Luke 16 - Selfless Living for Selfish Ends

3"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses"... Jesus said, "9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

It's amazing that Jesus would advocate thinking of yourself and your eternal destiny in order to motivate selfless living in this world. Jesus is telling us that if we are smart or shrewd about life and the "hereafter" then we'll act now in such a way as to ensure a secure future for ourselves. And the way to do that is to benefit others in this present life... to spend your time, energy, money, etc on others now - selfless living in order to secure your life in the future.

This is what makes Christian living so 'upside down'... so counter cultural. We live with abandon for the benefit of others knowing that God has secured our future in Christ, through the Cross.

Question for you: How are you using your time, energy, and money now to 'gain friends for yourselves' in the future (eternity)? Are you investing a lot or a little in your future?

Remember, you reap what you sow.