Luke 12:48
12:48 But the one who did not know his master’s will
and did things worthy of punishment
will receive a light beating.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required,
and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
even more will be asked.
Luke 16:2-13
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.”
Matthew 18:23-35
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.
18:24 As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him.
18:25 Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.
18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’
18:27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt.
18:28 After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
18:29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’
18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.
18:31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place.
18:32 Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me!
18:33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’
18:34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed.
18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 25:19
25:19 After
a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them.
Romans 14:10-12
14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”
14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:1
Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance
14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.
Colossians 4:1-5
4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.
Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission
4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
4:3 At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.
4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.