Thursday 5 April 2012

Faithfulness Part 3: Be faithful with other people's 'riches'.

TO GET YOUR OWN, BE FAITHFUL WITH OTHER’S RICHES

This is the last in this series on how faithfulness affects our Christian life.

Remember we are learning kingdom principles taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. They are as valid today as they were the very first day He taught them. "If you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:12.

Many of us are working for companies and corporations. Every person prays for promotion. Every person looks up to better condition of service and pay raise. As I noted in the previous write up, many have been deceived into believing that serving God is like a magic - It does not matter how you live. It does not matter the choices you make. Once one man of God or the other prays for you, prosperity comes upon you like rain. Once you attend one open door crusade, the sky is your limit. Once you pay your tithe or give a special offering, favour becomes your portion irrespective of your life. These are the lies from the pit of hell to make you miss all that God has prepared for you and cage your soul eternally.

It is actually a fundamental problem with much of today’s preaching. We tend to make the people believe that they will become somebody else once we lay hands on them. We make them believe that once they attend one program or the other, suddenly, their condition will change. It is a half-baked truth. What God does in our lives is all interconnected. What He is currently doing today is connected to what He did yesterday and is connected to what He will do in our lives tomorrow. That is why God brings people back to certain schools of experience. For them to progress, they must pass the test. The circumstances of the experiences may not be exactly the same, but if you look very carefully, you will see that God is asking for the same thing. Let’s encourage God’s people to be patient and live right. Let’s encourage faithful living among our church members.

The Lord is saying that if you desire to have your own, be faithful where you are working right now no matter how menial it may look to you. Many people do eye service. Unfortunately, believers join them to do the same thing. They forget that it is the Lord who sees in the secret that blesses openly.

It is God that will plant you in the heart of your boss to favour you even against his own will. It is God that will open your file where you will be remembered because you have been faithful. Mordecai was faithful serving as a Gateman in the king’s house. His reward was kept by God for an appointed time. It was not forgotten but it waited for the due season. At a very critical time in his life and that of the Jews in Susan, God caused his file to be opened. His faithfulness paid off. Not only was he lifted, his life and that of the other Jews were spared, while Herman was hanged on the same gallows he prepared for Mordecai.

Faithfulness has no alternative. If you want God to bless you, be faithful where you are now. Your boss may be bad, be patient. Others may be giving eye service, even using you to promote themselves, be faithful. Pray for them. One beautiful thing is that no man can limit God. It is not a must that God will reward you exactly in the place where you are right now. Where you are now may be a stepping stone. It is possible for storms and divine shaking to come like in the case of Mordecai that will pave your way to where God wants you to be. Like I said before, God cannot be limited. There are thousand and one ways He can do one thing. The economy of God controls the economy of the nations, even where you are right now. If your boss does not want to promote you, God will. Only remain faithful.

What I have shared with you are biblical principles that have worked for our faith-fathers. They are eternal principles that have stood the test of time. They are truths of the kingdom. The Lord asked it as a question, “If you are not faithful with that which is not yours, how can you get your own?” Make no mistakes, there are no short cuts in God’s kingdom.

God bless you!

See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

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