Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. Today, from Luke 16:9, we reflect on how we often say that we want to serve God with all our lives and hearts, but are we prepared to serve Him with our wealth as He wants us to!
To watch this devotional, select the link below
‘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 16:9)
i. Let’s learn to be shrewd, but for the right the right things
It’s very interesting that Jesus uses the poor example of this sly but shrewd manager to teach us how we are to use wealth. What on earth can we learn that’s positive from this dishonest and selfish individual that will help us to use our ‘worldly wealth’ healthily?
We see that this man is shrewd in his use of wealth. He knows what he wants and how to get what he wants with the money that he has access to. So, an important lesson that we can learn from him is to know what we want and then use the wealth that God has given to us in order to get it. The important difference being that this man was shrewd in his use of wealth for selfish ends whilst God’s children - ‘Children of light’ - are to be shrewd in using money for the glory of God.
ii. The spiritually shrewd use ‘worldly wealth’ wisely
It’s strange it seems to me that Jesus commands us to ‘use worldly wealth…’ However, He uses this negative phrase - literally ‘unrighteous’ (adikía) ‘wealth or mammon (mammōnâs) - to make the point that wealth is not to be trusted and gives false promises of security and joy. Therefore, it’s to be used for God’s glory rather than idolised as did the shrewd manager; wealth is never to become our security and joy.
Do we know that God has made us stewards of ‘worldly wealth’? Do we know that it can and is to be used for God’s glory and for eternal reward? Are you and I shrewd? Do we put our wealth to work for the best ends? We often say that we want to serve God with all our lives and hearts, but are we prepared to serve Him with our wealth as He wants us to - do our pockets serve God?
Let’s pray together
“Father, I thank you for your provision. I thank you that it’s your will that I steward and serve your purposes with the wealth that you give to me. Please give me the vision and skill to use your money not only for my needs but also for your glory. Amen.”
Community Group Notes
This week is SIV week (Serve, Invest and InVite week) for us at CCP. Therefore, please try to spend a good amount of time reflecting and praying about this.
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
This week is SIV week (Serve, Invest and InVite week) for us at CCP, and so our study will focus on this theme.
On Sunday our message from Luke 16:1-15 was entitled: ‘The Law of the Little’ - How using the little that God gives is a vital law of success.
Please read Luke Luke 16:1-15 and discuss:
Here, from the use of this Parable of the Shrewd Manager, we learn that sometimes the worst people can be our best teachers because sometimes the worst people are better and more ’shrewd’ at getting what they want than are ‘the children of light’ - Christians. If we want to help to bring our community to Jesus, what things do we learn from this manager in order to effectively do this?
Regarding, principally money, we are told to faithfully steward the, maybe little, that God gives to us (And thank you for your generous giving at the recent gift days!). In regard to ’SIV’, how can we make the most of the little things in order to help to bring people to Jesus?
We are told to be careful not to allow money to become our master. How will idolising money make us ineffective at sharing the gospel and distracted from Serving, Investing and Inviting?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus.
Let’s pray together: Pray for one another out of our study together and for anything else for which people would like prayer.
Comments