How much $ is enough?

There is this story in Luke (16: 1-13) that talks about a wealthy man and the distribution of wealth. Actually, it is more about this manager that he's hired--well, actually, it's probably about more than that too....but give me a minute.

So this manager is responsible for collecting the landowner's debts for him. But, the landowner suspects that the manager is being dishonest. One day he decides to just fire him. But the manager catches wind of this and decides to act rather shrewdly. He goes to the different debtors and tells them to change the amounts they owe. Now surprisingly this works, because instead of being fired, the manager is actually promoted, sort of, by being told that he at least was collecting the debts in some way. This is a big oversimplification, but that's the gist of this particular parable that Jesus tells.

Everytime I hear this, the "oldest child" in me yells "NOT FAIR!" I mean, the guy was caught cheating, basically, and he gets to keep his job. Another sign of incompetence rising to the top? Well, let's think about this for a minute.

The point in this parable is that Jesus is trying to point out that we need to truly know where our loyalty lies. If we follow Jesus, and want to create a new way of life, we need to decide if we are going to strive after our old ways, or focus on him. The interesting thing though is that while admonishing us that we can't "serve two masters" there is this implication that we can at least have a choice in the matter. We are given much to be entrusted with in our lives that does not belong to us and what we decide to do with this is crucial to our relationships with others, and most importantly, our relationship with God.

The bottom line kicker to this passage is Jesus' statement that you cannot serve both God AND wealth. What does that look like in your life?

When I hear that statement I begin to realize that though we are all driven to try and make money and that we all try to find ways to save, and face it, mostly just spend money, we cannot let it become the focus of our lives. If you are spending a lot more time at the bank or with your checkbook lately than you are focusing on what God is calling you to, and whom God is calling you to be, well, it would seem that money is what you are serving.

One of our folks sent me a note because they had just learned about "tithing." Tithing is an ancient Biblical custom of giving 10% of our "bounty" back to God. It is a reminder that what we have is all a gift anyway. That check may have our name on it, but it really is a sign of God's blessing in our life. So if you make $500 a week, well $50 of it "belongs" to God. I know you might wonder about what God needs with money, but it really is not about that at all. It's about your relationship with God. Do you trust God enough to release your overdependence on keeping every penny for yourself, or are you ready to release it back into the world in some way, shape, or form?

There are times when I'm like that shrewd manager. I want to keep a little bit more for myself because I have my eyes on that big screen TV, or some other object that is marketed as a source for happiness. But, I know that no matter what it is, I really don't need it, don't have room for it, can't really afford the pricetag, and will still not be "satisfied" with just this purchase. Then when I feel guilty, I want to maybe put a little more in my offering check for the ministry here or in my home congregation.

I can tell you that after year's of struggling with this, having grown up in a family that revelled in the scarcity of everything(!), I think I am finally turning a corner. Instead of flinching when writing out our monthly tithes, I find myself increasing the amounts. And somehow, there is always enough left to cover the bear necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter) and then some.

What's all this about, well, it has to do with what you do in the little parts of your life, the unseen areas. Places that people do not know about or see. Jesus wants us to be as alert about doing right things as crooked folks are with being alert to keep from getting caught. Basically, if you are honest in small things, you'll probably be honest in the big things. If you are a crook in small things, you will probably be a crook in big things.

One more analogy...say you have two jobs. I know many of you do. Well, if you really love the one job because you feel you are really making a contribution, I bet at some point, even though you might need the income from the other job, you will start complaining about it, or someone there will bug you, or you will find it to be a real pain. Well, it's the same way with following Jesus, you can't chose it as your "second" job. But, you can make everything you do a sign of God's kingdom here on earth.

Now that was a long devotion, to get to this, I think this story is about God's grace. God knows we will have moments of weakness when we try to be a bit sneaky in our life and faith. God knows we get distracted by small things that are often made out to be big things. But God takes a look at the little things. The things others may not always see at first, and knows that these are signs of greater ways you live your life.

It's not supposed to be a guilt trip, but it is a great reminder to celebrate everything around us as a sign of God's grace and involvement in our world. This week, see if you cannot find a couple of ways that you are celebrating God's presence in your life.