Wise Christians

Hi, and welcome to another Daily Encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional.

I'm Mike Whitmer, and I title today's reading, Wise Christians. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in cancel schools around the world. In China, teachers responded with DingTalk, a digital app that enabled class to be held online. Then their students figured out that if DingTalk's rating fell too low, it might be removed from the app store.

Overnight, thousands of one-star reviews dropped DingTalk's score. Jesus wouldn't be impressed with the students shirking their responsibilities, but he might admire their ingenuity. In Luke chapter 16, he told an unusual story about a fired manager who on his final day slashed the bills of his master's debtors.

Jesus didn't praise the manager's dishonesty. Rather, he commended his cleverness and wished his followers would be equally shrewd, saying, I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. When it comes to money, most people look at how much they might lose. Wise people look for what they can use. Jesus said giving to others gains friends, which provides safety and influence. Who is the leader in any group?

The one who pays. Giving also gains eternal dwellings, for our willingness to part with our cash shows our trust is in Jesus. Even if we don't have money, we do have time, skills, or a listening ear. Let's ask God to show us how to creatively serve others for Jesus.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 16, verses one through nine. Jesus told his disciples, There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer. The manager said to himself, What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job.

I'm not strong enough to dig. I'm ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do, so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses. So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, How much do you owe my master? Nine hundred gallons of olive oil, he replied. The manager told him, Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty. Then he asked the second, And how much do you owe? A thousand bushels of wheat, he replied. He told him, Take your bill and make it eight hundred.

The master commended the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of the 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. Let's pray. Father, whether we have little or much, give us wisdom and courage as we invest what you've entrusted to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.