Making Friends Forever
Did you know that God expects you to use money and other material resources to make friendships that last for eternity? That's what Jesus taught in Luke 16:1-13. To do this, he told a fascinating story about an accountant who had mismanaged the funds of a wealthy landowner.
God expects you to use money and other material resources to make friendships that last for eternity.
When this landowner learned that this man was misusing his funds, he ordered an audit. That's when the accountant devised a clever plan, knowing that he would lose his job. He offered all of his employer's debtors the opportunity to pay off their debts at a very reduced rate. Not only did this increase his employer's available funds (making his employer happy), but it also provided him with new friendships which he could count on later. By extending a gracious offer to these debtors, he had earned their deep appreciation and respect. Since he would no longer be able to access his employer's funds and was also unable to farm land, he would need to depend upon their future kindness to meet his future needs.By telling this story, Jesus teaches us to take a similar approach. If God is the landowner (and he is the owner of all things) and you are the caretaker of his resources (which you are), then you should recognize that your window of opportunity to serve in this capacity is fading quickly. Your money and resources will soon disappear and you will stand before God to give an account for how your used them. As a result, you should find creative and sensible ways to use the money and material resources that God has entrusted into your care. In particular, you should find ways to make new friends by using your material resources. Good friendships cost money and time, and other resources as well. But such friendships are eternally worthwhile.
Your money and resources will soon disappear and you will stand before God to give an account for how your used them.
What kind of friendships should you make as a steward of God's resources? You should make friends that will greet you in God's forever kingdom. This indicates that God intends for you to be a gracious, unselfish friend to unsaved people around you, meeting their needs in strategic ways. But more than this, he intends for you to expose them to the gospel message as well, so that many of them will believe on Jesus Christ for spiritual salvation. This means that you should use your financial and material resources to meet needs and make friends to whom you may share the truth about Jesus by your words. Acts of compassion build friendships, but only the good news about Jesus can save a soul forever.
Friends listen to friends before strangers.
Knowing that friends listen to friends before strangers, will you use your resources to make friends with whom you can share the gospel? If so, then you will learn to serve people with your temporary resources rather than serving the depreciating resources themselves. It's the wise thing to do.
