Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

–Luke 16:1-9 (NIV)

Yesterday I began a series of of reflections aimed at helping us know God better. Today we continue to attempt to answer the question, “Why read Scripture? What’s the point?”

So what can we learn about God and his character and intentions for his creatures from this passage? First, God created us as moral creatures. He expects us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions, and has given us freedom to do so. This is seen in the parable when we look at the dishonest manager’s behavior. He acted unethically and was held responsible for his actions. But he learned from his mistakes and acted wisely to ensure his future.

Second, and related to the first point, God values character. The dishonest manager ensured his future by treating others correctly. We aren’t told if lowering what his master’s debtors owed was ethical, but it is not unreasonable to believe that perhaps the debtors had been overcharged in the first place and the dishonest manager was just setting things aright. Regardless, if we do not treat others the way we want to be treated, we can be pretty certain that we will not build the kinds of relationships that each of us want to have, relationships that are based on mutual honesty, trust, and respect; relationships that we can count on when things go south for us.

Jesus commended the dishonest manager, not because he was dishonest but because the manager did the things necessary to ensure his future. Likewise for us. If God values character, then we must learn to use the world’s resources in ways that reflect the kind of character that God values. This means, of course, that our focus must be on the welfare of everybody, not just ourselves, so that we use our God-given resources accordingly.

The dishonest manager realized that character counts, that he would be he held accountable for his actions, and therefore acted in ways that would ensure a favorable outcome for him. That meant looking beyond himself and to the needs of others. Good character almost always produces solid relationships and this is pleasing to God. When we please God we can be confident that we are doing our part to ensure our future, both here on earth and after we die. To be sure, we are saved from permanent exile from God by the blood of Christ shed for us. But that does not absolve us of doing our part as we build our relationships with God and others.

If you want quality relationships with others, character matters and that starts with you.