Make Friends Of Your Money     

Luke 16:9

 

     "The love of money is the root of all evil" (I Tim. 6:10). Yet, the Lord Jesus says to his disciples, "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Make to yourself friends of your money and earthly goods, so that when you die you may enter into heaven. Use your earthly goods as a steward under God, with an eye to the future. Use your riches in this world in such a way that they shall be friends to you and not witnesses against you in the day of judgment.

     Do not mistake my meaning, or the teaching of our Lord. You cannot purchase an eternal inheritance in heaven with money anymore than you can earn it by your works! The only grounds for any sinner's acceptance with God is the blood of Christ (I Pet. 1:18-21). Your earthly riches cannot get you into heaven, no matter what you do with them. But they can keep you out of heaven! It was his riches that kept the rich young ruler out of the kingdom of God (Lk. 18:22-24).

     It is our responsibility not to serve our earthly possessions, but rather to use our earthly possessions to serve our God, his people and his gospel. All that we have belongs to God and is to be used for God. We are nothing but stewards. A steward owns nothing. But he is responsible for everything. He takes in with one hand and distributes with the other, according to his master's will (Matt. 6:19-21, 33). God did not put us here to amass wealth, but to use what he is pleased to put in our hands for the glory of Christ and the good of his people.

     This is what the Lord Jesus teaches us in this verse: The proper use of our earthly goods, from proper motives, will be for our eternal benefit. It is an evidence of God's grace in us, which shall befriend our souls forever. Read Ecclesiastes ll:1, Galatians 6:7-10 and I Timothy 6:17-19. These three passages are inspired commentaries on Luke 16:9.

     What has God put in your hands? Will you waste your Master's goods upon the lusts of your flesh; or will you use them for the service of his kingdom? Of this you may be certain: If you sow to the flesh, you shall of the flesh reap corruption. If you sow to the Spirit, you shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

 

Don Fortner