Reading Plan:
Luke 16

Live with Urgency

Author: Gray Strickland

People have always been captivated by great stories. Whether the story is in a book or on a screen, we all love a great story. Jesus knew this, and he leveraged the art of the story to teach. He captivated people with stories, and the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16) is one example of this. This parable makes you lean in, and more than that, it makes you think – really think! What was Jesus’ angle in telling this? What did he want his listeners to learn and to do?

Here’s a quick recap. A rich man learns his manager was wasting his possessions. The manager is to be fired after he gives an account of how he managed, or rather, mismanaged the rich man’s money. Knowing that he was soon to be without a job, he makes a few deals with the rich man’s debtors hoping they might show him favor once he is fired. Upon learning what the manager has done, the rich man commended his employee for acting shrewdly.

There are so many takeaways in this short parable. There is the obvious takeaway, that we are to be good managers (stewards) of what God has given us including our time, our money, and our energy. Even as I write that last sentence, I see a mistake in my writing. It really isn’t “our time”, “our money”, or “our energy.” It all belongs to God, and we are stewards of those things for His glory and the good of others. That alone is a strong and convicting takeaway.

I believe there is more we can glean though. I not only see the manager acting shrewdly but a man who is acting urgently. Luke 16:3 sums it up, “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now?’” He is about to be without a job so the pressure is on to figure something out. He acts with shrewdness, and he acts with urgency.

When it comes to my faith, I’m a good steward, but I’m not sure I always live with urgency – well, perhaps not about the most important things, anyway. Yesterday we talked about prioritizing in our own lives what’s most important to Jesus. Do you have an idea of what might be most important in your life in this season? How we spend our time and money are often great indicators, and I think urgency is another one. What does our level of urgency say about what is important to us?

In Romans 10 the apostle Paul reminds us of some great news, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”He follows that great news with this urgent statement, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)
I can hear the urgency in Paul’s words. Today as you strive to be a good manager of all that God has blessed you with, also remember to live with a sense of urgency to share the message God has entrusted to you.

Need a plan to help you live with urgency? At Venture, our strategy is summed up in 4 I’s.

• Invite with intention.
  
• Invest in community.
  
• Impact by serving.
  
• Ignite through giving.
  

What if all of us who call Venture our church home lived with a sense of urgency about those 4 statements?


Reflection and Response:

• Read Romans 10:13-15 again. Why do we need to live with a sense of urgency in our Faith?
  
• Read back over the Venture Strategy above. Which one do you lack a sense of urgency about? Which one is easiest for you to have a sense of urgency about?
  

Father, help me to live with a sense of urgency when it comes to sharing and living out my faith. Give me opportunities today to share my faith with others in word and deed, and give me the courage to step into those opportunities.

HAVE KIDS?

Family Application: Using what God has given you.

• Today’s reading is in Luke 16. One key takeaway that we see in this section of God’s word is that we need to use the gifts that God has given us. Encourage your kids that everyone has a different gift and that our gifts are not better or worse than anyone else's - they are just different.
• One way that we can use the abilities that God has given us is to serve others. When we serve others, we make an impact on their life.
• Spend time today making a plan to serve together as a family. This could mean going somewhere in the community, serving at the church on Sunday, or starting in your neighborhood.