| “If ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:12). |
| In yesterday’s meditation, we mentioned “our money.” It does not really belong to us, it really all belongs to the Lord. This is true of everything we have, whether it is our money, our other possessions, or our bodies, our natural abilities, and our spiritual gifts. All belong to the Lord, and we are only stewards of those things. |
| Most of us do not have stewards in our homes today, but in times past, wealthy homes often had a steward, who was entrusted with managing the household. Sometimes this man was called a butler. The things for which he had responsibility were not his; they belonged to his master, but he was given the job of using them in the right way, and according to his master’s instructions. He was allowed to do this because his master trusted him and counted on him to use the goods properly. |
| In the story in Luke 16 from which today’s verse is taken, the steward was accused of being unfaithful, and of wasting his master’s goods. Because of this his master was not going to allow him to be his steward anymore. In modern language, we would say he was going to be fired. |
| In the same way, the Lord has given us things like money and other possessions and expects us to use them for Him. We cannot take them with us to heaven, but we can use our money to lay up treasure in heaven. But as our verse says, if we are unfaithful with our money, which really belongs to the Lord, how shall we expect to receive “the true riches” which really belong to us? |
| This refers to our spiritual blessings, which are really ours. According to Ephesians 1:3, we are “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” God has given them to us, and every believer is equally blessed, for God has no favorites in His family. But our enjoyment of those blessings depends on our walk as Christians, and if we are unfaithful in using our money and other possessions for the Lord, we will not enjoy those spiritual blessings that are really ours. |
