Day 228 - Investing In Others
📖Daily Reading
Luke 16
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
Luke 16- 9
Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.
If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in the little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
Jesus uses a cautionary tale to teach multiple truths from different angles. He uses a money manager who works for a wealthy man as an example of both what to do and what not to do. He is mis-managing the wealthy man’s money and word gets back to the wealthy man. He puts the manager on notice that he knows what he has been up to and he is going to be let go. The manager is shrewd and knows he does not have other skills to rely on for his employment and now that he has been dishonest and untrustworthy he knows he is in trouble. But he does something that is strategic, he finds a few people that are in debt to the wealthy man and he forgives part of their debt. He invests wisely with what resources he has left available to him and buys himself some friends that he will be able to call on for help when he is unemployed soon.
This is an example to us to invest in others, and simultaneously to be trustworthy and honest. If this manager had been trustworthy and faithful to his master he wouldn’t have needed to worry about losing his job. But it is still important to invest in others and in friendships, because you never know what might happen. We are also given an example of a man named Lazarus who contracted leprosy and was at the gates of another wealthy man asking for help. He was given none and he died at the gates. The wealthy man also died and then we see them both in the after life. Lazarus is being taken care of by Abraham and the wealthy man is in the burning fires and suffering. They are separated by an uncrossable chasm. The wealthy man is begging for help and asking for Lazarus to be sent over to help him. He is told that it is impossible so this wealthy man thinks of his five brothers and wants to send them a warning to make sure they use their worldly resources to help others so they won’t end up in the flames like him. But he is told that Moses and all the prophets have already been sent. So then he asks if a man from the dead can be sent, and Abraham responds, if they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets they won’t listen to someone even if they rise from the dead.
The famous verse that many know v13; “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Investing means that it also ‘costs’ you something, but you get a return on your investment. Loving God and others is what brings eternal returns on your investment. Money and worldly resources are only here for a short time and you can’t take it with you. If you are only in and of the world and not concerned with eternity you will likely take the path of living for money and acquisition. This path also usually involves hoarding, withdrawing and isolation out of wanting to protect and preserve money and worldly resources.
Those who hold their money and resources loosely, share them and use them to invest in others will find treasure on earth and in heaven. They can be trusted, will have friends to rely on if disease or unforeseen tragedies strike. This is true wealth.
Even those who don’t have a lot of worldly resources who choose to serve God and Love often speak of being rich, they are rich in the things that matter. Humans were made to love and be loved. Investing in relationships for the sake of Love not for material gain is true wealth and storing up treasures in heaven. What if you lived understanding that there is an afterlife and what you do here will determine your fate there? AND what if living from this perspective also brought you a fulfilling life here on earth? A life of emotional and spiritual health, which both of these btw also contribution to your physical health, and this whole package makes you feel rich and blessed without having to be materially wealthy? Sounds like a win-win-win to me. I don’t see a down side, do you? Living for material gain only seems like the riskier choice to me.. what do you think?
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
What if you lived understanding that there is an afterlife and what you do here will determine your fate there? AND what if living from this perspective also brought you a fulfilling life here on earth? A life of emotional and spiritual health, which both of these btw also contribution to your physical health, and this whole package makes you feel rich and blessed without having to be materially wealthy? Sounds like a win-win-win to me. I don’t see a down side, do you? Living for material gain only seems like the riskier choice to me.. what do you think?
📖Tomorrows Reading
Luke 17
Coaching Opportunity
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