|
Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 30 - Unjust Steward
Luke 16:10-12
10 He that is faithful [pistos] in [en] that which is least [elachistos] is [esti] faithful [pistos] also [kai] in [en] much [polus] : and [kai] he that is unjust [adikos] in [en] the least [elachistos] is [esti] unjust [adikos] also [kai] in [en] much [polus] .
11 If [ei] therefore [oun] ye have [ginomai] not [ou] been [ginomai] faithful [pistos] in [en] the unrighteous [adikos] mammon [mammonas] , who [tis] will commit [pisteuo] to your [humin] trust [pisteuo] the true [alethinos] riches?
12 And [kai] if [ei] ye have [ginomai] not [ou] been [ginomai] faithful [pistos] in [en] that which is another man's [allotrios] , who [tis] shall give [didomi] you [humin] that which is your own [humeteros] ? KJV-Interlinear
10 'He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 'If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 'And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? NASB
If we are irresponsible in the things of this carnal life (unrighteous mammon), then how can anyone expect us to be responsible with the things of the spiritual realm? Here is where your life's daily living pattern comes in to play.
You can say all the right things for the ears of whomever is listening. You can say all the right things to impress others, even to win their approval. But, if your thoughts and words do not translate into a pattern of consistent daily life, that is consistent with your words, then you are in effect a fraud in Gods sight.
By the way, you judge yourself in this matter. You do not judge others on their compliance or lack of it.
The spiritual life is a pattern of thought. It is the transformation of the mind into the thoughts that God prefers you to have. Appropriate actions need to accompany your thoughts such that your entire life will be one of consistency.
James 2:17
17 Even so faith, if it has no works , is dead, NASB
Works are the application of the doctrine in your soul, to your daily life.
James 2:22
22 You see that faith was working with his works , and as a result of the works , faith was perfected; NASB
Your spiritual life is a circle of wisdom which have described before. You study, you learn, you understand, you apply it to your life, and then you do it all over again and again. That is the circle of wisdom. That is how you grow up spiritually. You cannot live a good life (human good) apart from learning Gods Word - that is human righteousness and that is rejected. You cannot learn scripture and then not utilize it in your daily life, that too is an empty growth pattern and tantamount to hypocrisy or picking and choosing what doctrines you want to use and what doctrines you do not want to use. Examples: a relationship without marriage, prosperity without charity, any expectation of Gods will which is in effect disobeyed, etc., etc., etc.
James 2:26
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. NASB
Eccl. 2:26
26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God's sight. NASB
Now we are getting closer to the bottom line of life. Your objective in this life is spiritual growth. Spiritual growth comes only from the circle of wisdom we briefly described above. A more in depth description of the spiritual learning and growth cycle comes from the study of Isa. 11 which we covered in Rev. 1 - the seven spirits.
Anyone who does not comply with Gods commands, forfeits his blessings (potential) to those who do comply, Eccl. 2:26 mentioned above.
In our passage, the lessor comprises everything that exists in life - the unrighteous mammon - every possible detail of your life in and from this world. The greater comes from the spiritual realm. So just as in this life you grow up and gain an education from home, school, and life in general, and then you utilize those things you have come to know, so too in the spiritual life you learn and come to an understanding of the things of the spiritual realm. You are expected to utilize those spiritual assets in your daily life as well.
If you cannot be trusted in the lessor of things in life (the things of this world) then how can you possibly be trusted in the spiritual things which God provides. If you lead a dishonest life in the world, then you cannot possibly lead an honest life in the spiritual realm. A dishonest person cannot by definition even get into fellowship. Living in fellowship is a must if you are to live a spiritual life. All spiritual phenomena occurs while residing in fellowship.
If you are faithful in the little things (the unrighteous mammon), then you are a candidate for being responsible in the greater (spiritual) things of life. You can confess your sins to God the Father (to no one else), get into fellowship, and then function inside the sphere in which God wants you to live.
If you are out of fellowship (living in the unrighteous sphere), then no matter what you do, good or bad, small or great, in life, it is all unrighteous and not of the spiritual life.
If you are not honest in your dealings with yourself or others, then how can you expect to receive anything from God?
The things of this world do not belong to us. Remember that we are but stewards in this life. God owns everything. He has a greater, and older and a more perfect title to all.
We are only stewards. Anything we have from this world is never ours, never will be ours, and when we die we are in effect bankrupted completely with no residual to us. Leaving this world with nothing is the real disaster of life.
However we can have something which is far more valuable than all the riches of this world put together.
' ... who will give you that which is your own?' 'Own' here means your total and complete ownership.
And, we can have it for our very own, with a complete and unencumbered title, and have it forever. That is our spiritual assets which we accumulate during this life, together with all the eternal blessings we as mature believers will qualify for and receive, at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
If you live your entire life on this earth and accumulate everything that exists, and you ignore God, you will end up with nothing for eternity. If you believe in Christ and still ignore His Word and do not grow up spiritually, then you will also, end up with nothing.
Anything and everything in this world amounts to nothing. Anything and everything you have is only temporary for this life, and will be lost permanently when you leave this life. And, everyone will leave this life sooner or later - that is certain.
So now we always come back to the priorities of life. What is more important to prepare for? This life or the next?
Only those who advance to spiritual maturity will have ownership of an abundant (more than you could use in a lifetime) and phenomenal (beyond imagination) estate for all of eternity.
End of Lesson |
|
 |
Table of Contents
|
 |
Previous Page |
|
Next Page |
text-indent: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;">
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
If You Wish To Support This Bible Study,
Please Make Your Donation Here
Go To Home Page
|
|
