Treasures in Heaven

“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???

Recently in our business there has been a rash of dishonest employees. They each found ingenuous ways of stealing money. And in a way I can relate to the boss in the story and can say, "Wow! These employees really used their God-given talents, their brains, their creativity to find a way to get what they wanted!"  If only they used their 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, all our resources, to do good, to gain friends, to build the Kingdom of Heaven, and to grow our treasure there! In Matthew 6:20, we can read, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven". Although we cannot hold on to any of the material things we have accumulated, what we will continue to enjoy in heaven are the relationships we have with our family, our brothers and sisters, the missionaries we have helped through the years, the inmates we have accompanied, the sick we have prayed for, the widows and orphans we encouraged, the poor we lifted out of their misery. 

Yes, 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!