Luke 16:22 - Prayer Tents



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Luke 16
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The Story of the Crooked Manager

16Jesus said to his disciples, "There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses.G1161G3004G2532G4314G846G3101G2258G5100G4145G444G3739G2192G3623G2532G3778G1225G846G5613G1287G846G5224 2So he called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about you? You're fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.'G2532G5455G846G2036G846G5101G191G5124G4012G4675G591G3056G4675G3622G1063G1410G3756G2089G3621 3"The manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do? I've lost my job as manager. I'm not strong enough for a laboring job, and I'm too proud to beg. . . .G1161G3623G2036G1722G1438G5101G4160G3754G3450G2962G851G575G1700G3622G3756G2480G4626G1871G153 4Ah, I've got a plan. Here's what I'll do . . . then when I'm turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.'G1097G5101G4160G2443G3752G3179G3622G1209G3165G1519G846G3624 5"Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'G2532G4341G1538G1520G1438G2962G5533G3004G4413G4214G3784G3450G2962 6"He replied, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' "The manager said, 'Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.'G1161G2036G1540G943G1637G2532G2036G846G1209G4675G1121G2532G2523G5030G1125G4004 7"To the next he said, 'And you, what do you owe?' "He answered, 'A hundred sacks of wheat.' "He said, 'Take your bill, write in eighty.'G1899G2036G2087G1161G4214G3784G4771G1161G2036G1540G2884G4621G2532G3004G846G1209G4675G1121G2532G1125G3589 8"Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits.G2532G2962G1867G93G3623G3754G4160G5430G3754G5207G5127G165G1526G1519G1438G1074G5429G5228G5207G5457 9I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior."G2504G3004G5213G4160G1438G5384G1537G3126G93G2443G3752G1587G1209G5209G1519G166G4633

God Sees Behind Appearances

10Jesus went on to make these comments: If you're honest in small things, you'll be honest in big things;G4103G1722G1646G2076G4103G2532G1722G4183G2532G94G1722G1646G2076G94G2532G1722G4183 11If you're a crook in small things, you'll be a crook in big things.G1487G3767G1096G3756G1096G4103G1722G94G3126G5101G4100G5213G4100G228 12If you're not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store?G2532G1487G1096G3756G1096G4103G1722G245G5101G1325G5213G5212 13No worker can serve two bosses: He'll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can't serve both God and the Bank.G3762G3610G1410G1398G1417G2962G1063G2228G3404G1520G2532G25G2087G2228G472G1520G2532G2706G2087G3756G1410G1398G2316G2532G3126 14When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch.G1161G5330G2532G5225G5366G191G3956G5023G2532G1592G846 15So Jesus spoke to them: "You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what's behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous.G2532G2036G846G5210G2075G1344G1438G1799G444G1161G2316G1097G5216G2588G3754G5308G1722G444G2076G946G1799G2316 16God's Law and the Prophets climaxed in John; Now it's all kingdom of God—the glad news and compelling invitation to every man and woman.G3551G2532G4396G2193G2491G575G5119G932G2316G2097G2532G3956G971G1519G846 17The sky will disintegrate and the earth dissolve before a single letter of God's Law wears out.G1161G2076G2123G3772G2532G1093G3928G2228G3391G2762G3551G4098 18Using the legalities of divorce as a cover for lust is adultery; Using the legalities of marriage as a cover for lust is adultery.G3956G630G846G1135G2532G1060G2087G3431G2532G3956G1060G630G575G435G3431

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption.G1161G2258G5100G4145G444G2532G1737G4209G2532G1040G2165G2988G2596G2250 20A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep.G1161G2258G5100G4434G3686G2976G3739G906G4314G846G4440G1669 21All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.G2532G1937G5526G575G5589G3588G4098G575G4145G5132G235G2532G2965G2064G621G846G1668 22"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.G1161G1096G4434G599G2532G667G5259G32G1519G11G2859G4145G1161G2532G599G2532G2290 23In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap.G2532G1722G86G1869G846G3788G5225G1722G931G3708G11G3113G575G2532G2976G1722G846G2859 24He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'G2532G846G5455G2036G3962G11G1653G3165G2532G3992G2976G2443G911G206G846G1147G5204G2532G2711G3450G1100G3754G3600G1722G5026G5395 25"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented.G1161G11G2036G5043G3415G3754G4771G1722G4675G2222G618G4675G18G2532G3668G2976G2556G1161G3568G3592G3870G1161G4771G3600 26Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'G2532G1909G3956G5125G3342G2257G2532G5216G4741G3173G5490G4741G3704G2309G1224G1782G4314G5209G3361G1410G3366G1276G4314G2248G1564 27"The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my fatherG1161G2036G2065G4571G3767G3962G2443G3992G846G1519G3450G3962G3624 28where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'G1063G2192G4002G80G3704G1263G846G3363G846G2532G2064G1519G5126G5117G931 29"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.'G11G3004G846G2192G3475G2532G4396G191G846 30"'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.'G1161G2036G3780G3962G11G235G1437G5100G4198G4314G846G575G3498G3340 31"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"G1161G2036G846G1487G191G3756G3475G2532G4396G3761G3982G1437G5100G450G1537G3498


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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