Using your gifts for an eternal reward

Luke 16:9 (ESV) 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9 (NLT) 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. So reading in Luke 16 we find the story of a dishonest man who is about to lose his job because his dishonesty was discovered by his boss. To be sure he won’t be out on the streets without means of income he further cheats his boss by going to those who owe his boss money and reduces the amount they owe. He does this so that they will welcome him into their homes after he is out of a job. The boss hears about this and acknowledges how shrewd the employee was. In verse 9 it almost sounds like God is saying this is how we are to behave but after much prayer and meditation on these verses this is the conclusion I have come to. God gives us the means to earn a living, all are abilities are His design so we do owe our ability to work to Him. So we earn money, what do we do with that money? We buy the things we have to have to live but here in the US we usually earn more than we have to have. Again I ask what do we do with our money? We usually buy the things we want. What if we looked around to see if someone else had a need that was not being meant? What is we helped others with what we have instead of putting our wants first? If we ‘used our worldly resources to benefit others’ what would the results be? Well, probably they would appreciate it and think well of us, a bond would be formed. It might be a testimony to them and help them see how they should treat others. It might be a lesson to our children as to how they should live. But I am thinking it also has eternal value. When we understand that the things of this world only benefit us in this world and have no eternal value. If we use the things God has given us for His glory it has eternal value, if we use the things we have for our benefit it only lasts for this lifetime. This isn’t just stuff, it’s talents and abilities. One more thought. You know when we have a need ourselves and someone offers to help but we, in our foolish pride, say we can take care of it ourselves we deny another of the gift of using their talents and abilities for the Lord. Just saying!