"Which Wolf Do We Feed?" | By Rev. Dr. Jack R. Miller
 
In the 2013 film, The Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the real-life character Jordan Belfort, who amassed and lost a fortune while still in his 20s. He did this by defrauding wealthy investors of millions while living a lavish lifestyle of sex, drugs, and thrills. Belfort was a brilliant and persuasive young man who preyed on the greed of others while feeding his own lust for money and power. In the end, Belfort paid the price for feeding the wolf within him.
 
There’s an old Cherokee proverb that says there are two wolves inside each of us, one good and one evil. One is filled with anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego; the other is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth. The inner wolf that wins the battle over our soul, the proverb concludes, is the one we feed. A question each one of us needs to ask ourselves is this: Which wolf do we feed?
 
The underlying meaning of our Gospel reading today is often misunderstood. In sharing the Parable of the Dishonest Steward, Jesus was not endorsing the steward’s evil ways, but admiring the decisiveness and ingenuity he showed in taking control of his situation. Upon learning that he would lose his job, the steward quickly adjusted the accounts of several of his master's debtors in the hopes that they would return the favor by welcoming him into their homes or perhaps help him find work. 
 
Jesus is saying that our faith should challenge us to be as dedicated to the sake of God's Kingdom as we are in our careers and professions, to be as ready and willing to use our time, talent, and treasure to accomplish great things in the name of Christ. As "children of the light," we are asked to be stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to us, whatever form those gifts may take.
 
"No one can serve two masters," Jesus tells his followers, "you will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both ..." There is a common misconception about this passage; it does not equate wealth with evil or imply criticism of those with an abundance of worldly possessions. Material possessions and money in themselves are morally neutral. They are neither good nor bad. The real challenge for you and me is how to use our wealth, however that is defined in our lives. How do we live in relationship with our material possessions, and how do our material possessions affect the way we interact with others? Do we share our time, our talent, and our treasure with the marginalized and those in need; do we offer our gifts freely, with no strings attached, and without expectation of return? In our relationship with our possessions, who possesses whom? Anyone who owns a cat will understand that sometimes the things we think we have actually possess us.
 
This is the danger Jesus is constantly warning his followers about. Not to trust in wealth for its own sake but to use our wealth, the God-given gifts in which we are entrusted, to build the Kingdom of God in our time and place. Our lives find their meaning and purpose not in the things of this world, but in what we can contribute to the common good and progress of all humankind. Our challenge this week is to make the right choice of which master we will follow, which wolf we feed. Let us commit ourselves to live in a relationship with our worldly possessions that reflects the teachings of Christ and the values of the Kingdom of God.
 
The chorus of the old hymn proclaims, "I owe no other Master, my heart shall be thy throne; My life I give henceforth to live, O Christ, for thee alone."  Let that be our prayer, living for Jesus; today, tomorrow, and forever; let us feed the good wolf within.
 
Amen? Amen!