Luke 16 (7)

Pray Psalm 115.12, 13.
The LORD has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.

Sing Psalm 115.12, 13.
(Plainfield: Nothing but the Blood of Jesus)
Blessings from our gracious Lord – ever to Your Name be glory –
will attend us evermore – ever to Your Name be glory!
Bless all who fear You, Lord, all who obey Your Word,
all who Your Name adore: Ever to Your Name be glory!

Read Luke 16.1-31; meditate on verses 1, 10, 16, 31.

Preparation
1. What areas of stewardship are mentioned in this chapter?

2. What is promised for those who are faithful in their stewardship?

Meditation
Paul challenges us to understand that everything we are and have comes to us as a gift from God: “…what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4.7) Life, time, salvation, the Kingdom of God, the Scriptures, daily provision and work, relationships, roles, responsibilities, wealth, and possessions – all this comes to us from God. He calls us to be faithful and to use everything we are, have, and do to glorify Him (1 Cor. 10.31).

Jesus taught that if we are faithful in using what God has given us, He will multiply more of the same to us (Lk. 16.10). Think of it! We should be energetic to make the best use of all our gifts for progress in and the advance of Christ’s Kingdom (v. 16). Seeking the Kingdom and righteousness of God is the defining priority of our lives (Matt. 6.33). If we are faithful in that, our Father will add to us everything we need and all we could ever want that we may know, love, and serve Him better.

Let us be diligent in this, not waiting around for our poor stewardship to be exposed (vv.1, 2), not hesitating to feed on the Word day by day (vv. 17, 31), and not wasting our time by failing to press into God’s Kingdom with all our waking strength (v. 16).

Poor stewardship results in unrealized blessings. “The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us…” He has given us a patch of earth – our Personal Mission Field – within which to honor Him with our stewardship (Ps. 115.12, 16). Let us be faithful to serve Him, so that we may know His pleasure and enter into His joy in everything we do.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but
the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (Prov. 13.4).

If we want to be good stewards of God’s abundant goodness, we must work at it. If we want to be trusted with more good works, we must be faithful in the works we have been given to do.

“…work out your own salvation in fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2.12).
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2.15).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12.1, 2).

Proper worship and obedience to God is not for the faint of heart. For “if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24.10). But the LORD God is our strength and fortress (Jer. 16.19), and His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12.9). In other words, we are without excuse (Rom.1.20). Just like the rest of mankind. We must work to gain more traction in the Kingdom. Not to win our salvation, but to secure it more firmly in our hearts.

Paul wrote that “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3.10). The same can be said for our spiritual nourishment. If we do not work at it, we will not eat of it. We need to be more like the prophet Jeremiah who worked to find God’s words and when he found them, he “ate them”. And they were to him, the joy and rejoicing of his heart (Jer. 15.16). We will not grow in Christ if we will not nourish ourselves on His Word.

We can desire to be a good spouse, mother, father, artist, musician, tailor, mathematician, doctor, nurse, teacher, banker, baker, truck driver, plumber, electrician, builder, sailor, pilot, pastor, clerk, and any other multiple occupations available to us, but if we do not work at it, we will not be successful in it.

The same is true for the work of the Christian and it supersedes all other vocations in its eternality. It is our primary work (Eph. 2.10). The other jobs are a means to provide important services for others, satisfaction in a job well done, and daily necessities for ourselves.

Our Kingdom work goes hand-in-hand with these other responsibilities and must be studied to be done correctly. Happily, we have at our fingertips the textbook that will guide us into all truth and lead us into the mindset of Jesus. We can be like Ezra, who “prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it…” (Ezra 7.10).

When we prepare our hearts daily to seek the Law of the LORD, meditate in it day and night (Ps. 1.2), and then do it, we will be found to be well-prepared, faithful servants—good stewards in the Kingdom of God.

For reflection
1. Stewardship requires work. Why?

2. What is God seeking by entrusting us as stewards of so many wonderful things?

3. What are some things you can do to improve your stewardship of all God’s many gifts?

Let those of us who possess earthly wealth open our hearts to those who are in need. Let us show ourselves faithful and obedient to the laws of God. Let us be followers of our Lord’s will in those things that are from the outside and not our own. Let us do this so that we may receive what is our own, that holy and admirable beauty that God forms in people’s souls, making them like himself, according to what we originally were. Cyril of Alexandria(375-444), Commentary on Luke, Homily 109

Pray Psalm 115.1-3.
Give thanks to God for all He has entrusted to you. Pray for enabling grace to be a good steward of all His innumerable gifts.

Sing Psalm 115.1-3.
(Plainfield: Nothing but the Blood of Jesus)
Not to us, O God, not us, but unto Your Name give glory!
For Your love and faithfulness, ever to Your Name be glory!
Why should the nations cry, "Where is their God on high?"
You rule us, Lord, on high: Ever to Your Name be glory!

T. M. and Susie Moore 

You can download all the studies in our Luke series by clicking here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.