Ecclesiastes 5:8
Government Corruption
5:8 If you see the extortion of the poor,
or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government,
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official,
and there are higher ones over them!
Matthew 23:8-9
23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.
23:9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Matthew 24:48-51
24:48 But if
that evil slave should say to himself,
‘My master is staying away a long time,’
24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards,
24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
24:51 and will cut him in two,
and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Clever Steward
16:1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets.
16:2 So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.’
16:3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg.
16:4 I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
16:5 So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
16:6 The man replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
16:7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
16:8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light.
16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.
16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches?
16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?
16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 19:15
19:15 When
he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned
these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted
to know how much they had earned
by trading.
Ephesians 6:8-20
6:8 because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this
will be rewarded by the Lord.
6:9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare
6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.
6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,
6:15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,
6:16 and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.
6:19 Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak – that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,
6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.
Revelation 17:14
17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying
the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”
Revelation 19:16
19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”