And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at th

Cell Phones as International Travel Companions
As citizens of the US travel internationally for business and pleasure, the question of using their cell phone during their trip often comes up. A cell phone can be extremely useful when landline phones aren't readily available or when the traveler wants to be easily accessible to family, friends, or their employer while away. Experienced travelers know that simply packing up their US based cell phone to take along is often not enough.Unfortunately, cell phones/cell phone services in the various countries can use different types of radio frequencies and encoding. While in the majority of European, Asian, and African nations GSM is the standard, this is not so in the US, Canada, Australia and a few other countries where other networks might also be used. Obviously, the cell phone that a traveler uses must be able to communicate through the network in the country they are visiting. In addition, the cell phone must be able to operate at the proper frequencies. Most US networks use different frequencies than those used abroad.There are a few options for travelers in assuring that they have a compatible cell phone but probably one of the more affordable is to purchase an unlocked GSM cell phone or an international/world phone. T-Mobile and Cingular are the largest providers of GSM phones in the US but an online search will also reveal other specialty suppliers. Travelers need to be sure that the phone they purchase will operate at the frequency needed. Quad-band phones are available that operate at the four most common frequencies used in the US and abroad.Travelers can check http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml to determine what frequencies are used in various countries around the world.It is possible for travelers to use International Roaming if they simply have a GSM cell phone that will operate on the appropriate frequency and their US plan has international roaming available. This tends to be a rather expensive option and it is necessary to assure that service can be provided from the destination as the US provider would need to have a cross-billing agreement in place to assure roaming is possible. Again T-Mobile and Cingular would be the best bet for these types of services.If a traveler wants to avoid some of the more highly priced International Roaming charges they can obtai

In my opinion, this story has two very powerful spiritual principles that God wants us to get a hold of. These two principles are spelled out at the end of this passage.

I’ll go ahead and state the main parts of these verses, highlight the key principles to grab a hold of and then give you my opinion on what these principles are and how they apply to your life.

The Scripture Verse

This verse is Jesus talking with His disciples. This verse is from Luke 16:1-13 and it is titled the "Parable of the Unjust Steward."

"And He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’

Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’

"So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.'

Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe? So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'"So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are shrewder in their generation than the sons of the light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

"And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Interpretation of the Unjust Steward

Jesus gives a very interesting parable about the relationship between the rich master and his steward. Apparently the steward is not properly handling his master’s goods so the rich master is threatening to take away all that he is a "steward" over.

The steward then apparently cooks up a scheme to get what he can out of some people who owe his master some goods. The rich master then commends the steward for what he has just done because he acted "shrewdly."

Jesus then apparently labels this "transaction" as "unrighteous mammon." Mammon means "riches." So apparently this rich master and "unjust steward" were in agreement in the way they conducted their "business." Jesus then makes the comment that the sons of the "world" are shrewder than the sons of the "light."

This statement would line up with the "business world" as we know it. Good businessmen are known for their "shrewdness" in being able to make money and "good" business deals. Corporate America is known for their ruthlessness in making money even if it means hurting others in the process. We all know how that works.

Jesus compares them with His children of the "light" which would mean Christians. Christians are bound by "higher principles" and they better be acting on better morals than their "heathen" business partners or they will have to answer to God when they face judgment after they die.

Good Christian businessmen can still make a nice profit and not run over and unjustly hurt people in the process. It’s all how you "play" the game.

Now here are the 2 key principles that Jesus brings to light off of this parable.

1. Stewardship

Jesus is using a parable involving "unrighteousness" between the rich master and his steward. The fact that He calls their transaction "unrighteous mammon" and the steward "unjust" proves that point. However, even in this unjust transaction that just took place, there is still a few lessons to be learned.

God gives all of us chances to be "stewards." We are stewards over every blessing God has given us. Parents are "stewards" over their children. Your house, your car, your jobs, your earthly possessions are all things that you are stewards over. What God is doing with all of this is watching how you manage your "goods" just like the rich master did with his unjust steward. And just as the rich master threatened to take away from his steward all of the goods he was watching over, God can arrange to take away some of our "goods" if we do not "max out" with what has been given to us.

In order to get promoted in God’s realm to the next "level," you have to "max out" with what He has already given you. If God has you in a certain job for a certain time, He expects you to do the best you can while doing that job. If you don’t, you risk losing God promoting you to the next level when it is time for your promotion. I believe a lot of Christians miss out on God’s best for their lives because they don’t max out on what God has already given them.

If God has given you a nice house, a nice car and some nice possessions, I feel He expects you to take good care of these possessions. Keep your house in halfway decent order. If you don’t, God will have no desire to give you any additional blessings because you have not properly taken care of the blessings that He already has given to you.

Jesus makes a very interesting comment about stewardship in general. He says that "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." In other words, God has found out that he who does well and "maxes out" with what little he has at the beginning will also do well and continue to "max out" if he is given a lot more!

And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at the

Unsecured Loan- Perfection Is Possible By Unsecured Loan
Seeking for an external finance because of stable income to execute needs is customary affair in every society. You might also be the one seeking for such financial prop, but what concerns you is the lack of property to place as collateral. Due to this reason it seems almost impossible to get a loan, until and unless considered for unsecured loan. Unsecured loan provide finance to people in the easiest way without demanding collateral from them. People who are unwilling or do not have property to pledge like tenants and homeowners can obtain unsecured loan and fulfill their requirements.In unsecured loan, borrowers are free of risk and fear of repossession of property. It is the lenders who borne the entire risk, thus to marginalize the risk they levy a slightly higher rate of interest. But the rate varies from lender to lender with discounts, taking this advantage borrowers can pin point an affordable rate according to their financial ability to pay.The amount that unsecured loan advance to its applicants has its own limitations which start from ? 1,000 to ?25,000. Moreover, the repayment tenure is short and extends from 1-10 years. Within the predetermined date borrower must pay the borrowed fund. Though no demand of collateral is made by lenders but it does not point to that lenders cannot claim their money. Lenders can knock the door of legal justice to obtain the money.Unsecured loans offer its proposals and privileges to both good and bad credit holders. The cases of bad credit are kept under consideration, if bad credit holders provide precise and proper details concerning their credit and personal history.The online approval procedure of unsecured loan has made easier and faster the approval of loan than conventional approaches. It is also reliable and simple for every common reader. The online device is fairly manipulated to provide instant results to the users.Unsecured loan co-operate financially with borrowers and enables them to materialize their wants in a carefree way. For every small or sizable wants unsecured loan can be regarded as the best option.

he unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are shrewder in their generation than the sons of the light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

"And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Interpretation of the Unjust Steward

Jesus gives a very interesting parable about the relationship between the rich master and his steward. Apparently the steward is not properly handling his master’s goods so the rich master is threatening to take away all that he is a "steward" over.

The steward then apparently cooks up a scheme to get what he can out of some people who owe his master some goods. The rich master then commends the steward for what he has just done because he acted "shrewdly."

Jesus then apparently labels this "transaction" as "unrighteous mammon." Mammon means "riches." So apparently this rich master and "unjust steward" were in agreement in the way they conducted their "business." Jesus then makes the comment that the sons of the "world" are shrewder than the sons of the "light."

This statement would line up with the "business world" as we know it. Good businessmen are known for their "shrewdness" in being able to make money and "good" business deals. Corporate America is known for their ruthlessness in making money even if it means hurting others in the process. We all know how that works.

Jesus compares them with His children of the "light" which would mean Christians. Christians are bound by "higher principles" and they better be acting on better morals than their "heathen" business partners or they will have to answer to God when they face judgment after they die.

Good Christian businessmen can still make a nice profit and not run over and unjustly hurt people in the process. It’s all how you "play" the game.

Now here are the 2 key principles that Jesus brings to light off of this parable.

1. Stewardship

Jesus is using a parable involving "unrighteousness" between the rich master and his steward. The fact that He calls their transaction "unrighteous mammon" and the steward "unjust" proves that point. However, even in this unjust transaction that just took place, there is still a few lessons to be learned.

God gives all of us chances to be "stewards." We are stewards over every blessing God has given us. Parents are "stewards" over their children. Your house, your car, your jobs, your earthly possessions are all things that you are stewards over. What God is doing with all of this is watching how you manage your "goods" just like the rich master did with his unjust steward. And just as the rich master threatened to take away from his steward all of the goods he was watching over, God can arrange to take away some of our "goods" if we do not "max out" with what has been given to us.

In order to get promoted in God’s realm to the next "level," you have to "max out" with what He has already given you. If God has you in a certain job for a certain time, He expects you to do the best you can while doing that job. If you don’t, you risk losing God promoting you to the next level when it is time for your promotion. I believe a lot of Christians miss out on God’s best for their lives because they don’t max out on what God has already given them.

If God has given you a nice house, a nice car and some nice possessions, I feel He expects you to take good care of these possessions. Keep your house in halfway decent order. If you don’t, God will have no desire to give you any additional blessings because you have not properly taken care of the blessings that He already has given to you.

Jesus makes a very interesting comment about stewardship in general. He says that "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." In other words, God has found out that he who does well and "maxes out" with what little he has at the beginning will also do well and continue to "max out" if he is given a lot more!

And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at th

Robert Rodriguez Weathers the Stock Market
Robert Rodriguez likes to buy stocks at their lows. When there are not enough stocks hitting new lows, he closes his fund and piles up cash. This is what he has been doing lately. His moves deserve attention for good reasons, his $1.7 billion FPA Capital Fund has averaged an annual total return of more than 17% over the last 20 years, net of sales charge, handily beating all the benchmarks by wide margins.As Robert Rodriguez finds slim pickings in the stock market, his goal has changed to capital preservation. The cash position in his fund has been in steady increase. On March 31, 2005 , it is at 34%. As a reference, between 1984 and 1997, his cash level was rarely above 5% and most of the time it was less than 2%. Now he is sitting on this big trunk of cash, awaiting opportunities. "You never know the value of liquidity until you need it and don't have it." He said, “This is one of those times when it takes a great deal of patience, discipline, and conviction to maintain such a contrarian position, because of the potential business and investment risk that it entails.”Robert Rodriguez’ contrarian position in investment goes beyond adjusting the level of cash. He also reduces his fund’s weighting in the sectors or industries that he thinks are overpriced. He has done this before. The years of 1979 –1981 was the time of the second oil crisis, oil and gas prices were soaring. Many "experts" were forecasting oil prices of $100 per barrel within ten years. Energy stocks were being valued as growth stocks and represented nearly 31% of the S&P 500's market capitalization. Robert Rodriguez went to the contrary; he liquidated all his energy stocks and bought bonds. The oil mania resulted in large-scale capital destruction with virtually every bank in the state of Texas going bankrupt by 1987.Robert Rodriguez’s contrarian investment style was tested again during the peak of the tech bubble. In March 2000, he analyzed the operating and stock market performances of Microsoft and Cisco Systems, made growth assumptions for them and the U.S. economy. He biased down the expected growth and valuation assumptions for each of these companies. The result was that Microsoft's market valuation would increase to 36% of nominal GDP. Cisco's expected market valuation would rise to 48% of nominal GDP. The combination of these two estim

nducted their "business." Jesus then makes the comment that the sons of the "world" are shrewder than the sons of the "light."

This statement would line up with the "business world" as we know it. Good businessmen are known for their "shrewdness" in being able to make money and "good" business deals. Corporate America is known for their ruthlessness in making money even if it means hurting others in the process. We all know how that works.

Jesus compares them with His children of the "light" which would mean Christians. Christians are bound by "higher principles" and they better be acting on better morals than their "heathen" business partners or they will have to answer to God when they face judgment after they die.

Good Christian businessmen can still make a nice profit and not run over and unjustly hurt people in the process. It’s all how you "play" the game.

Now here are the 2 key principles that Jesus brings to light off of this parable.

1. Stewardship

Jesus is using a parable involving "unrighteousness" between the rich master and his steward. The fact that He calls their transaction "unrighteous mammon" and the steward "unjust" proves that point. However, even in this unjust transaction that just took place, there is still a few lessons to be learned.

God gives all of us chances to be "stewards." We are stewards over every blessing God has given us. Parents are "stewards" over their children. Your house, your car, your jobs, your earthly possessions are all things that you are stewards over. What God is doing with all of this is watching how you manage your "goods" just like the rich master did with his unjust steward. And just as the rich master threatened to take away from his steward all of the goods he was watching over, God can arrange to take away some of our "goods" if we do not "max out" with what has been given to us.

In order to get promoted in God’s realm to the next "level," you have to "max out" with what He has already given you. If God has you in a certain job for a certain time, He expects you to do the best you can while doing that job. If you don’t, you risk losing God promoting you to the next level when it is time for your promotion. I believe a lot of Christians miss out on God’s best for their lives because they don’t max out on what God has already given them.

If God has given you a nice house, a nice car and some nice possessions, I feel He expects you to take good care of these possessions. Keep your house in halfway decent order. If you don’t, God will have no desire to give you any additional blessings because you have not properly taken care of the blessings that He already has given to you.

Jesus makes a very interesting comment about stewardship in general. He says that "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." In other words, God has found out that he who does well and "maxes out" with what little he has at the beginning will also do well and continue to "max out" if he is given a lot more!

And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at th

Do More With Personal Loans
Experts talk about the luck factor when it comes to achieving what one wants to achieve. But, that aspect comes later in the piece, the first aspect that a person has to consider is the monetary aspect. Money is the first priority that everyone has to take care of, first and foremost.Since we understand the importance of money we should move in for an option that is likely to give much more than its contemporaries. One option that stands head and shoulders above all the rest is that of personal loans. Personal loan is a loan option that helps people who are looking in search of money.Borrowers of personal loans will find that they have tremendous amount of flexibility with personal loans regarding its features are concerned. A personal loan is in so much demand also because, with its features it can cater to a large number of borrowers, and this does no harm in the publicity of the product as well.Some of the features of the personal loans, which make these loans a good option, are:• Personal loans are available in both secured form as well as in unsecured forms. This helps many borrowers who are not in the condition to provide the security for the taking of the loans.• Personal loans are also available for people with bad credit history also. This only increases the numbers of borrowers and its value.• Personal loans are not confined to be used for single purpose only in fact they can be used for multi purposed tasks as well.These features enable the borrowers not only to get the best out of themselves but also the borrowed loan as well.The reasons for any one going for personal loans do not end with the benefits only. There are many benefits that the borrowers can avail if they utilize their negotiation skills properly. Benefits such as:• Getting the personal loans at lower interest rates. • An opportunity to choose his own repayment plan. • Flexibility of choosing the loan amounts depending upon the requirements.These benefits together with the features make it an ideal proposition for any loan borrower.Personal loans are relatively easy to apply as well. The first step on the part of the borrower is to go online fill his details and secondly do whatever else is asked of him. Once all the formalities are done the loan decision is made quickly.

wards over. What God is doing with all of this is watching how you manage your "goods" just like the rich master did with his unjust steward. And just as the rich master threatened to take away from his steward all of the goods he was watching over, God can arrange to take away some of our "goods" if we do not "max out" with what has been given to us.

In order to get promoted in God’s realm to the next "level," you have to "max out" with what He has already given you. If God has you in a certain job for a certain time, He expects you to do the best you can while doing that job. If you don’t, you risk losing God promoting you to the next level when it is time for your promotion. I believe a lot of Christians miss out on God’s best for their lives because they don’t max out on what God has already given them.

If God has given you a nice house, a nice car and some nice possessions, I feel He expects you to take good care of these possessions. Keep your house in halfway decent order. If you don’t, God will have no desire to give you any additional blessings because you have not properly taken care of the blessings that He already has given to you.

Jesus makes a very interesting comment about stewardship in general. He says that "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." In other words, God has found out that he who does well and "maxes out" with what little he has at the beginning will also do well and continue to "max out" if he is given a lot more!

And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at th

Top Three Factors to Consider While Choosing a Data Center for Your Business
Data Centers are the core of the Internet. The computer servers that power the Interne,t call Data Centers their home. If you think of how many billions of online transactions that happen every day you will be amazed to know that the final resting place of all these stored transactions is the Data centers. This Amazement quickly turns into Panic when you think about how much private data and vital data is stored there. Over years the Data Center technologies have evolved a lot into much advanced techniques like server virtualization and high speed power houses. There are more than 100 factors one should evaluate a data center against before choosing one to home their servers. In this article we will see the three main that in turn dictate the rest of the factors.1. Security: We just now saw how much data is stored, processed and served by the data centers. All these are vital data that makes or breaks a global economy. Security includes the data encryption capability of the servers, the security of the uplinks or the backbone networks that are employed. It includes security mechanisms like the Public key dongles and the capability to store the data securely and safely. The less talked aspect is the physical security of the box and the whole data center itself. We are talking about limiting snooping and sniffing the packets, but what happens if one person just walks in carries off a server. How much credit card data, transaction details, bank details and the SSN’s get compromised! You can have a slow box but an insecure one creates a ton of problems in the form of countless lawsuits. Choose the data center that excels in all aspects of security. Ask pointed questions, expect the right answers.2. Reliability: The next important aspect is the reliability of the systems and the data center infrastructure itself. We are just not talking about backup machines or RAID 5 HDD. We are talking of highly available power systems with sufficient backup time and in house generators for emergencies. The additional aspect to consider is reliability of the company that offers the data center and the persons working for the company. You many want to talk a little bit about their hiring and daily authentication and authorization process if you are even a mid-sized company. Disaster recovery systems are critical for the five

en a lot more!

And just the opposite is also true. He who is "unjust" in small matters, is also going to be "unjust" in bigger matters. That person thus cannot be trusted to be allowed to have anything else and not even "heathen business men," much less God Himself, is going to trust this type of individual with any additional goods or possessions.

After studying the lives of a lot of great men and women in God over the last 10 years, I found something very interesting that would illustrate the above points. God has started most of these people at the "bottom of the ladder." He’ll start them out with just enough money to get by, just enough provisions to live on and then sit back and watch how they do with what He starts them out with.

All the people who have become "successful" in their walk with God all "maxed out" with what God started them out with. These are called "small beginnings." Because they maxed out on level one with God, God then saw fit to promote then to the next "level." And then the same scenario repeats itself. God once more sits back and watches how they do with what is given to them on level two. And if they pass that "test," they are promoted to level three.

That is how you keep moving up God’s "promotion ladder" - by maxing out on what God has given you at that level. And this is where a lot of Christians blow it big time with God. They do not realize they are being "tested" by God on the level that they are at. God will watch how you handle what He has given you at the level that you are at. And if you do not properly handle and max out with what He has given you, there will be no promotion and you will stay "stuck" where you are at until you get what God is trying to tell you to do. God will "play you" to see what you are made of!!!

This principle not only works in God’s realm, but it also works in the "natural business" realm as pointed out by the above parable. Not only will God keep you being from promoted due to "bad stewardship," but so will the "world" in general. Thus you have multitudes of people who never seem to get this principle. They think the world owes them a living and they cannot figure out why no one wants to hire them or trust them with any possessions or goods. They spend the rest of their lives in poverty thinking that it’s the rest of the world and not them.

Bottom for all Christians - if you want promotions from God to higher levels of service, bigger and better blessings, etc. - then max out on the level that you are currently at with God right now. Do the best you can at the job you are currently working at. Keep your house and material possessions clean and in order. These material possessions are really blessings from God and He expects you to appreciate and take care of what has been "given" to you. If you do, you will create an incredible desire in God to want to promote you to the next level and bless you with more blessings.

There are enough verses in the Bible that show that God does have an "abundant" side to Him and that He can release abundant type blessings your way - but He will not do it unless you have already proven yourself to Him on the lower levels. He will not go into the abundant blessing mode with you unless He knows that you can handle abundant type blessings - just like the above parable is illustrating.

He will test you and prove you first to see if you can handle it before releasing any type of "abundance" to you. That is why most Christians are not really blessed with any real serious "abundance." They are either not maxing out at the level that they are at with God, or they simply do not have what it takes to handle abundance - especially abundant amounts of money.

2. Who Will You Serve?

Jesus ends this parable with what I feel is the 2nd major principle and idea to grab a hold of. He says:

"No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

The above parable is illustrating an "unrighteous transaction" between two businessmen - the rich master and his steward. The last sentence in the above verse speaks volumes! Each Christian must decide who they will serve - God or mammon (which means riches).

Do you decide what you are going to be when you "grow up" or do you let God decide? Do you decide whom you should marry, or do you let God decide? Do you let God lead and control your life or do you decide how you will lead your life?

There is only one way for each Christian to properly live this life and that is under a "full surrender to God the Father" Everything goes on His altar. He wants total control of your life so He can "max you out" with whatever His desire and will is for your life.

He knows best who you should marry - you don’t. He knows what you would be best at when you "grow up", you don’t. His knowledge is perfect - yours is not. He knows how to perfectly get you from point a to point b - you do not. He can pave the way ahead of you to prepare for your next steps, you cannot. He can protect you and prolong your life if He wants to, you cannot.

That is why Jesus says in the Bible "without Me, you can do nothing." He is the vine - the tree trunk, we are the branches. We have to totally depend and lean on Him, not on our own understanding and what we think is right. The Bible says that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are the true sons of God. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to lead us - but He will not lead us unless we give God the Father a complete and unconditional full surrender of our bodies, souls, spirits and our entire lives into His hands.

The Bible says that with the measure we use, will be the measure that will be measured back to us. In other words, if we give God 50%, He will only give us 50%. But if we give him 100%, then God will come back and give us His 100%. And to get God’s 100% in our lives, we have to fully surrender every aspect of our life over to Him so we can "free" Him up to work with His 100%.

But here is the hardest part - especially for "American Christians." We live in the most blessed country in the entire world. We are the richest and most abundantly blessed country in the world. Very intelligent Christians know that all the "wealth" is there for the "taking." All they have to do is figure out what their strengths are, figure out the appropriate strategies to get the wealth and then go for it. Some do it legitimately and others do it illegitimately breaking all the rules of society to get their wealth.

But the Christian is faced with a dilemma. Do I turn my life over to God and let Him decide what He wants to do with my life or do I make my own decisions and pursue and go after what I want and what I think is best for me?

A lot of Christians are really "afraid" to let God make these choices. They are afraid of letting go of the "American dream" because they feel they will have a "better life" if they make their own choices as versus letting God make the choices Himself. They know that abundant wealth may not be in God’s plan for them.

God may call them to be a missionary over in China working for "pennies." God obviously does not bless everyone with abundant material wealth. These people know they have the "smarts" to get that abundant wealth because our society is setup for the more intelligent people to get this wealth.

That is why Jesus is saying in the above parable that you cannot serve both God and mammon, both God and riches. You have to make a choice. Do I surrender my lif