20100314
A manager of a Singapore Company once thought of an ingenious way to plan for his future. He diverted some of the company sales into his own set-up so that he will have a ready client-base for his new company when the time is right. Two thousand years ago, Jesus told an almost similar story in the “Parable of the Shrewd Manager” (Lk. 16:1-9). The manager here was even commended by his employer for being shrewd, “for the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light” (Lk. 16:8). That such dishonest acts are blatantly repeated in present times speaks of the perpetuity of man’s sin in business dealings. However, if there is any commendation for what the manager had done, it is that when he was found out he saw the issue clearly and he did plan immediately on how to solve it. The problem is that he did not adopt godly principles of honesty and integrity in solving the matter.
Many of us do make provisions to secure a more stable future for our family members and ourselves, mostly through some form of insurance planning. But planning on the basis of financial benefits alone without consideration for our spiritual needs is inadequate. It can make us indifferent to what God wants for us in our lives, leading us to become more foolish about our self-preservation. The Bible urges us to make wise use of the financial opportunities made available to us. Money has the power to take over God’s place in our lives. It can unconsciously become our Master. The Pharisees were taken in by the desire for fame and to amass wealth. Jesus saw through their hearts and spoke of this desire of theirs. Their love for money caused them to take exception to Jesus’ teachings and to abandon true spirituality as required by God.
How then should people insure themselves against the one thing that will certainly happen? Death is a certainty and we will have to meet God and give an account of our lives. In the “Parable of the Rich Fool” (Lk. 12:13-21), the fate that befalls the man for the unwise choice he made should caution us against careless thinking on matters of eternal value. How much more secure can it be if you would make God your Master and have your future sealed in His love in heaven. No amount of financial insurance can match that.
