Today's Passage - Luke 16:9-13

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 16:9-13   'I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.  Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?  No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.'   The Lord is teaching us the right attitude towards money here.  First, the power of money is limited, and it won't stay forever.  Therefore, we need to have the right values, else our eyes will only be focused on money and thus become disappointed.  Second, we need to be faithful in the matters on money, and the faithfulness the Bible teaches includes the concept of earning a return.  The Lord has taught the parable of giving out money according to talent, where three servants received five talents, two talents and one talent.  When the one received five talents earned five talents, and the master said he's a good and faithful servant; when the one received two talents earned two talents, the master also said he's a good and faithful servant.  But when the one who received one talent returned the one talent the master gave him intact, the master rebuked him as a "wicked and lazy" servant.  When God entrusts us with resources and money, He wants us to earn more so that it can be used wisely for the Lord.  That's why John Wesley has said: "make all you can, save all you can, give all you can."  Today, believers often accomplish the first two, but overlook the third one.   How do we be faithful in money?  The Lord taught us in verse 13: "You cannot serve both God and Money."  The word used for "Money" was the name of the god of money at the time; it means that we should not worship money, because money is for us to use but is not for us to worship.  Today, however, many people don't worship true God, but worship sold and silver, believing that they can bring us happiness; the reality is that money brings even more emptiness.  You can find out whether you are worshipping God by asking yourself what do you consider when buy something.  Do you just consider whether you can afford it, or do you ask whether God wants you to buy it?  If you are only considering whether you have the money, then money has become your God.  Let us bring all things big and small before God, for only when a person is faithful is small things will God give him big things to do.  That's why reverent Chou has said, "small thing is a small thing, but a small thing done faithfully becomes a big thing."  May God help, let us become faithful servant in God's house!     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are willing to let us take part in your work.  May God help us not to become unrighteous manager, but to be a faithful manager in all things you entrust us.  Let us use the resources you give us to expand your Kingdom, so that your name will receive the greatest glory through us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!