Daily Word Of God
Luke 16:1-6, 8
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward who was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.”
Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”
‘Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil,” he said. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.”
‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- Jesus is not praising the steward for his dishonesty, but his creativity. Likewise, we too are challenged daily to read “the signs of the times”; to find “new ways” of living the Gospel daily, in and through the pains and trials of life.
- The steward’s ways were to preserve himself and his future needs. When our faith is being challenged, do we “preserve” our needs or compromise our faith?
- Once we are able to go beyond focusing on our own needs, and to reach out to the needs and for the good of others, God’s Spirit will be able to work through us because our self-centered ways can only destroy us.