priorities.  

How do you balance the stewardship of career and money with seeking God’s will in all things? 

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

We may recall the story of Joseph, the next youngest son of Jacob in the Old Testament.  Out of jealousy, his older brothers sold him into slavery to some merchants traveling to Egypt. Through a series of circumstances, Joseph is later appointed by the King of Egypt to govern the country during a time of famine which saved both Egypt and Jacob’s family from starvation.  The brothers were fearful that Joseph would now take revenge on them, but Joseph makes the above statement that while the brothers intended to harm him, God used it to bring about a larger good.  The following story has a similar result. 

Bob and Steve were partners in a newly formed company to provide specialized insurance products and services.  After the company had operated for a period of time, Bob and other partners realized that the company was not being operated in a totally ethical way.  Bob withdrew from the venture and lost a good deal of money.   

Later Bob read that Steve had been convicted of embezzlement in another matter and sent to prison. Even though Bob was angry with Steve for the money he lost in their venture, he sensed that the Lord was asking him to visit Steve in prison.  Bob’s first reaction was, “No Way! Why should I be compassionate and forgiving to this man?” The Lord’s prompting continued.  Bob was obedient to the Lord’s request.   

When Bob walked into the visitor’s area, Steve was shocked. Tears started to well up in his eyes. Steve couldn’t believe that someone he had harmed would want anything to do with him. Bob prayed with Steve, gave him a Bible and encouraged him to embrace an intimate relationship with Jesus.

When Steve was released from prison, Bob was there again to help him get back on his feet.  Steve’s mistake cost him his marriage, access to his children, two homes, all his possessions and the majority of his friends. As part of Bob’s continued commitment, he encouraged Steve to attend a Christians in Commerce retreat. That retreat transformed Steve, introduced him to daily prayer, accountability with other Christian men and encouraged him to become the man God had created him to be.

Steve eventually repaid all those who lost money through his prior actions. He regained his integrity, and became a powerful witness for Jesus Christ and his redeeming acts of love.  Steve died a few years later with his former wife and children at his side.  God took a bad situation and led Bob to forgiveness and Steve to new life – consequences that neither of them would have anticipated.

Is there a situation in your life that God could transform for good to serve his larger purpose?

“The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations is now disclosed to the saints.”  (Col 1:26) 

What is this mystery?  St. Paul says it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory!”  (Col. 1: 27)  Can Christ be in us?  Jesus says, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4)  In fact, he says if we do not remain in him we cannot bear fruit in our lives.  He uses the analogy that he is the vine and we are the branches, and says no branch can bear fruit by itself.   He then makes the dramatic statement, “apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)  We may think we can, but not really if we remember that God gives us the abilities and gifts by which we accomplish things.

I have a friend who teaches Ancient History to middle school boys at a Christian school that has received two Blue Ribbon Awards from the U. S. Dept. of Education.  He also serves as the property manager for the school and the administrator for a Christian community that supports the school.  His life reflects a veritable market of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

In his many and varied responsibilities he treats all people, regardless of who they are, with kindness and respect – students, parents, fellow teachers, repairmen, and all who come to him requesting his help.  You can find him on campus humbly fixing a toilet in one of the school’s buildings, as well as taking time after class with a student needing extra help on homework. 

In contrast to most of our society today, he and his wife took in his elderly parents when they could no longer care for themselves, including his father whose remaining years were burdened with advanced Alzheimer’s.  Early in their marriage they lost an infant son.  In the course all of these challenges he has maintained a bright smile, a lively sense of humor and the joy of the Lord.  My friend loves God and he loves people both in his words and actions.  His life reflects “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

If we invite Jesus into our lives and remain in him, what kind of fruit is Jesus talking about?  St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23)

From all of this, we see that Jesus wants to stay connected to us, as a vine is connected to a branch, and live in us by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

How can you reflect “Christ in you” in your life?

Several years ago at a colleague’s retirement party, I honored him for the way he treated people with care and respect.  In doing so, I compared him to the Good Samaritan in Jesus’s parable by the same name.  We may recall that the Good Samaritan came to the aid of someone who had been attacked by robbers and left to die by the side of the road. 

Apparently, I unwittingly offended someone when I made reference in the story to a Levite and a Jewish priest who had passed by the person having been robbed.  The next evening I received a threatening phone call.  I was accused of maligning Jewish people and their religion, and that the caller said he would get even with me.  The caller did not allow me to apologize or explain what I was trying to say with the parable, only that I should watch out because he was going to get even.  Fortunately I never heard from him again.

Of course, this small example does not begin to compare to the way that Peter, Paul and the early Christians were persecuted.  For example, after Peter and John had been preaching salvation in the name of Jesus and had healed a cripple by the temple gates, they were brought before the Sanhedrin and ordered never to preach in his name.  The Book of Acts reports that the Sanhedrin had them flogged, and then dismissed them.  “So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” (Acts 5:41)

Imagine, for healing a lifelong cripple, the Sanhedrin had the apostles beaten!  In Roman times this was done by stripping a person, tying his hands to a post and beating him with a whip with multiple leather straps.   

While we may be shocked by this cruelty, Pope Francis says, “Martyrs are more numerous in our time than in the first century.”  According to Open Doors International, “2022 brought more than 360 million Christians to suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.” Over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been killed since 2009.  While Christians in our country have not experienced this kind of persecution, we are not immune from the trends of growing hostility to Christian norms dealing with life, marriage and sexual conduct.     

All of this reminds us of Jesus’ last Beatitude, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt. 5:11-12)

Are you willing to be persecuted for speaking about Jesus?