Luke 16:9 “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”

In Luke 16, Jesus begins the chapter by telling a story about an unjust steward… and the wisdom that this unjust steward displays in how he provides for himself and his future in sight of losing his stewardship (his job).

You can read what he does, but because he’s in trouble with his lord (his employer) he goes to the people that owe his lord money and offers a lower debt repayment if they pay their debts now. He reasons that when he loses his job, he will have got their goodwill and that’ll open up other opportunities for him beyond his stewardship.

And Jesus says in concluding the story that “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Because people of this world seem to show more wisdom in earthly carnal things than we as Christians have in spiritual things. When we should know better in many areas of life, often we behave and live like we don’t… it really is quite incredible.

It’s a pretty amazing parable, hopefully you read it yourself, and it really requires a lot of thought and mulling over, as it’s a gold mine, wealth and wellspring of wisdom to draw from for practical advice for Christians living in this world now with future in sight.

When Jesus says this in verse 9, there’s a bit of a stop and pause, and it doesn’t seem to make sense… after all, in a few verses time he’s going to tell us we can’t serve God and mammon… it’s only one master. If you are serving the wealth and riches of this world… you won’t be serving God.

Sadly, many Christians are serving mammon, not God, they would never say it, but it’s grossly displayed in how they live their life… it’s all about personal wealth and them building their own little kingdom and setting themselves up against the future… like it’s going to last. …And we are meant to be good stewards, but we are Christians, we are meant to have our eyes on the prize (you know who that is?) and we are just pilgrims and strangers in this world, living for a kingdom and reason that is invisible as yet to this world but not to the spiritual eye.

Jesus here and in many other parables gives us advice on how to invest our lives. He tells us to invest in the kingdom of God, as he himself did, and that from a young age, at 14 “I must be about my Father’s business”. And we do have capital to do that with! Particularly in our country, we all have a lot of wherewithal to serve God, and to entirely devote to God, not just a puny bit of it to alleviate our conscience should it ever revive in it’s guilt on occasion.

Did you know that the Bible says in the book of Daniel that the kingdom of God one day will fill the whole earth… and so if you had a lot of money, talent and ability and you were going to invest your energy and desire of life somewhere… you’d surely pick stock that rises in the end? Jesus Christ isn’t “a” reason for life… he is THE reason.

And his kingdom, and his business is a winner, investing in Jesus Christ with all the good he’s given you in life, not just spiritual but physical… that’s the wisest thing you’ll ever do.

Why should investors of money show more wisdom than Christians in how they invest their life, and the goods that God has given them to deal in and be stewards over? They know how to invest… why don’t we? They know how to prioritize and devote… why don’t we?

Firstly we need to stop thinking of what we have as “ours”. The Bible says that we have nothing we didn’t receive, we are stewards, as the Bible says, of the manifold grace of God. I don’t own a thing, but I can use what I’ve got and been given, little or much and yet invest it wisely or foolishly.

There are many stewards who will be disappointed when accountability time comes, because they will have wasted the great things that God put them in charge over, and this parable is a real challenge to Christians in how we are providing for and against the future.

Jesus here is saying something that is critical for us as Christians to get a hold of… a principle in the Bible vital to success in our stewardship, which is that we need to use our carnal things to make spiritual investments. If you’ve got money… use it for Christ. That doesn’t mean give it away to some prosperity scam either. Use wisdom! But if you truly do love God… use what’s at your disposal to see other’s saved… invest in souls, invest in Christ! Because it’s all his anyway “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

This is all pictured in the construction and building of the tabernacle in the Old Testament, when people gave of their earthly wealth, efforts, time and made a spiritual investment with their lives, they invested in God dwelling with them. No, it wasn’t “buying God off”… it is a privilege to serve God and live a life that counts.

And guess what ultimately counts? Not your personal portfolio… souls. And do you want your wealth to increase or God’s wealth? Aren’t we part of his commonwealth after all? Didn’t he share his wealth with us when he saved us? May God make us see that our true riches are “the unsearchable riches of Christ”. Invest in souls, anyone in heaven going to be glad to see you? The Bible says he that winneth souls is wise… is that what your riches are about? Or are they for you (while you say they are for God of course).

So then… in summary… with what’s not going to last… how about make an investment that will? Did you know you can use what’s not going to last, using, not abusing the fashion of the world… and make a splash in eternity? If you were faithful in what you did have… just basic things in life like job, money and so on… would not God give you much more than these?

Investing in God is truly investing in yourselves. All our stocks go down “when ye fail”… but his is only going up. Hopefully he is your treasure. As Jesus said to a rich young self righteous and quite deluded man who came to him one day “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

Big challenge isn’t it… but he’s worth it!

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