We can gather profound worldly and heavenly advice here from the lips of Jesus in this parable story:
”Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
Jesus, Luke 16:1-13 BSB
And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first. ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager. ‘Sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him.
The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”“
John Maxwell writes:
Lessons from a Lousy Leader
Jesus’ story of an unrighteous manager teaches us lessons about shrewd business and a few subtle truths about leadership. This lousy leader…
John Maxwell writes:
- Violated rule number one: Leadership is not to be used for personal benefit (v. 1). He forgot that leadership is about giving, not getting. Leaders lose the right to be selfish.
- Learned that a leader cannot hide his heart (vv. 1, 2). Leadership rises or falls to the level of the leader’s integrity. Leaders are vulnerable.
- Was proactive in facing problems (v. 3). He surmised how he could address the problem. Good leaders aren’t afraid to face reality.
- Understood the value of relationships (v. 4). He utilized the relationships he had developed already. He received a return on his investment.
- Understood the nature of his influence (vv. 4, 5). Since leadership is influence, leaders know with whom they have influence—and they go there.
- Learned the keys to motivating others (vv. 5–7). Everyone is motivated in different ways. He found ways to make friends and get results.
- Reminds us of the value of godly leadership (vv. 8–10). In the end, his master praised his shrewdness; but Jesus has a deeper lesson for us.