1. Jesus said to his followers, “Once there was a rich man. He hired a manager to take care of his business. Later, he learned that his manager was cheating him.
2. So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘I have heard bad things about you. Give me a report of what you have done with my money. You can’t be my manager anymore.’
3. “So, the manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I am not strong enough to dig ditches. I am too proud to beg.
4. I know what I will do! I will do something to make friends, so that when I lose my job, they will welcome me into their homes.’
5. “So the manager called in each person who owed the master some money. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6. He answered, ‘I owe him 100 jars of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill. Hurry! Sit down and make the bill less. Write 50 jars.’
7. “Then the manager asked another one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘I owe him 100 measures of wheat.’ Then the manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill; you can make it less. Write 80 measures.’
8. “Later, the master told the dishonest manager that he had done a smart thing. Yes, worldly people are smarter in their business with each other than spiritual people are.
9. “I tell you, use the worldly things you have now to make ‘friends’ for later. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed into a home that lasts forever.