Hi, friends. I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles.

Each month we're reading all four books, and this month, as you know, we're reading in chronological order.

That means we're going to mix up Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and read the stories as they happened.

This means if you want to read along, you definitely need that March reading plan. You can get it at Annie F. Downs.com slash Gospels.

That's also where you can find the let's read the Gospels guidebook. So each day, I'm going to tell you the scripture references and the stories or main themes that we're going to hit.

And then as I read, I'll tell you the headings and if the stories are more than one gospel, I'll tell you which gospel as I read.

So today is March 19th, day 19. I'm reading Luke 16, Luke 17, 1 through 10, John 11, Luke 17, 11 through 37, and Luke 18, 1 through 8.

We hear today a lot of Jesus's teaching and a favorite story when Jesus resurrects Lazarus. The translation I am reading from this month is the new living translation.

This is day 19 in chronological order, story of the Shrewd manager. Jesus told this story to his disciples. There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs.

One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer's money. So the employer called him in and said, what's this I hear about you?

Get your report in order because you're going to be fired. The manager thought to himself, now what? My boss has fired me.

I don't have the strength to dig ditches and I'm too proud to beg. I know how to ensure that I'll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I'm fired.

So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, how much do you owe him?

The man replied, I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil. So the manager told him, take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.

And how much do you owe my employer? He asked the next man, I owe him a thousand bushels of wheat was the reply.

Here the manager said, take the bill and change it to 800 bushels. The rich man had to admire this dishonest rascal for being so shrewd.

And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd and dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.

Here's the lesson, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.

And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

No one can serve two masters for you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other.

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