The Parables of Jesus

As everyone feels the effects of higher prices, the choices of what to do with the resources God has given you seems to become more and more difficult.  Whether you are struggling to “make ends meet,” or trying to determine how and where to invest, making decisions about what to purchase and when or if to purchase anything requires wisdom.  Financial managers can give advice and counsel, but the point of Jesus’ parable of the “dishonest manager” is to give His followers an unchanging principle by which to determine where and how to invest in His kingdom.  While the voices all around you call out to you, urging you to satisfy yourself with everything this world has to offer, the temptation to indulge the “lusts of the flesh” are endless!  The problem is revealed in the words of the old song, “I can’t get no satisfaction!!”  In this parable and the application that follows Jesus makes it clear that the choice between investing your “hard-earned money” in the things of this world or in His kingdom bears very different results.  One will inevitably come to nothing, while the other will produce eternal rewards!  Taken in its context, the parable is easy to understand, yet difficult for many to put into practice.  We do well to learn the lesson it teaches and to ask God for wisdom and strength to invest in His kingdom!!