In Luke 16:1-15, Jesus tells the parable about the shrewd manager. The manager had many faults, but he was smart enough to use his resources to plan for the future. Jesus explained, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" (v. 9).
In this life, we will never know the full impact we have had on others. But we will in heaven.
How can we use our resources to "gain friends" for eternity? By committing our time, our money, and our spiritual gifts to sharing the Gospel with others.
Jesus is not saying that we buy our friends. He is saying that by committing our resources now to the ministry of the Gospel, we will have friends in heaven who will welcome us with joy because we helped make it possible for them to hear about Jesus.
In this life, we will never know the full impact we have had on others. We may never know if that person we witnessed to ever committed himself to Christ. We may not realize the true impact of the money we gave to spread the Gospel. We may not discover the effect we had as a Bible study teacher, a small group leader, or a nursery worker. But we will in heaven. In heaven, we will meet those people who learned of God's love because of something we did.
Prayer: God, give me Your eyes to see the lost around me and Your words to share the hope I have in You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives" (Proverbs 11:30).
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