And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. . . . And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. . . . There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen . . . (Luke 16).

To his disciples, Jesus says, "Use the things that are valuable in this world, including money, power and influence--whatever you find at your disposal--in ways that will acquire for you wealth that will last when all the things of this world have passed away." In other words, buy eternal things with temporal. Using your "possessions" in this way transmutes them into things that are valued in the economy of heaven. The connection between Jesus' example, the steward, and his point is admittedly oblique--which only demonstrates how earthly realities can only provide dim analogies for the things of heaven.
To the Pharisees, Jesus continues his lesson on the use and misuse of earthly things, addressing their covetousness with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The Pharisess had wealth besides money, too: their learning and influence--all of which will be held to their charge when they stand at final judgment. "Spiritual" wealth (the kind that lends esteem and identity on earth to those who possess it) must also be transmuted, because, as in the case with material wealth, "you can't take it with you."

It must be O.K., at least in part, to live a life based on mistake and accident--if for no other reason than the fact that so many people do it. Besides, until one's lived a whole life, how can you know what constitutes "mistake." I have to believe that the benefits of learning in this life are not limited to this life, but prepare one for something at least as grand (but probably grander), later and "elsewhere."

But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee (Matthew 26:32).

Galilee: the place where Jesus started his ministry, and where he first called disciples. He promises that he will meet his disciples there following his resurrection.
I used to fantasize about going back to an earlier point in my life, retaining my adult perspective and the knowledge of how things would work out. How interesting it would be to live through fourth-grade and onward, for example, knowing what I know now! Jesus implores his disciples to go back to the place where the story began, this time with knowledge and experience of his resurrection. Where formerly all had seemed uncertain and dangerous, and the foreboding of His death an inpenetrable obstacle, now they would view all the ups and downs in light of their glorious fulfillment.
Once you’ve read the Old Testament, and seen how it culminates in Jesus, you can never read the Old Testament in the same way again. Jesus appears on every page. Once you have seen the resurrection, even Galilee is filled with light (Matthew 4:15, 16).
Make it a habit to read Scripture over and over again, from beginning to end. The story does not change, but Christ and His resurrection come to permeate our reading of it more and more, lifting up, as it were, the valleys into plains, the plains into hills, and the hills into heaven.

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. . . (Acts 3:1).

"The hour of prayer": how foreign these words sound in the midst of our informality! Even Jesus, when asked how to pray, responded with a pattern of words that could be repeated with regularity (Our Father, who art in Heaven . . . ). Such "formality," employed with moderation, builds habit and discipline, and can put us in remembrance of God. Such an "hour of prayer" is commended by Andrew Murray, C.S. Lewis, George Mueller, and was the practice of the early church. The best testimonial though will come from your own experience. Set aside one, two or three periods in the day when you will utter a simple prayer. You may combine this with "informal" prayer and Scripture reading if you like. You might choose a special place, a closet (Matthew 6:6), so your mind can be trained to put aside distraction.
The formal and informal have an important relationship to each other in our spiritual life. An art gallery has walls that remain the same all the time, designed to display art that varys each week or day. The formal elements of our spiritual life, such as regular time we set aside for prayer, can contain different petitions, moods and readings depending on our momentary need. We need the permanence of these spiritual walls to accommodate the changing pictures of our spiritual lives. Although we may eat different food each day, the body digests better when meals are taken at regular times. The permanence and regularity can facilitate convenience and spontaneity.
God, save us from an exaggerated fear of regularity!

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).

Step outside on a clear night and consider the vastness of God’s creation. Abraham’s faith was moved by the sight, making him the father of nations. The psalmist was moved by the same sight to consider how small man was, and how great God’s grace is towards him (Psalm 8). Nothing clears our minds of the smallness of our self-made worlds faster than stepping out into the open air and beholding the nighttime sky.
Environmental groups have recently identified a new problem: light-pollution. The light from manmade devices spills out into space and makes it hard to see the lights created by God. Astronomers are frustrated, and even build observatories in Chile to get away from city lights--all to see what God had originally made, and made accessible to all. Our lives are also "darkened" by other manmade lights. Our knowledge, tools and technology spill into areas that can only be rightly illumined by God. These are helpful lights they are, but only within careful bounds. Some cities are learning to point their lights downward so they don’t obscure the sky. We too need to learn how to point our own wisdom downward, to things that are below us and can benefit from human wisdom, but not to things above, that only God can reveal.
Knowing when to turn lights on and when to turn them off is part of our Christian struggle today, and an art we need to learn. Never forget to step out and behold the nighttime sky, both figuratively and literally, and worship the Creator.