Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Joshua 10-12; Luke 16
Devotional Thought:
Title: “The Unfaithful Steward”
This parable has an interesting phrase that is somewhat hard to understand. It comes in verse 8, “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” How can the unsaved ever be wiser than the saved? Doesn’t wisdom come from God and therefore the children of light must have a clear advantage when it comes to wisdom? These are good questions for this often-misunderstood verse. The story is of a steward who was wasting the goods of his master. The master calls him out and says, “give account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.” (vs. 2) The steward panics and admits he should be fired, but refuses to go back to manual labor and is too proud to beg. Knowing his days as steward are numbered because of his wasting of his masters goods, he calls those who owed his master money and told them if they paid part of their bill, he would mark the bill paid in full. So after finding that this steward was wasting his goods, and cheating him out of some money that was owed him, the master says to him, “thou has done wisely…” The parable is an emphasis on the responsibility of Christians to be faithful over what God has entrusted to us. We must be sure to use it the way our Master has planned when He entrusted it to us; knowing there is coming a day when we will give an account of our stewardship. The lord commended the unjust steward for planning ahead and making friends of people who would be able to take care of him when he did not have a job. The verse we mentioned above is comparing how the unsaved are much more aggressive and passionate about planning ahead and making a living in this life than the Christians are about planning for judgment day. The unsaved see the importance of planning ahead if things are going to work out for them here on earth; whereas too many Christians are irresponsible and unjust as they prepare for judgment day. I fear we have many unjust stewards in our churches that are going to be very embarrassed and ashamed on judgment day, because they wasted their Master’s goods. Jesus ends this parable with this statement, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (vs. 10-13)
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to be a faithful servant. I want to use every dollar, minute, and talent to glorify you and to accomplish your perfect will. Please help me not to be selfish with your goods.
• Lord, thank you for all that you have entrusted to me. Thank you for your blessing and amazing grace. Please help me to be an example of a just steward of that which is mammon and spiritual.
• Lord, please help me to live every day in light of judgment day. Please help me to prepare my family, church family, and all those I meet for judgment day.