God- Given Gifts

“His master praised the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly and prudently; for the sons of men are shrewder and more prudent and wiser in relation to their own generation than are the sons of light." Luke 16:8

Whaaaat?!!!  This is a complicated, confusing story! Why is Jesus telling a parable about a dishonest manager being commended by his master, his boss, for being shrewd???

One time in our business there was a rash of dishonest employees. They each found ingenuous ways of stealing money. And in a way I can relate to the manager in Jesus’ parable and can say, "Wow! These employees really used their talents, their brains, their creativity, to find a way to get what they wanted!"  If only they used their God-given abilities and gifts for something good! 

And I think this is partly what Jesus is saying in this parable. We should use our time, talent and treasure to do good, to gain friends, to build the Kingdom of Heaven, 

and to have treasure there! We should be shrewder, wiser, and more prudent than worldly men who rule this world with impunity. And we have God at our side to do it!