In Luke 16, Jesus turned the dishonest but shrewd manager into the hero. The manager knew he was going to be fired, so he decided to make some friends by lowering the debts owed to his master.

What did Jesus like about this guy? The man was dishonest, but he did three things right, and those three things reveal lessons that God wants you to learn and apply to your finances.

The manager looked ahead.

Most people never look ahead when it comes to their finances. We’re not saving anything, and that’s not smart.

Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts” (TLB).

The manager made a plan.

How do you know if you’ve got a financial plan? It’s really simple: Do you have a budget? A budget is simply planned spending. A budget tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went. You’ve got to have a plan.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9, “We should make plans—counting on God to direct us” (TLB).

The manager acted quickly.

Luke 16:4 says, “I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired” (NLT).

The manager didn’t procrastinate; he didn’t delay. He set his plan in motion. He didn’t say, “Someday I’m going to get my finances in order” or “Someday I’m going to start saving for retirement.”

Jesus didn’t commend the manager’s dishonesty but his attitude, which said, “I’m going to think ahead. I’m going to make a plan. And I’m going to invest in relationships that will benefit others and me in the future.”

That’s smart! And Jesus wants you to do the same when it comes to your finances. Are you spending your treasure here on Earth or looking ahead and storing up treasure in heaven?