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The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) July 10 2023 – Learn To Be Prudent
TOPIC: Learn To Be Prudent
READ: Luke 16:1-18 (KJV)
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9 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.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15 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.
16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
THE MESSAGE:
One of the problems of the prodigal son as we read yesterday was lack of prudence; he squandered all he had. Today’s text reveals the story of another man who lost his job because he was not prudent enough. He was accused of wasting his master’s goods. This singular act made him lose opportunities and forfeit his employment. On the contrary, Joseph advised king Pharaoh and the Egyptians against wastage when the land would witness abundance for seven years. He advised them to save for the season of drought (Genesis 41:28-37).
Our society today is characterised by wastage of resources from the government down to individuals. Sometimes, projects are approved, funded and left undone. For some, mismanagement of fund is nothing to them as much as it is not theirs or does not affect their income. Meanwhile, it is important to note that if you fail to be faithful in managing other people’s business or property, no one will give you your own (verse 12). Do not mismanage the resources in your care. Accountability does not only mean you did not embezzle company money but also helps you to direct the resources available to achieve the desired goal. Therefore, learn to be prudent.
PRAYER: Lord, help me not to be wasteful but prudent in handling the resources in my care. Amen.
