NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

REFLECTION
Faithful dealing is the theme for our reflection. To be faithful means to be trustworthy or dependable. Dealing refers to a way of doing business. Faithful dealing means a trustworthy or dependable way of managing or doing business. The theme paints a picture of a steward managing the business of his master. Faithful dealing is an attribute or commendation given to a steward who is trustworthy or dependable in the management of his master’s business. We shall reflect on the fact that faithfully dealing with what we have been entrusted to manage as stewards comes with a reward of a higher calling, elevation or promotion.

Beloved in the Lord, as stewards, faithfully dealing with our God-given roles, assignment or responsibilities brings about the reward of elevation and promotion. In the parable of the dishonest manager or steward in Luke 16:1-9, after the master had commended the dishonest manager for being shrewd in making friends with his debtors by reducing or downwardly readjusting their debt towards a secured future with them, Jesus goes ahead to criticize and condemn the manager’s unfaithfulness in dealing with his master’s business. It is for this reason Jesus said  “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? (Luke 16:10-12). Dear friend, faithful dealing leads to a reward of higher calling and promotion. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-29, we are told that the master gave talents of unequal number to three servants. The first servant had five, the second had two and the third servant had one. “Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:19-23). When it was the turn of the third servant, he failed to give a good account of the talent given to him and rather resorted to excuses. His master retorted, “…you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. (Matthew 25:27-29). In other words, when we are faithful in dealing with what we have been entrusted with we shall be rewarded accordingly.

Beloved in the Lord, there are many Christians who are looking for promotions, elevations and breakthroughs yet we are not faithfully using the spiritual gifts and talents God has entrusted into our hands as stewards or servants. We have refused to use our bodies, time, and resources to serve the Lord faithfully. We give a plethora of excuses anytime we are being called upon to use our bodies, time, money and wealth to serve the Lord. In our time, we have decided to be faithful to God as and when it pleases us. Again, we serve God as and when we feel we have the time and energy to do so. We have choristers who hardly attend choir practice because they don’t have time. We have many Christians in our dispensation, who do not attend midweek week Bible study and prayer programmes because they do not have the time. Yes, we are feeling too tired to go to church but not too tired to go transact our businesses. We are too tired to respond to the call of God to preach and to run errands for the Church but not too tired to respond to our bosses at work and to do overtime to please them. We have young and energetic people in our congregations yet never make time to participate in clean-up exercises at the church premises because they do not have the time. Many believers do not have time for evangelism because we are more faithful to our personal engagement and activities. When it comes to giving money for the furtherance of God’s work and mission in the world through the church, we complain and hold back and give excuses, yet we find it convenient to spend money on side chicks, wild parties, sports betting and lottery and things that are against the will of God. We have become overwhelmingly obsessed with material possessions and the love of money and this is the reason many Christians have become mere Sunday worshippers. From Monday to Saturday, we are focused only on the desires of the flesh by chasing money and worldly possessions with all our time and energy and we dedicate only Sunday to God. Jesus reminds us that “ No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13). Paul reminds Timothy that a time is coming when people will become unfaithful and lovers of the world,  “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (2 Timothy 3:1-4).  It is, for this reason, Paul again, reminds us through his letter to Timothy that “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Dear friend, are we faithfully discharging our civil responsibilities as stewards or servants of God and nation? We do not deserve to be called faithful servants deserving of commendation, promotion and elevation if we keep going to work late and also have the habit of running away from work to do our personal business at the expense of the nation’s development and progress. Again, we cannot be hoping and praying that God will elevate us if we are apathetic towards work. How can we keep embezzling state funds, encouraging corruption and injustice and still expect God to find us faithful and worthy of a higher calling and elevation? We have been greatly admonished in Colossian 3:23 that “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

In summary, beloved in the Lord, we have meditated on the theme “Faithful dealing”. In our reflection, we have discovered that when we faithfully deal with what God has entrusted into our hands as stewards, he will reward, promote and elevate us according to His will. Shalom.

PRAYER
1. Pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a faithful steward.
2. Pray to overcome the temptation of becoming materialistic and obsessed with money and wealth.
3. Let us pray for promotion and elevation at our various workplaces and business even as we continue to be faithful to the Lord.

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to overcome our weaknesses and to remain focused on our calling as servants of the Living God. Empower us to dedicate our lives, bodies, time, money and wealth to the service of God, “for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. (1 Timothy 6:7) Amen.