Luke 16:1-3 - "What Shall I Do?"

In Luke 16, it appears that the main theme of thischapter is stewardship and our accountability over what the Lord has entrustedus with. The Wall Street Journal quoted an anonymous wit who defined money as"an article which may be used as a universal passport to everywhere exceptheaven, and as a universal provider for everything except happiness." Paulwrote in 1 Timothy 6:10, that the love of money is still "a root of allkinds of evil" which has helped fill our world with corruption andlust (1 Peter 1:4).  When you read ourLord's sermons and parables, you are struck with the fact that He had a greatdeal to say about the subjects of money along with heaven and hell. Teaching usthat one day we will give an account of what we did with the resources that Hetrusted us with. So, we had better heed what Jesus says in this chapter aboutthe right and wrong use of wealth. Neither of the two accounts in this chapteris called a parable either by Jesus or by Luke, so it is likely that our Lordwas describing actual happenings. However, whether they are actual events oronly parables, the spiritual values are the same. In this first story,Jesus speaks to His disciples about a steward—a manager of his master’swealth—who’s accused of squandering resources. The master demands an accountand fires him. Facing a crisis, the steward panics, realizing he’s unfit formanual labor and too proud to beg. He then asks himself the question, “What shallI do?” A good question we should be asking as we are reminded that we arestewards of God’s gifts, not owners.  In this first story, thesteward’s role was to manage his master’s wealth for his master’s benefit, buthe wasted it through carelessness or dishonesty. His failure led to a reckoning,where he had to account for his actions and he got fired. Jesus uses this storyto remind us that everything we have; time, money, talents, and the gospel, allbelongs to God. We’re entrusted to use these gifts wisely, not for selfish gainbut to honor Him and bless others. The steward’s crisismirrors our reality. One day, we’ll all give an account to God for how we’vemanaged His blessings. Like the steward, we might be tempted to waste what Godgives us, like the prodigal son in the previous chapter, spending timecarelessly, hoarding resources, or neglecting our gifts. Yet, the story alsosparks hope: even in his failure, the steward begins to think strategicallyabout his future. Jesus isn’t praising his dishonesty but pointing out hisurgency to act wisely in a crisis. We, too, must act with purpose, knowing ourtime as stewards is limited. God calls us to investour lives, not just spend or waste them. This means using our money to help theneedy, our time to serve others, and our abilities to share the gospel. Unlikethe world’s shrewdness, which seeks temporary gain, our stewardship aims foreternal impact. Are we living as faithful stewards, or are we squandering God’sgifts? The steward’s question, “What shall I do?” is ours to answer today. Maythe Lord help us to choose to manage God’s resources with gratitude, diligence,and love, preparing for the day we stand before Him. Today, I want to challengeeach of us to invest wisely by reflecting on one area of our life; time, money,or talents, where we might have been wasting or hoarding God’s gifts. Inprayer, we should ask God to show us how to invest that gift for His kingdom.Then, we should take one practical step this week: Give generously to someonein need, dedicate time to serve in our church or community, or use a talent toencourage others or share the gospel. By acting faithfully now, we will preparefor a future of eternal reward and bring glory to God. Prayer: Lord, thank You for entrusting us with Your gifts. Forgiveus for wasting what’s Yours. Help us invest our time, resources, and talentsfor Your glory and others’ good. Guide our actions this week to honor You. InJesus’ name, Amen.