“‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’” (Luke 16:10-13)  Before you do the sensible thing and take a hard pass on the parable of the dishonest steward, it might be wise to consider a couple of things.  First, as always, parables are not allegories; nor are they fables meant to teach us a moral lesson.  Instead, the parables are stories that Jesus told in order to reveal to us the truth of God’s Kingdom.  That is why these three verses are crucial in helping us to understand better, what Jesus is teaching here.  The dishonest manager is not to be emulated for his behavior, but he is to be regarded for his total commitment to securing a living that will pass away.  If he cares that much for a life which is hard and brief, how much more ought we to care about the things that are eternal?  One more thing, I am intrigued by that final question: “who will give you what is your own?”  It is so tempting, is it not, to pursue relentlessly what we cannot keep when all the while, the Lord only wants to give us what has already been purchased for us; something which is eternal, something which is not diminished with time: our new identity in him – our incorporation into his family.  I need to be more open to receiving from Jesus “what is already my own” in its fullness.  How about you?  Have a great week!