

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES

AND PRACTICES OF

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship: The Object of The Initial Assignment;

The Ultimate Subject of Accounting

Daniel O. Ogweno

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Smashwords Edition

Published by Daniel O. Ogweno at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 by Daniel O. Ogweno

All rights reserved.

Fundamental Doctrines and Practices of Stewardship

By Daniel Owino Ogweno

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

All rights reserved solely by the author. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work.

Thank you for downloading this e-book. I am very much willing to let my readers share, reproduce, copy and distribute this book to friends and acquaintances, etc. for non-commercial purposes, this, however, is technically minimized because I have engaged commercial distributors. They may not be keen to distribute a book that after being bought by one person, is redistributed near and far for free. If you feel this book is worth reading, recommend it to your networks that they may get a copy of their own. We rely on the book proceeds or offerings to fund the ministry and to give alms. But if for one reason or another they are not in a position to get their own copy, you are free to share with them your copy. There is no price to touching someone's life. I value touching lives more than making money.

One more request: Write a short (or long if you like) review if you can and post it where you purchased the book, or elsewhere where the book is displayed. This is a very important source of feedback to me as an author. Your review will also help other readers decide whether to read the book or not. With that, may the Holy Spirit guide you in your actions. Thank you for your support.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Authorized Version (King James Version) of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked "AMP" are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

When a scripture reference is marked with a specific version, e.g. NIV, etc. it shows the recommended version in relation to what is being discussed.

Unless otherwise stated, all italicized portions of Bible quotations are author's emphasis.

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To My Readers,

May the pricelessness of your integrity,

Manifest in a life of accountability,

To prove the gist of Christianity,

Preparing you for eternity.

May you play in the league of selflessness

As you frustrate and defeat selfishness.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement

Preface

Part 1:

Branches of Stewardship:

Identify; Produce; Manage; Distribute

Chapter 1—INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF STEWARDSHIP:

You and the Things You Own Are Owned

Stewardship: The Initial Assignment

God's Copyrighted Property

Here to Glorify Christ

The Stewardship of Time

Talents and Abilities

Stewardship Over Information

Memorial Stones and Landmarks

Stewards of the Word

The Vertical Word Puzzle

Putting Things into Perspective

Summary of the Scope of Stewardship

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 2—FOR YOUR CONSUMPTION:

Things Meant For Personal Use

In the Beginning

This is For You to Eat

Kicking Stones With New Nice Shoes?

When We Have More and When We Have Less

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 3—FOR YOUR EYES ONLY:

Things Meant Only To Be Seen

Don't Even Think About It!

Curiosity Killed Mankind Before it Killed the Cat

Stewards Over People

Respect What Belongs to Others

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 4—FOR YOU TO SHARE OR DISTRIBUTE:

Things For You to Pass Along

Something Miraculous About Sharing

Sharing Necessitates and Sustains Multiplication

The Difference Between Contribution and Distribution

Two Types of Contributions

Share Even if You Have Good Reasons Not to

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 5—FOR YOU TO INVEST:

Things Meant For Production And Re-Production

God Gives Resources to Invest

Investment is Not Only for Businessmen

The Most Demanding Form of Stewardship

Mobilized By Attitude or Magnitude?

The Means of Production and the Capital

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 6—FOR THE RAINY DAY:

Things To Save For Hard Times, Expected And Unexpected

Cows Eating Cows

Lessons from Scarcity and Abundance

Depleting the Source

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 7—TO LEND OUT:

Things That You Lend Out to People Who Seek to Borrow From You

Impatient Generation

The S.W.O.P Ministry

Lending Or Giving?

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 8—FOR YOU TO LOSE:

Things That Will Be Stolen From You

The Thief is More Lost Than What He Has Stolen

Radical and Paradoxical

It Costs to Test Honesty

Will You Let Go?

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 9—FOR YOU TO...:

i)... Keep For Others

The Integrity of a Custodian

ii)... Offer For God's Work

A Pleasant Offering Unto God

Your Discretion Reflects Your Devotion

iii)... Separate As Tithe

Tithe Belongs to God

The Law of the First Appearance

Have We Fallen Away?

Justification for Tithing in the Dispensation of Grace

Scrutinising the Motive

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Part 2:

Challenges to Stewardship:

Distractions; Aberrations, And Shrewdness

Chapter 10—MISAPPROPRIATION AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY:

Using Things For What They Were Not Initially Meant

A Noble Venture to Justify Misappropriation

The Snare of the Intervening Opportunities

The Shrewd Manager

Defrauding Others in Order to Preach the Gospel?

It is Easy Invoking God's Name

What Did You Do With Ten Thousand Bags of Gold?

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 11—TEMPTATIONS, EXTORTIONS AND HOARDING:

Giving In To Temptations Because You Have Genuine Excuses

Borrowing Temporarily

Extreme Temptation

Are You Rich?

Rich According to the Scripture?

The Savings of a Miser

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 12—COMPARISON AND COMPETITION:

Using Possession or Lack of it to Position Self or Others in the Scale of Significance

A Teacher is Better than a Farmer

Belittling What You Have and What You Are

Thinking Big or Thinking Small

Different People, Different Abilities, Different Assignments

Talents and Abilities Put to Competitions

Giving Put to Competitions

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 13—COVETOUSNESS AND ENVY:

Wanting to Have Things that Belong to Others

The Boundary is Thin

Covetousness: The Mother of Bigger Sins

Envying the Prosperity of the Wicked

God's Favour Translates Work Into Success

When Weights and Measures Aren't Standardized

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 14—GREED AND SELFISHNESS:

Wanting to Have Everything for Self

Jesus Refuses to Arbitrate Between Feuding Brothers

Greed Knows No Rest

Corruption: A Perfect Recipe for Troubled Life

What is Your Price Tag?

Greed Doesn't Give Back Change

Mr. Hare and Mr. Eagle: A Story of the Wages of Greed

Greed Eliminates Common Sense

Greedy at the Top, Generous at the Bottom

The Good Samaritan: An Exception or a Rule?

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 15—CONSUMER CULTURE:

Buying in Conformity to Social and Psychological Dictates

Mass Production and Mass Consumption

Buying Things Because They Are On Sale

Buying Things Because They Are Trending

Buying Things Because of Status and Image

Buying Things Because of Their Utility and Necessity

Buying Things Because of Their Aesthetic Value

Other Small Scale Influencers

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

Chapter 16—PROBLEMS OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND WASTAGE:

Missing God's Intention of the Interdependence of Humanity

Earth Can Feed Her Inhabitants

Murmuring About Strangers?

Global Trends

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

NOTES

EPILOGUE

Appendix

About the Author

Other Books By The Same Author

Acknowledgements

My sincere indebtedness first and foremost to You my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Unto You I owe my very life. You gave Your life that I may live; You made way for the Holy Spirit to make an abode in my body, making it a temple of God. Thank You Lord Jesus, I truly love You!

I am forever indebted to my wife Laura Caroline Ogweno. I sincerely love you. To my sons: Victor Ogweno, Jim-Jif Okinyi (deceased) and my daughter Baraka-Norine Awuor, I must say that you are my most precious gifts from God.

Esther Nduta, I acknowledge your being an encouragement and a true friend in the ministry. Like an athlete, I know the value of drawing strength from a 'cheering voice.' Thanks also for the anecdotes you shared with me. Last but not least, I am grateful for the material support to the ministry God has given me.

My gratitude to Everline N. Owiti and Godfrey Nalianga for the warm refuge I usually get in your house whenever I'm in town (Nairobi). Thanks Eve for proof-reading the manuscript despite your busy day-to-day commitments.

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Preface

If there are things we would really want to manage, they are time and money. That is where the test and the weight of stewardship bears heavily. On reflection, I realized that sometimes we don't take note of the little things we spend money and time on. They are little but they are significant—not only cumulatively but even otherwise. Spending time just relaxing may be as important and sometimes more important than working on something.

It is difficult to keep record of little things. I think these might be the things Christ will use to judge our vigilance. In Matthew 25 for example, Christ talks about things that were done by those who loved Him and these people are not even aware they did those things. They must not have kept record. If they were big things, they surely would have remembered so that when Christ says, "I was hungry and you fed Me," they would respond: Yes, we remember, we did it!

As the reader goes through the introduction below, it is possible to get the impression that this book is scolding material prosperity. It is not. I have done the scolding elsewhere—in so far as it warrants its scope to be released from the confines of materialism.

This book is about, yes, stewardship. The reason prosperity is mentioned is to call the reader's attention away from prosperity to stewardship. A steward is one who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs. There has been an overemphasis on prosperity, but prosperity is not what we do, it is what results from what we do. What we do is stewardship. In fact, prosperity is a guaranteed natural product of good management. If this is appreciated, things will fall into place as I have noted in the introduction below.

In this book, I intend to interact with the reader to show the importance of the departments of stewardship and how they point out at what can correctly be described as the object of the first assignment at the beginning and the subject of accounting at the end. In the process of interacting, I pray that the reader's eyes will see the fundamentality of stewardship in the management of life generally.

What we do on daily basis as far as life and resource managements are concerned gives us opportunities to do intermediate accountings. The latter is important as both rehearsal and reappraisal for the ultimate accounting before God. This book challenges the reader to be conscious about the fact that everything we do calls for a sense of responsibility and accountability.

In stewardship, we have a blueprint in what is expected of us in our relationship with God, one another, time and the environment of resources around us. In stewardship we have the-what we are expected to do; the-how we are supposed to do it; the-when we are supposed to do it, and lastly the-why we do what we do. The whats, the hows, the whens, and the whys can be so pliable that it is not possible to come up with a standard description of each. Their influence vary from person to person, time to time, and situation to situation, etc.

When I saw the significance of stewardship, I wondered why there is not as much enthusiasm in this matter as its primacy demands. I have since become an ardent believer in teaching stewardship. In it we learn not to be idle; we learn to manage the resources and account for them, including the very little things. If one is to prosper, it will come as a by-product of being a good steward.

We are perpetually surrounded by many demands to the extent that we feel bombarded. This means that we need to have a clear understanding of the weight of the concerns around us. If we correctly understand this, we will be in a position to prioritize accordingly and appropriately.

The assignment God gave us at the beginning remains. We only get fulfilled if we accomplish or remain in the right course of accomplishing the purpose of our life.

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God and illuminate the insights shared in this book so that the reader will have a moment of inspiration. May the said inspiration not only inform but also transform the reader's life accordingly. It is also my prayer that the said moment of inspiration will not be a momentary inspiration but one that will become part of the reader's everyday life until the life is fully lived; the purpose wholly fulfilled, and eternity devotedly secured. May the grace be abundant for this. Amen!

I wish you a blessed reading and a practical living.

Ogweno D.O.

Skien, Norway

August, 2015

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Part 1:

Branches of Stewardship:

Identify; Produce; Consume; Manage,

and Distribute

Introduction to Part 1:

In this section we are going to look at the importance of identifying who we are; the talents and resources that God has given us. This process starts with the acknowledging the fact that we ourselves belong to God. It should also be a matter of immanence that all we have belongs to God.

If we successfully keep ourselves aware of the fact that we belong to God and that He also owns everything we have, it will be clear that we will ultimately give an account about our stewardship. We are going to stress the importance of producing what should be produced; utilize what is meant to be utilized; save what is meant to be saved; distribute what is meant for distribution and generally manage everything in a way that glorifies God.

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—Chapter 1—

INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE

OF STEWARDSHIP:

You and the Things You Own

Are Owned

"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."

—Isaiah 43:1.

Your life is not exclusively yours; you are only its steward. Your life belongs to God, and you will give an account about what you did with it.

Stewardship: The Initial Assignment

The doctrine and practice of stewardship is one of the most ignored aspects of Christianity today. The story of creation shows God's preparation for man's arrival. The Creator started by creating resources, defining the framework of time and availing space for man.

As man drew his first breath and became aware of himself; aware of God and aware of his environment, he must have known by intuition; by instruction and by interaction Who placed him there and Whose environment he was inhabiting. He would take instructions of life from the Life-Giver.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

—Acts 17:28.

The above scripture was the apostle Paul's quotation to men of Athens of their own 'pagan' philosophers and poets (Cretan philosopher Epimenides and Cilician Stoic philosopher, Aratus). Their God-consciousness had left them with superstitions and belief in an unknown God. The most important thing here is that even the pagans know there is a God.

Let us consider the very first statement God made to the first couple after He created them:

... Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

—Genesis 1:28.

That was the introductory statement God made to man! That statement remains true today as it was then. In that introduction was packaged a work that would be intensive; a supervision that would be extensive and a fruition that would be impressive. In it is embodied an enormous power; a laborious assignment and a wondrous wisdom. But what word can capture the whole essence of the magnificence of the above statement other than "stewardship!" God had availed the initial resources. Man would take over in order to manage them. This is why he was created. In the process, if he took the due responsibility; embraced an unassailable integrity and engaged in daily accountability, the result would be multiplicity, sustainability and authority over the realm that had been given to him. And the bigger picture of his allegiance to God would constitute the worship of the Creator.

Things went so wrong when man's integrity and responsibility were compromised. As a result, accountability was a disaster and a desperate attempt to take refuge in a blame-game started in earnest. Ever since, man has tried in vain to get things to work as was originally intended. But thank God: the coming of Jesus ushered a new era with an offer of a second chance to rectify the original error. It was only through a divine initiative that restoration could be achieved.

If we listen to the Holy Spirit and refuse to listen to the flesh and the devil, we can get it right again because the instruction is out there. If we are willing, we can appropriate this instruction so that it can indwell us. The Spirit that used to call from behind saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Is. 30:21) can now call us from within because He lives in us (1 Cor. 6:19).

God's Copyrighted Property

I heard about a story of a young man who was not a good son to his father. At the father's deathbed, he called for his son in order to speak his last words to him. Unfortunately, his last word was bad news to the young man.

Because the father was about to die, he wanted to give out inheritance. Because the son had not been good to him, he told him to choose only one thing amongst all he had, the rest he would give to the servant-slave who had faithfully served him over the years. The son was devastated. He thought he would inherit his father's estate, but he was shocked to hear that he could only inherit one thing. What to choose became an extremely difficult decision.

The work would be intensive; the supervision would be extensive and the fruition would be impressive. The statement embodied an enormous power; a laborious assignment and a wondrous wisdom.

He didn't have much time to decide. The condition of the father deteriorated with each passing minute, he could pass on any minute. In an inspired moment, a thought dropped in the son's mind: Choose the servant! That did the deal. By choosing the servant-slave who was to inherit everything, the son ended up owning the servant and everything he (the servant) had. The point is that the person who owns you, owns everything else you have.

While the son owned what he owned by inheritance, God owns us and everything we have by authorship. We are, in other words, copyrighted property of God. Even after man sold himself to the devil, God paid the infinite ransom to get man back. The coming of Jesus to our world was precisely a demonstration that God was determined to get us back. But we have to be willing to accept the invitation and honour the reconciliation by receiving Christ into our life.

For those that have heeded the call. The Bible says:

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

—1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

—1 Corinthians 7:22-23.

From the above, it is clear that we are not just going to account for material things, but also for our own bodies and everything that constitute our being. Elsewhere, for example, the Bible says that a man is a slave to whatever masters him (2 Peter 2:19). Any kind of addiction means that the addicted person is 'mastered' by the stuff of his addiction. If we destroy the body with cigarettes, for example, we are not being good stewards of the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is categorical enough to warn: "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Cor. 3:17).

Knowing that we belong to God, taking care of ourselves is honouring the Owner of the house.

Managing the body is therefore an act of stewardship. In marriage, for example, a lady takes good care of her body to make herself beautiful and attractive for her husband; a man shaves off his beards because the wife doesn't like them. The wife's body is for the husband and the husband's body is for the wife (1 Cor. 7:4). It is like God saying to the wife: Woman, I give you this body for your husband, go and give it to him! And to the husband: Man, I give you this body for your wife, go and give it to her!

When a woman honours her husband with her body, she glorifies God. Likewise, when a man honours his wife with his body, he brings glory to God. Honouring God and glorifying Him is using whatever He has given us according to the instructions He gave us.

When a man is good to his wife, she will thank God for giving her the husband. When a wife is good to her husband, he will also thank God for the wife. Anyone who mistreats his/her spouse is depriving God of gratitude that the partner would have given Him. It is like being given something to deliver and failing to deliver it. The person who was supposed to receive the consignment cannot thank the sender because he hasn't received what was sent.

The reader has probably heard somebody say: it is my body, I can do whatever I like with it! Or, It is my life, I am free to do whatever I like with it! What a lie! The question is: where did we get our body, and where did we get our life? As we have seen above, our body and life belongs to God. We get fulfilled not by self-preoccupation but by serving God through serving others within the divinely prescribed values and virtues.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.... For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

—Philippians 2:4,21.

Recently, I told my son that although he had turned 18 and according to the law of the land, he is now a grown-up, free to make his own decisions, I still 'own' him. He doesn't cease to be my son and I don't cease to be his father. I don't stop being responsible to advise and guide him because now he is an adult.

If somebody's life is his own and he can decide whatever he wants to do with it, why do people close to him (relatives and friends) lose sleep whenever his bad decisions boomerang? Why do they have to dig deep into their pockets to sort the person out if his bad decisions result into financial woes?

When somebody suffers because of misbehaving or making wrong decisions, we may say that we don't want to have anything to do with his suffering but the truth is that we will be emotionally pained. This means that if we fail to be good stewards of our life, we will not only cause problems to ourselves but also to people around us. In the same way, God is not pleased whenever our rebellion leads us to sufferings.

Here to Glorify Christ

Jesus died our death that we may live His life. We belonged to God by authorship but even after we sold ourselves to Satan, Jesus came and purchased us back to Himself. This is why the Bible says:

... [Jesus] died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

—2 Corinthians 5:15.

After Jesus died and rose again, everyone living should not live for self. If you live and you are only living for yourself then you are living fraudulently.

We live to glorify God in every way. Sometimes we may be called upon to die for Christ. Most of the times, death intimidates us to the extent that we may run away from it even if that means we compromise some radical aspects of our faith. We cannot run away from a Christ-honouring death and claim that we are going to live a Christ-honouring life. If we cannot die for Him, we cannot live for Him either.

When I say radical aspects of faith, I don't intend the reader to interpret this to mean violence that a supposed believer metes against perceived enemies. The context of Christ's teaching is that radicalism is measured by how much one is willing to lay down his life for the sake of his loyalty to Him and His teachings: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:25).

The true Christian faith is something to die for, not kill for (John 16:2). If we understand the purpose of our life, we would equally understand and value other people's lives even if they don't believe what we believe.

The Bible is awash with examples of people who stood against intimidating forces because they would glorify God with their life. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand out. God by His discretion chose to save them miraculously. In some cases, people paid the ultimate price.

We can glorify Christ directly by standing firm in the faith regardless of persecutions but we can also glorify Christ by the sacrifices we make for the sake of others. Esther's beauty, for example, was not for her, but was for the emancipation of the Jews as we shall see later.

How we manage our life and that of others shows if we understand the idea and purpose of stewardship in its encompassing scope.

The Stewardship of Time

Time is one of the most precious things that was given to us. We need time to work, sleep, eat, rest, study, catch a means, wait, think, etc. There is no need of listing further because we need time for everything. This means that time is one of the most difficult things to manage. The management challenges of time usually hit a pitch high when we are called upon to share it. The reason is that most of the times, we would be called upon to share our time when we are at the verge of doing something or in the middle of it, if not at the critical moment of concluding it. In all the three stages, we expect little or no disturbance. In fact, we don't want interference even when we are doing nothing—that is another expression for resting.

I didn't list everything for which we need time but let us consider the few things I have mentioned above. How does it feel when someone seeks to have your time when you want to work, sleep, eat, rest, study, catch a means, wait, think?

The things of God are preserved not by hiding them as top secrets but by continuously passing them over to the succeeding generations.

If someone claims your time when you are eating, your food will cool; in some cases, you would forgo eating because the time scheduled for eating would be up. If you are cooking and someone engages you on phone because he just must talk to you, the food will probably burn or you may not prepare the food in time for people who are coming home for lunch/supper. What about when you are rushing out to catch a bus? Or, when you are so tired you just want to sleep?

As a writer, I can tell how it is sometimes difficult to suspend the flow of thoughts in order to attend to someone who wants to chat or need some help.

For majority of people, time and money are two things that they don't get enough of. This is why, we need to be careful how we manage time. There are of course people who get lonely and bored. They seem to have a lot of time that they don't know what to do with it. Pain, impatience, anxiety and other discomforting situations can make time drag. Whatever the case, we must always strive to put our time into good use.

Time can be wasted, spent or invested. The time you spend bored and idle is a wasted time. I usually get some unsolicited invitations by some females for a chat. They usually begin by saying: "I am bored!" An adage goes: An idle mind is the devil's workshop.

When you accept the invitation to chat with an idle person, you quickly realize that the devil has actually been 'workshopping' in the person's mind. She would tell you that she wants you to link to some websites and see her 'naughty' photos. She doesn't get ashamed even after terming her photos 'naughty'.

If you don't have anything to do, find something to do. If you don't feel like doing anything, ignore your feelings and do something. If you don't get anything to do, the devil will find so many things to do in your mind. There are lots of things somebody can choose to do: read a good book; read your Bible; visit the neighbour; take a walk—you never know who you may meet. The list is endless.

There ought to be a balance. Use of time can swing between two extremes: being too busy with some things at the expense of other equally important things on the one hand and on the other, being idle. Some people can be idle not because they don't have anything to do but because they are lazy. Some claim that they are bored because there is nothing to entertain them.

Time is too precious to waste or misuse. Moses made a prayer recorded in Psalm 90:12: "... teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." The apostle Paul also tells the Ephesians to redeem the time, because the days are evil (5:16). In one of its definitions, to redeem means to 'restore'. We know that time wasted will never be recovered; there is no way we can 'restore' yesterday. Yesterday is gone forever. There are certain things that must be done within a certain period of time. If we apply the heart of wisdom, the first thing that we need to understand is to use time prudently. Talking about redeeming time, the apostle Paul must have been advising that we rescue our time from the grips of the seductive world of entertainment and pleasure.

Talents and Abilities

People have different abilities and talents. These abilities and talents are meant to glorify God. We have to be very keen to find out what the Lord wants us to do with our gifts. We are good stewards if we use our talents and abilities to serve God and others. Many people fail to realize that there is nothing they have that they didn't receive. They may behave as if they got their talents and abilities by their own initiative. If anyone is not constantly conscious about the fact that they are accountable to God for their giftings, they may use their advantages to despise others or they may use them for self-aggrandizement.

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

—1 Corinthians 4:7.

The apostle Peter reminds us, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10). Most of the times we want to use our gifts to earn money but it is important to remember that our gift is also meant to serve others. It is not entirely wrong to use our gifts to earn a living, but we must remember that the Bible exhorts us to serve others free of charge with our gifts.

Personally, as a writer, I have written many spiritual articles and put them out there for people to read free of charge. I have also helped some brethren with their manuscripts without charging them anything. That helps my conscience be at peace knowing that I don't "sell" everything that results from my gift.

Some years back, I listened to a renowned and endowed TV preacher speaking against stealing. He did well by pointing out areas that people, including believers, steal without thinking much about it. Nevertheless, I felt that he was being mean when he charged that anybody who was recording the message he was preaching was a thief. He commanded that if someone wanted that message he ought to buy the tape.

If someone was recording the message in order to sell, that would be piracy—stealing. In my view, I felt that it would be alright if someone recorded the message under the following conditions:

i) A member of the family who wasn't home at the time of broadcasting could watch it later;

ii) Recording for personal reference and library;

iii) If somebody is a supporter of the minister's ministry;

iv) If someone, especially in another continent, could not afford the price and shipment of the tape all the way from the US.

v) If one was going to use the recorded message to reach others.

I maintain the above view because the minister, as I mentioned above, was endowed and was therefore not struggling financially in the ministry. With his international visibility, I am certain there were many people supporting his ministry without the said support being a transaction.

The message of Christ is not only for people who can afford to pay for it. If somebody wants to read my book and cannot afford it or doesn't want to pay for it for one reason or the other, I will let the person read the electronic version free of charge. If somebody downloads any of my articles, I wouldn't have a problem with that. My writings or preachings are not as business materials as they are ministry materials.

God didn't give us talents first and foremost to enrich us more than He wanted to reach others with it. Using the talent primarily to get rich is misappropriation of the talent. When we make it our primary goal to enrich people spiritually, the same people will appreciate the transformation in their life. This appreciation may come in the form of identifying with what we are doing to the extent of supporting the ministry materially. If we do it this way, instead of pursuing material things through our gifts, the material things may follow us as we follow the greater call. This is the only way of keeping distractions behind us. Even if we are overtaken by the material blessings, we have to be careful not to get our focus away from what was our initial goal.

I like the story of Esther. It is the best example of a person who withstood the lure of distraction at its best (we will come back to this in part 2 of this book).

Stewardship Over Information

When God spoke to our forefathers, He equally spoke to us; when He speaks to us, He is as well speaking to our children and the generations to come. Our forefathers had the responsibility of telling our fathers what God did to them or told them; our fathers also had the responsibility of passing to us what our forefathers told them. We equally have the responsibility of passing to our children what our fathers told us or what God has told us directly. Our children will also pass the information to their children. Like a button in a relay race, the information must continue until the end of life on earth.

Sadly, what happens sometimes is that there are some participants of the race of life who do poor work in passing the button. They either drop the button along the way or they delivered it weakly when the competitor has gained on us or has put us out of the race. To struggle and gather things up takes a lot more strength and determination. In athletics we usually see athletes give up the race altogether.

If there be something spectacular that God did to our forefathers, He equally did it unto us—we need to know about it. If there is something special He is doing to us, He is equally doing it to the generations that will come after us—they need to hear about it. This is why the preservation of what God has done and spoken to us is important. The things of God are preserved not by hiding them as top secrets but by continuously passing them over to the succeeding generations.

When God delivered the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, He told them not to forget what they had seen. They were to write them in their hearts and teach them to their children.

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

—Deuteronomy 4:9.

If we keep something in our heart as a secret and refuse to pass it along, it will perish with us when we bow out of this life.

We cannot run away from a Christ-honouring death and claim that we are going to live a Christ-honouring life. If we cannot die for Him, we cannot live for Him either.

When something is repeated over and over again, it shows that it is important and must not be forgotten.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

—Deuteronomy 6:6-7.

When God delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt, it was a big matter that became a historical reference point. We know that everyone of them except Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness (Num. 14:30, Josh. 5:6). Nevertheless, whenever God was addressing the descendants of those who were delivered from Egypt, He addresses them by reminding them: "I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage" (Judges 6:8).

Memorial Stones and Landmarks

It was so important for the Israelites to remember this historical event of being delivered from Egypt that God ordered Joshua to pick twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man. Each man was to take out of the midst of Jordan a stone for memorial. They were to carry these stones along in a way that would solicit inquiry from their children. They would then explain to them how Jordan was parted for the Children of Israel to pass.

There are so many things that happen in life, and people are bound to forget some of them or fail to pass the experience to the succeeding generations. Some of these things must be preserved because they are so important. It can happen that the generations that never had any personal experience and emotional attachment to what happened can begin to move away from identifying with them. There can also happen many things in between that can push some experiences into the antiquity of time. This explains why the Children of Israel were commanded to objectify the experience when they crossed river Jordan:

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

—Joshuah 4:1-7.

Earlier, Moses had also directed the people after having been self commanded by God to preserve manna for memorial purposes:

And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

—Exodus 16:32-34.

When I was growing up, there were some objects at our home that seemed to be outliving the generation of our parents. I grew into adulthood and the objects didn't look like they would waste away any time soon. At times we would ask how, where and when they were acquired. We learnt that some of these things were passed to them from our grandparents. If there was a spectacular thing about the object, the story will be told. This was the idea when God commanded that some memorial objects be kept. God knows that such objects would solicit some questions by the younger generations. That would give a perfect opportunity for the parents to tell them the story behind those objects.

There are things we acquire in life and when these things linger, they become reservoirs of memories of places we have been; things we have done; people we have met; jobs we have done; beloved ones we have lost, etc. This explains why human beings tend to accumulate so many things around themselves some of which they do not seem to use.

When we check our surrounding, there are things we don't use but we haul them around with us whenever we are migrating. After having moved from different houses and places, I can testify that a time for migrating is the time we may realise we have so many things. It is the time to throw things we don't need and give away some of them. But there are things we can't just throw even if we are not using them in any way. And we wouldn't give them away either.

The information about our identity and destiny is embedded in our heritage. If there be any promises God made to our fathers or forefathers, He equally made them to us. Some of God's promises are generational. Most of the generational promises are also conditional. Let us consider one example.

Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

—1 Kings 2:1-4.

What king David was doing was to pass to his son the information about a promise that God made to him (David). This promise would be carried along his descendants if they kept their side of the bargain. It was therefore important that this information was passed along. King Solomon however, didn't do as well as his father. It is not recorded that Solomon called his son Rehoboam in order to commission him, charging him to remain true to God in order to perpetuate the fulfilment of the promise. He himself didn't follow the instructions of his father neither did he fully serve God (1 Kings 3:3, 11:4-6). It was evident that something had gone completely wrong when Rehoboam refused the counsel of the old men and instead allowed himself to be misled by his age mates. It is no wonder that the kingdom split at the inauguration of Rehoboam's reign and the Bible also records that Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord during his reign (1 Kings 14:22).

This means that if we remain in tune with God, we become the fulfilment of the promises God made to our fathers. If our fathers were not believers, we can start the management of spiritual heritage for the benefit of our descendants. Our children and our children's children, etc. will reap the fulfilment of God's promises to us.

Stewards of the Word

It is important for us to be faithful stewards of the Word. If God gives us a Word, we ought to speak it as if God Himself is speaking. God doesn't lie, so we shouldn't lie in His name; God doesn't manipulate, we shouldn't manipulate either. God doesn't threaten, He warns, etc.

For those who preach and teach the Word, it is important to note that God's people have a degree of trust for the servants of God. Some believers can trust with an abandon that leaves them gullible. This is why teachers of the Word will be judged more strictly (Jam. 3:1). Majority are wont to receive the Word as if God Himself is speaking to them.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

—1 Thessalonians 2:13.

The Lord Jesus Himself set the example when He said that the things He did and say, were things He saw and heard from the Father. He neither did nor spoke His own things.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me...

... the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me...

...but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

—John 5:30; 14:24; 15:15.

We have to respect the Word of God to the extent that we don't peddle it malevolently. We don't engage in speculation and call it revelation; and we must not manipulate others with it. We should not aim to gain materially from it more than we want others to gain spiritually in it. If the spiritual gain is the primary motive, we are not at a loss even if we gain nothing materially but help others gain spiritually. And we must be careful not to feign an encounter with Christ in order to forestall censor. The apostle Peter puts it as follows:

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

—1 Peter 4:11.

The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy as far as stewardship over the Word is concerned:

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

—2 Timothy 2:2.

The things that Timothy heard Paul teach were not to end with him (Timothy). He was also to commit the same teachings to faithful men. The latter were also not supposed to keep what they heard for themselves. They were also charged to pass it along. Note that the teachings were to be committed to faithful men, not just anybody. They had to be faithful to carry on with the work and also faithful that they preserve the content of what they heard (1 Tim. 1:3, 10; 4:16; 6:3-4).

We should not aim to gain materially from the Word more than we want others to gain spiritually from it.

What we have heard from Christ, through His Word or through His servants, we must faithfully pass along to others and inform them to also pass it along without tampering with it.

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

—1 Corinthians 4:1-2.

The Vertical Word Puzzle

We are living at a time when the spirit of materialism has caught an enormous momentum. The wave is so strong and the pace so fast that many people are being swept downstream. The tragedy is that materialism has been cleverly spiritualized in a way that makes it difficult to draw the line between where it is an aberration and where it is a blessing. To many, it is as difficult to tell a deceptive teaching on material prosperity as it is telling where the tail of a snake begins.

There is no denial that prosperity is the same multiplicity God talked about at the inception of life. Nevertheless, there has been an overemphasis on and a pursuit of material prosperity.

It is the aim of this book to emphasize that the teaching about stewardship and the practice of the same are what we need. When this is done, the following will happen:

i) Material prosperity will emerge as a necessary consequence of good management (stewardship). It will follow rather than lead the way;

ii) Prosperity will be released from the confines of materialism. This will put material prosperity into perspective, proving further that prosperity is much broader than what majority of people take it to be;

iii) The believer will understand that there is no point comparing ourselves with one another because each person is given his own ability and a specific assignment corresponding to the said ability. But even if two people have identical assignments, the level of their motivation may vary. At the end of the day, their standard is Christ. He is the One whose standards believers should compete;

iv) The reader will understand that there are different departments of stewardship. This in turn will help him avoid 'misappropriation;'

v) The believer will understand that it is not the magnitude of the assignment that ought to be the mobilizing and motivating factor, rather it is the fact that the assignment is from the Lord Jesus.

In word puzzle, there are words that will automatically fall into place when you fill out the others correctly. Life, generally, and stewardship, in particular, is like filling out a word puzzle. If we get it right vertically, we will definitely get it right horizontally (across). Why vertical? Vertical axis represents our relationship with God. Horizontal axis represents our relationship with one another and our environment. If we get it right with God, we will automatically get it right with one another and our environment. This doesn't necessarily mean that everybody will appreciate the way we relate with them. They may deny the virtues we portray and ridicule the values we advocate. This, however, is just because they live in denial or rebellion, otherwise when the day of reckoning comes, they will indeed give God the glory for what we represented. God Himself has declared that He will be exalted among the heathen, and He will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10). As stewards, we have to do our part as God does His part to communicate with the inner man of the ungodly.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

—Matthew 5:16.

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

—1 Peter 2:12.

A good steward persistently does his work whether he is appreciated or not. We all know that light attracts attention. You become very visible when there is a lot of light around you. And it is equally known that people who live and take pleasure in the works of darkness hate light. That is why some people may see the light that so shines before them but they may not promptly appreciate it. Instead, they may even talk ill about you and what you are doing. In their heart, they know that what you are doing is right because their conscience will bear them witness. God gets His glory from what people 'hide' in their heart. A day will come though when what has been hidden in the heart will come out. As apostle Peter puts it, 'the day of visitation' will get the confessions out even among reluctant sceptics. The apostle Paul also confirms that this should happen (Philipp. 2:9-11).

A good steward is not primarily motivated or demoralized by what people say. He does his work as unto the Lord. There are times when we have to do our work even when no one acknowledges it, or when they jeer instead of cheer.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

—Colossians 3:23-24.

Again, if we use the analogy of the word puzzle, understanding stewardship is like correctly filling out vertical word puzzles where when we are done we get surprised that the word prosperity has emerged as a horizontal word in the puzzle. But I must make haste to point out that prosperity is not just about property.

If prosperity is a tree, stewardship is its root; if prosperity is a skyscraper, stewardship is its foundation. It is a tragedy waiting to happen for a tree to grow tall without growing deep roots to anchor it; it is a disaster waiting to happen to raise a skyscraper into the sky without deep foundation into the ground to secure it.

Get it right in stewardship and you will not go wrong in prosperity and general relationship with God. A scribe asked Jesus: "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him that the most important commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:28-30). You can as well say that the first thing in your life is your relationship with God. Relationship with others and the material world take the cue thereafter.

Putting Things into Perspective

Where I come from, we have a say that goes: You eat where you work. It is natural and scriptural to get one's daily bread from his work, including ministering in spiritual matters. Nevertheless, when it comes to the things of God, we have also to be clear that they don't follow the pattern of this world—and there is a call for sacrifice which in essence authenticates our genuine heart to serve the Lord other than our interests. This is why it is important to put things into perspective.

It is the perspective that helps us, for example, reconcile a person talking about 'downstairs' and another talking about 'upstairs'. These people may be talking about the same staircase only that one may be at the top and the other at the bottom. For the person at the bottom, the staircase is leading upstairs; for the person at the top, the staircase is leading downstairs.

We may be talking of the same thing, namely: eating where you work, but it is important to note that one may be driven to work because he wants to eat—to him food is the goal, while the other may be driven to eat because he wants to work—to him work is the goal. The attitude the two people have towards food will determine how they relate with it. To one, food is important because it is what he is working for; to the other, food is important because it gives him energy to work.

Exhorting us not to worry about the necessities of life, the Lord Jesus said: "... seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). In this respect, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness is not only a priority in life, it is also a goal. We are not in the ministry in order to seek these other things, rather they will be added as we busy ourselves in the pursuit of God's pleasure.

In the ministry, there are people who are seeking souls because through it, they will acquire material possessions. On the other hand, there are those who seek souls because they get fulfilled when they fulfil God's purpose in their life. In this latter group, they trust God to provide for them. The former group see the people they manage to reach to hold sway for their welfare.

If the above is understood, then we will know what is a consequence and what is a goal. A goal is something we pursue; a consequence is something that follows us; a goal is what we live for, a consequence is what we live on. The person pursuing souls and the one pursuing wealth will both still minister to people but the latter will say: If you give me food or promise to do so, I will minister to you; the former will just minister after which the congregation will say: Because you have ministered to us, we are giving you food (see Gal. 6:6).

The above perspective will help us understand more what the apostle Paul was talking about in the quotation below. Note the italicized portions, indicating that Paul would still preach the gospel even if the people he ministered to never gave him anything.

Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

—1 Corinthians 9:7-18.

Summary of the Scope of Stewardship

We Ourselves

The starting point is ourselves. We belong to God. Whatever we do with the body, we will give an account. This means that we may not 'interfere' with how God made us. In this regard, I wouldn't be surprised if people who change their skin complexion are called upon to account over the matter. I am also worried about believers who take tattoos on their body. I would also advice against Rastafari and dreadlocks.

If you don't have anything to do, find something to do. If you don't feel like doing anything, ignore your feelings and do something.

Material resources

This is where there has been lots of emphases. Anytime we talk about stewardship, we think almost exclusively about management of material resources. As this scope shows, stewardship covers every area of life. Everything we will be required to give an account on is an area of management.

Time

We operate within time. All we do, we do in accordance to assigned time. We schedule and programme—there is a time for everything (Eccl. 3). This means that we have to manage time in a way that we will account for how we use our time.

Talents and Giftings

People have different abilities. These were given so that we can serve God with them. Part of service to God is by helping one another. We shouldn't use our talents selfishly neither do we need to look down upon those who are not as gifted.

Knowledge and Information

Adage goes. Knowledge is power. It is important that we know the value of knowledge and the importance of passing it along. The Lord God lamented how His people are being destroyed due to lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge must be preserved by passing it from one generation to the next.

Spiritual Resources

Jesus had called His twelve disciples to commission them for a mission. They were going to preach about the kingdom; heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out evil spirits, etc. (Math. 10:7-8). He had entrusted them with spiritual authority. At the end of the mission, they came back and gave a report (account) of what they did.

Note that these people were not expected to make fortune out of the wonderful things they went out there to do. Today, many stewards minister spiritual things in exchange for 'planting a seed.' We must desist from making it look like we are 'buying' the spiritual ministrations.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt in this introductory chapter?

2. The following statement was noted above: "Jesus died our death that we may live His life." What does this mean in both attitude and practice?

3. If you have been given an assignment, know for sure that you will be called to give an account. What is your assignment both specific and general? Can you give an account anytime you are called upon to do so?

4. "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Pet. 4:10). 'Each of you' means that everybody has got something with which to serve others.

a) Have you identified the gift(s) that you have been given to serve others with?

b) What are some of the ways one can get to know his/her gifting?

5. In this age, there is a lot of competition for your time.

a) How do you manage your time?

b) How much of your time do you spend, and how much do you invest? What is the difference?

c) How much of your time do you share? What does it mean to share your time?

6. What channels do you use to pass on the precious information you have about life here and the hope of eternity?

7. Is there something special that God has done or promised you? How are you passing the information about it to your children (if you have kids)? Is it a generational promise or personal?

—Chapter 2—

FOR YOUR CONSUMPTION:

Things Meant For Personal Use

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

—Genesis 1:29.

The exercise of free will is only beneficial if you use it to choose right. If you choose wrong, free will doesn't insulate you from suffering the consequences of bad choices.

In the Beginning

When a couple knows that they are going to have a baby, they begin preparations. Towards the end of the pregnancy, they have to make sure that everything the baby will need to start life is in place.

The book of Genesis begins with the creation story. When God finally creates man at the end of the creative week, the intention of creation becomes clear: all these things God was creating were in preparation for a special being—a being that God would identify with and call His image, a being that will be God's child.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

—Genesis 1:26.

All along, God had been creating without giving any instructions to the created. Whatever He wanted them to be was primarily laid in them as a predisposition rather than instruction. Immediately man came into existence, systematic and elaborate instructions of stewardship began to proceed forth from the mouth of God. As it turned out, man would not live by victuals more than he would live by the Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). If he is going to live, he will do so by paying a perpetual attention to the divine instructions. Consider the following special instruction:

And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

—Genesis 1:28 (AMP).

From the word go, God's intention is clear: man is not like other animals. He is given a prevalent authority and managerial responsibility of everything that was created. The purpose is multiplication—If you like, call it 'growth' or 'prosperity'.

Although God had given everything into the hands of man, it didn't mean the latter would do whatever he liked with the things he had been given. Stewardship is a responsibility that requires accountability.

This is For You to Eat

God designed life in a way that it needs to feed to be sustained. Other creatures would basically eat by instinct, man would eat by instruction.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

—Genesis 1:29.

Unlike the other animals, there is a communication between God and man. He is telling him (man) what to eat—this is the essence of eating by instruction. Before man could embark on the work that he was assigned, he was given his food.

It is important to feed the body and it is important that we eat by instruction. It is not expected for man to eat whatever he likes. Nutritionists tell us that what we eat determines what we are. The sustenance and functioning of the body depend on what we eat.

We may say, "thank you!" after receiving something, but another practical way of appreciating what we have been given is by taking good care of it.

God has always made a provision for enough food to feed and sustain life of every soul on the planet. This is not to turn a blind eye to occasions when people starve for lack of food in some places. But, as we shall see more into details later, it is important to remember that people don't starve because of lack of food in the world. The fact that food lacks in one place doesn't mean God purposed that people living there should starve. We will come back to this in chapter 16.

In the Lord's prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to ask God for the daily bread (Matt. 6:11). This prayer is significant because it recognizes that God is our source. This means that even if we already have food stored for the days ahead, we must still not forget that God is our source. It may not be sensible to ask God for a daily bread that He has already provided. I believe it is still in order to thank instead of ask Him for our daily bread. To be good stewards, we need to know the source of the things we are using for personal purposes. This simply means that we are aware that we owe it to Somebody.

Sometimes we can get preoccupied with our needs. When this happens, we may not be good stewards because we would use our time and resources pursuing what God meant to follow us. We need to be good stewards of our minds. Worrying about our personal needs may make us bad stewards. The reason is we can easily misappropriate resources (see chapter 10).

While exhorting us not to worry, the Lord Jesus said:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

—Matthew 6:31-32.

Although our starting point was food, it is important to remember that things for us to use include everything: Time, money, talents, strength, beauty, resources of diverse kinds, etc.

A good steward must be in touch with the Master at all times in order to know what is for his personal use. After knowing that, he has to use it responsibly and accountably.

Kicking Stones With New Nice Shoes?

Is it really a challenge to use things that have been given to us for personal use? It may look easy to use what is meant for our personal utilization. We have to remember that we are not supposed to just use what belongs to us, we have to correctly and responsibly use them.

A friend of ours bought some very nice shoes for our daughter as a gift. Our daughter did not take good care of the shoes. It looked like she was kicking stones with them. In less than a month, the shoes were torn and tattered. We are very sure that if our friend who bought the shoes would have seen them after less than a month, she would have been disappointed.

We may say, "thank you!" after receiving something, but a practical way of appreciating what we have been given is by taking good care of it. Even after something is handed to us for personal use, we will still give an account. This accounting is done by the way we use or treat what we have been given. We shouldn't be deceived. Even if someone gives us something and says: 'This is for you, do whatever you like with it,' we would be naïve to think that the person will not turn around to watch what we are doing with what he gave us and how we are using it. It satisfies the giver to see the keen care we accord what he has given us.

The care we accord the gift we got shows the value we attach to it—the more we care for it, the more the giver knows that we appreciate what we got. Many people are not good at taking care of "free things." The fact that something is given free doesn't mean that it is cheap or worthless.

More often, we remove the price tag of a gift so that the recipient doesn't know how much we paid for it. And because certain things may deceivingly look cheap, we can extremely hurt the person who gave us an expensive gift if we carelessly handle it. The result is that we may not get more from that person.

When We Have More and When We Have Less

As I was writing under this subheading, Baraka, my nine-year-old daughter at the time, was sitting next to me. I casually asked her: "What will you do if you have more than you need or need more than you have?" It is obvious she didn't get the second part of the question for she answered: "I just throw it and then I will be happy!" I wonder why she added, "... and then I will be happy!" Perhaps we can say that many people are 'happy' to throw things when they have more than they need.

Apart from appropriate use, challenges of stewardship over things meant for personal consumption manifest when we need more than we have or have more than we need. The attitude we cultivate regardless of our situation will help us be either good or bad stewards depending on what kind of attitude it is. An excellent attitude worthy of emulation is that of the apostle Paul. Consider what he says:

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

—Philippians 4:11-12.

Look also at what John the Baptist told the people who went to listen to him in the wilderness:

Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

—Luke 3:12-14.

We have to learn to do with what is there and to do without what is not there. Except for food, clothes and shelter, regardless of how much we think we want something, if it is not within our reach, we need to learn to do without it. This, however, doesn't mean that we don't work towards getting what we lack if we have the means and the opportunity.

Immediately man came into existence, systematic and elaborate instructions of stewardship began to proceed forth from the mouth of God.

We will talk about the challenges of stewardship in part 2 but I will mention that in times of abundance, we must not misuse, waste or greedily hoard what we have. And in times of need we must steer clear of covetousness.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. When you lack, does it mean that God has not provided for you?

2. When you have used what you believed God gave for your personal needs and you still have extra, what do you do with what remains?

3. God has already provided for our personal needs. This must be paradoxical for people who are struggling and seem to have 'nothing'. How do you explain this paradox?

4. How do you differentiate between things that are meant for your personal use and those that are meant for other purposes? Does it matter how much you use on yourself?

5. Must you be satisfied before you consider that perhaps what you have is not only meant for your consumption?

6. What do you usually do when you need more than you have, or have more than you need? What is the right thing to do?

—Chapter 3—

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY:

Things Meant Only To Be Seen

"And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil...

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

—Genesis 2:9, 17.

If you always want to possess every good thing you see, you may not see any good thing you already have.

Don't Even Think About It!

Sometimes while visiting, I usually see fruits artistically arranged on the table, giving the impression that they are more for decoration than they are for eating. Sometimes I get tempted to pick one and eat but overcome the temptation with a wish: If only they wrote 'for your eyes only' it could make it easy to know that they are not meant for eating.

I once entered our local church cafeteria where nicely decorated cakes were on display on a table. There was nobody in the cafeteria to watch over the cakes but there was a note conspicuously displayed next to the cake with the following words: "Don't Even Think About It!" Whoever placed the note there knew that somebody might be tempted to have a bite of the cakes. Being a church, whoever put the note there knew that it would be respected. Religious people are known to respect instructions—or aren't they?

We saw in chapter 2 that God made food provision for man. Just as God pointed out what the first couple would eat, He also instructed them on what not to eat.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

—Genesis 2:8-9.

In His profound wisdom and discretion, God planted a garden with every tree that is pleasant to behold. The fruits of one tree were not meant to be eaten, but only to be seen. In other words, there are things that are within our physical reach but not permissible reach. If we utilise them for the mere fact that we can reach them, it will constitute an abuse of freedom.

The kind of stewardship we have over things for the eyes only is to take good care of them. To tend and protect them: "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15).

The fact that the man was taking care of the garden didn't mean that he was going to utilise everything in the garden the way he wanted. The garden belonged to God and Adam was to take good care of it, he would give an account to God at the end of the day. He was given instructions.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

—Genesis 2:16-17.

It is a dangerous thing to ignore instruction in favour of seduction. Accounting is only difficult if we defy the instructions and do things according to our whims. Most of the times, the master will call us to account only when he realises that things are not right in one way or the other. There is a way to tell that things aren't going on well. Good stewards are confident in the presence of the Master. Bad stewards are nervous; raucous; impetuous and rebellious before the master. Guilt takes away their confidence.

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

—Genesis 3:9-11.

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. 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.

—Luke 16:1-2.

As long as he was a good steward, Adam was not afraid of God. The guilt that comes after failing in stewardship is so overwhelming that man cannot face God, even thought he would still hide in His garden.

Curiosity Killed Mankind Before it Killed the Cat

May, 2013 in Mombasa, Kenya, a cat got its head trapped in a jerrycan. How it squeezed its head into the small hole is difficult to understand. Perhaps that explains why the locals thought there was more to the cat than just being a cat. But on a second thought, cats sticking their heads and getting trapped in cans is not uncommon.

It is a dangerous thing to ignore instruction in favour of seduction. Accounting is only difficult if we defy the instructions and do things according to our whims.

For four days, the poor cat had to pull and push the jerrycan around. In Mombasa where the locals believe in the physical presence of evil spirits manifesting as cats, they thought that the cat was a demon (jini). No one among the locals offered to take the risk of helping the cat. It took the intervention of animal protection officers to rescue it.

Curiosity killed the cat is a proverb that warns people against taking unnecessary risks experimenting with or investigating something that may be dangerous.

Have you ever wondered why something is restricted? There are things that we would get tempted to breach in order to see what will happen next. This happens especially if we are not told what the consequences are. But even when the consequences are spelled out, in some moments of madness, we still think that we can breach the instructions and get away with it. Or sometimes we want to confirm if the warning is true. Think for example how many times people stick their fingers out to touch a newly painted surface after reading: Newly painted, do not touch!

God was generous enough to give man all he needed. Fruits from all the trees in the garden were for him to eat. There was only one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that he was commanded not to eat. Like other trees in the garden, this tree was also fruitful and it was not poisonous. So, when the man was commanded not to eat it, it was not because he would die of poisoning but he would die of disobedience. The divine logic why God allowed the subtlety of the serpent, the gullibility of the first couple and the availability of the forbidden fruit to co-exist is something outside the realm of our understanding. Trying to understand something that God never meant to be understood is as futile as trying to exile air from the surface of the earth.

Once the first couple's curiosity was aroused by the serpent, they ignored the command they had been given. Before curiosity killed the cat, it indeed killed man. There must have been a number of diabolic logics and canal thoughts that crowded their mind:

• If God didn't want us to eat from this tree, why did He put it here?

• God loves us, He cannot put something dangerous within our reach. Maybe He is not warning us, He is just scaring us.

• The fruit is desirable we wonder how it tastes.

• We are told that we will die, how does it feel to die? Maybe we will have to try and find out how it feels to be dead.

• The tree is called "tree of the knowledge of good and evil". We know what 'good' is, but we wonder what 'evil' is. Maybe we can find out.

There are things that we can do easily but it is impossible to undo them. Once Adam and Eve tasted the fruit, it was a done deal. If they could see in advance what would happen to them and their descendants; the kind of evil that would come to the world, I don't think they could have given in to the seductions of the evil one.

A good steward does the master's bidding without kidding. A steward must not contend with his master. We are surrounded by things that are attractive. We have to know that even if those things are in our custody, they may not be ours for use except to delight our eyes upon. Isn't it enough to behold the beauty of something in our vicinity?

A less frequently used antidote which was supposed to complement curiosity killed the cat is 'but satisfaction brought it back'. If God has given us something but for one reason or another we reach out our hand to take also what He hasn't given to us, nothing will ever satisfy us however much of everything we will get. Good stewardship is training ourselves to be content with what we have been given. Contentment doesn't necessarily mean having everything we need or want, rather, it means learning to do with what we have and making the most out of the circumstances.

May I repeat: If you don't learn to be contented with what God has given you, reaching out to take what He hasn't given you will never ever give you satisfaction. It doesn't matter how rich one is, contentment will always elude him. Consider how Mart De Haan (in Our Daily Bread, 15.11.2014) put it: "Discontentment makes rich people poor, while contentment makes poor people rich."

Stewards over People

Pastors—and any other spiritual leader for that matter—are primarily stewards over the people they lead. Regardless of how loyal people are under their human leader, it is important for the leader to remember that he doesn't own the people, God does. Using people for selfish ends; manipulating and misusing them, is a true sign that one doesn't understand that he is but a steward.

After Peter reinstated himself and bonded with the Lord Jesus after he denied Him, the Lord charged him to take care of His lambs and sheep. Jesus did not surrender ownership of the sheep to Peter:

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

—John 21:15-17.

Is it any wonder that Jesus used "sheep/lamb" to represent the people He died for? I believe that the metaphor of sheep to represent people was intentional. Sheep to a man is meat. Though he may take care of it, he would also eat it at the end of the day. This means that when Jesus referred to His followers as sheep, He was drawing Peter's attention to do the opposite of what people are likely to do with sheep, namely feeding on them.

The common practice is that people may feed the sheep so that they may ultimately feed on them (sheep). In this scenario, the goal motivates the process. Things are different when it comes to feeding the sheep of Christ. Our main motivation must be to tend them on behalf of the One we love. We can do this even if we don't directly benefit from the sheep—freely you have received, freely give (Matt. 10:8). If we benefit, firstly, it should be a by-product of what we are doing not the goal of what we set to achieve in the first place; secondly, it should be on the basis of 1 Timothy 5:18: "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward".

Stewardship calls for strength and a strong person is one who is able to conquer his own weakness.

Good stewards, them that love the Lord Jesus Christ, will not extort, manipulate or deal with those under their care as if they are their personal possession.

On his farewell address to the elders of the Church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul reminded them how he kept back nothing that was profitable unto them. He had shown and taught them these things publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20). He charged them of their responsibility and warned them of what would happen after his departure.

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

—Acts 20:28-30.

It is Christ who purchased the Church with His own blood; it is Him who assigned leaders to feed the Church on His behalf. Leaders as stewards are not making a following for themselves but a following for Christ. Note that Paul's warning tells us what the true stewards will do for the Church, namely, 'feeding the Church' while fraudsters will not 'spare the flock.' The alarming thing is that among the believers themselves shall arise ill-intentioned men with perverse teachings and corrupted intention. What this means is that there are people who started well but in the process, they deviated from the truth and started preaching expediencies and 'acceptable' things. It doesn't stop there. Even though the Bible calls their teachings "perverse," many people still get deceived when they fail to recognise that they are not being fed but being fed on; they are not being made followers of Christ but followers of men.

The apostle Paul also writing to the Corinthian church said the following:

[We] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

—2 Corinthians 4:2.

God has called upon the sheep to be vigilant (Lk. 21:8). It may not be easy to tell at what point a leader who rose among us begin to stray. This is why the sheep has to be thoroughly vigilant.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord God issued a strong warning against false prophets. He likened them to shepherds who were feeding on the sheep instead of tending them.

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock...

Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

—Ezekiel 34:2-3, 10.

That warning is solemn and it carries the following elements: The stewards (or the shepherds if you like) must...

i) be wary what they feed the sheep;

ii) resist the temptation of feeding on the sheep however fat and appetizing they may look.

iii) not appropriate the 'fat' from the sheep.

In the Old Testament, it was decreed that the fat belonged to God. Anytime an animal was sacrificed, the fat was offered as a burnt offering, oozing a sweet smelling aroma unto the Lord. The sacrifices of praise are the New Testament equivalent of the fat sacrifices of old. Stewards must be wary not to appropriate the praises that belong to God.

When the servants of God begin to appropriate undue praise and condone celebrity worship from the congregation, it is a sign that they have successfully made a following for themselves. It is human nature to get so familiar with something that belongs to somebody to the extent of possessing it, especially if the said thing has been in a person's custody for a long stretch of time. It takes a conscious concerted effort to resist the temptation of owning something that belongs to someone else.

Respect What Belongs to Others

The fear of God helps us be good stewards over the things put in our custody. Potiphar realised God's favour in Joseph. As a result, he entrusted everything to Joseph's care. It is important to remember that he did not surrender the ownership of his household to Joseph—the things still belonged to him. Joseph was but taking care of the household on behalf of his master. The Bible says that Potiphar put everything in Joseph's hands. There followed a great fortune in Potiphar's house because of Joseph's personal diligence and divine munificence. Despite all this, he neither abused his powers nor misused God's favour. With godly integrity, he never betrayed his master's trust.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

—Genesis 39:7-9.

It sounds much the same what was the Garden of Eden. God had given everything to man, except one thing—the tree in the middle of the garden. The beauty of its fruit (the fruit was desirable) was not supposed to lure Adam and Eve into eating it. It could as well have been desirable but poisonous. Joseph, on his part, did not allow the woman's beauty (I guess Potiphar's wife was beautiful) lure him into reaching out to take the only thing he was not given in the house.

Reaching out to take what has not been given to us is a way of not being grateful for the things we already have. We belittle the value of what we have when we get preoccupied by what we don't have. This is what the prophet Nathan implied when he confronted king David after the latter's adulterous involvement with Bathsheba and murderous scheming against her husband, Uriah.

The prophet Nathan came to David and told him a parable of two men who lived in a city. One was rich, the other was poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds. The poor man on the other hand, had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up. One day, the rich man had a guest. Instead of taking one of his own animals to dress for his guest, he cast his eyes upon his neigbour's only lamb and slaughtered it. That act was so wicked that it got king David waxing furious and judgemental. He immediately felled the mallet: "As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity" (2 Samuel 12:5-6).

In the middle of David's assumption to the high moral ground, Nathan dropped the bolt from the blue: "Thou art the man!" The prophet followed this by declaring to him God's disapproval and in the process pointing the king to what he already possessed but disregarded:

I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

—2 Samuel 12:7-9.

It was not a mistake that the king saw Bathsheba. A Kiswahili proverb says: Macho haina pasia (the eyes don't have curtains). You never know what you are about to see until you see it, by which time it would be too late. It is what one chooses to do thereafter that becomes the issue.

It is understandable that as a man, David was sexually stirred when he saw Bathsheba bathing. The Bible says that she was very beautiful to look upon (2 Sam. 11:2). The image of the naked woman lodged in king David's mind and the fantasy of having her in his bosom pitted his moral judgement against his sensual passion. Did he have what Joseph had? If only he remembered the latter!

Being the king, God had made him a steward over the people. If he was not disciplined, he was wont to be caught up in the abuse of power by accessing things that didn't belong to him. After having 'accidentally' seen Bathsheba, the king ought to have run away from the rooftop into his bedroom and call one of his wives to help cool him. Stewardship calls for strength and a strong person is one who is able to conquer his own weakness.

We may not control what is going to pass or stand in front of our face. In one way or the other, we will have to deal with the aftermaths of seeing something attractive. Even if we don't have the power and or opportunity to possess what we desire, the desire can lodge in our heart by way of covetousness. Like sickness that has to be operated on to be removed from the body, we need spiritual surgery to remove sins that easily lodge in our heart.

Not every appealing thing we see around us is for us to possess or use. There are things that for one reason or the other may be within our reach, yet they belong to others. A good steward takes a zealous care of things that belong to other people even better than he takes care of his own things.

There are things that are within our physical reach but not permissible reach. If we utilise them for the mere fact that they are within our physical reach, it will constitute an abuse of freedom.

A friend of mine sold away his company. After selling it, he continued to work there as the CEO. The change from an owner to an employee must have influenced the way he worked. I talked to him asking how it felt to climb down from a CEO who owned the company to a CEO who is employed. This was his answer: "I feel more responsible than I was when I owned the company!" How is that? When you are conscious about the fact that what you are managing belongs to somebody else, you will equally be conscious about the idea that at the end of the day, you will give an account.

Consider how Jacob accounted for and defended his stewardship before Laban his uncle cum father-in-law:

This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

—Genesis 31:38-40.

What belongs to somebody is usually very delicate, or so it feels. Once in a while, for one reason or the other I find myself driving a car that belongs to somebody else. I usually find myself extremely careful. But not everybody is like that. There are people who are extremely careless with things that belong to others. I don't know how they deal with the conscience that is wont to remind them that should something happen, they will have to explain. It is easier to take good care of something than mess it up and then have to explain to the owner.

The Bible tells us that we qualify to own things of our own if we prove faithful in taking care of the things that belong to other people: "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" (Lk. 16:12).

The kind of integrity expected of a fiduciary is what qualifies one to be a good steward. Think of the uprightness of a person in whose care something is entrusted, waiting for a minor to come of age!

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. Can you identify some of the things in your surrounding that you can say are 'for your eyes only' and those that you are not even supposed to dwell your eyes on?

2. What are the dangers of staring too long at things that look pleasant yet they belong to other people?

3. What are some of the consequences of taking things that God hasn't given you?

4. What are the strategies of vigilance in stewardship?

5. "Thou art the man!" Is there a Nathan in your life to help you judge yourself? What can you do to make 'Nathan' speak to you before you stray?

6. Suppose prophet Nathan came and rebuked king David directly without using a parable, what could have happened? Have you ever been rebuked for a wrongdoing? If yes, did you go on the defensive or you ate the humble pie and repented? If no, are you prepared that this may come sooner or later?

7. Are there things that you have had in your custody for long until you feel like you cannot release them to the owner when they finally ask for them? What must you do in order to hold loosely on them?

8. Some people pray earnestly, declaring that they claim and possess certain things in the Lord's name. After making such prayer, does it mean that one can then refuse to hand over something back to its original owner because he has claimed it by faith?

—Chapter 4—

FOR YOU TO SHARE OR DISTRIBUTE:

Things For You to Pass Along

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate."

—1Timothy 6:17-18.

To share is to show that you care, and to care means that you share the attitude of Christ.

Something Miraculous About Sharing

On the 11th June, 2008, we had an interesting experience in our house. We had prepared food the previous day that we ate but didn't finish. We decided not to cook afresh—we would do with what had remained. It didn't look much but we knew it would be just about enough for the five of us.

When we got ready to take the supper, all of us were seated except one—our first born. We rang him on his mobile and told him to come home immediately so that we could take supper together.

He was with his friends in the neighbourhood. He arrived hardly 5 minutes later—accompanied by two of his friends. It was obvious that the food would not be enough for seven people. We asked his friends if they would take supper with us and hoped that they would decline. It is un-African to ask someone if he is going to take a meal. You'd just begin serving him unless he stops you because he is satisfied. But in the West, it is common to ask if one would join you for a meal. Though this is strange for us but there are some of these practices where one is advised to do as the Romans do when you are in Rome.

Our son's friends said that they wouldn't mind taking supper with us. We thought of cooking afresh but we didn't have anything that could be fixed that fast. Actually, we were already seated at the table and were in an eating mood—starting a process of cooking would take a lot of time. We spoke some Kiswahili with my wife trying to consult. Our kids, not to mention their Norwegian friends, don't understand Kiswahili. This meant that we could consult even on things concerning them without them knowing what we are talking about. By the way, we didn't keep Kiswahili away from them so that we could talk about them without them understanding. We tried our best to teach them our languages but we failed—they were not interested.

The consultation was more of wondering why it coincided that we had visitation when we didn't have enough food. The idea of cooking was out of question; telling the friends of our son that they couldn't eat with us was another out of question issue.

My wife usually serves the kids but on this day, she asked me to do the serving. I was about to ask her why, but I complied, thinking that maybe she was afraid of getting embarrassed when the food failed to go round. I never considered that she assigned me the job because I had a magic hand.

I took the serving spoon and set upon the job. Mysteriously, the food went round and it didn't just go round, we ate and were full—all of us. The kids didn't even realise that we had had a psychological crisis occasioned by the thought that we had little food.

This reminds me of the story where Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people, excluding women and children. We shall shortly look at the details of this story below.

Sharing Necessitates and Sustains  
Multiplication

The Bible is awash with confounding paradoxes. We read for example in Proverbs 11:24: "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." Again, in Proverbs 13:7, we read: "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches."

From the above paradoxes, we can deduce that generosity doesn't impoverish, greed does. Though not a Christian, Mahatma Gandhi admired the teachings of Christ. He made an observation that further pays tribute to the paradox in Proverbs we have seen above. He said: "There can be enough for all of us, but not enough for one greedy person."

Christ demonstrated the practicality of the multiplication in sharing.

When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

—John 6:5-12.

The mother who packed the lunch for her son must have been inspired to do so. She may not have thought that her food was going to feed over five thousand people. In the divine plan, this food was not for the boy alone; it was food to be shared. One doesn't stop wondering that among that big multitude, it was only the lad that had a packed lunch. Could it happen that there were some people who also had some little food with them but would not let anybody know that they had the food?

The boy himself needed the food but he gave it away unconditionally, not knowing whether he would get it back. Note that the food virtually multiplied as it was being shared out. Christ started with the five small barley loaves and two small fish. He couldn't have held in His hands food that would feed that multitude. Each time He broke the food and gave to each disciple, the food would multiply. The multiplication process continued in the hands of the disciples as well. Each of the disciple could not have carried in his hands food that would feed over four hundred men. This means that it was the sharing that necessitated the multiplication. When the sharing stopped, multiplication also stopped.

Try to imagine what could have happened if the disciples decided to eat their fill first before sharing the food out to the multitude. If they did this, the more than five thousand people could not have had anything to eat. The disciples could not dare sit down and eat the food because Christ was there personally, watching. They must have sat down and ate only after everybody else had already been served.

If they could sit down and eat first before thinking of the crowd, they couldn't have had enough even for themselves. The one who obeys divine instruction will always enjoy divine favour. The end result is that people will be satisfied. But even if they don't get satisfied, they will be contented in their situation and fulfilled because of the obedience to God's purpose. A good steward has peace with God and himself even if life is full of challenges.

The Difference Between Contribution and Distribution

Not everything in your possession is your possession—that is an obvious statement, but is it? There are things that may look like ours but if we can listen to the Holy Spirit, He will tell us things that are ours and things that are not ours. As we saw in chapter 2, there are things that we have been given for our personal consumption, nevertheless, it is important to remember that our hands are also conduits in the chain of distribution. It is bad stewardship to own everything that comes into our hand.

It is not wise to budget with what is not ours. And the test is when we are hungry ourselves, for example, and then we are given food to pass along to someone else.

The wisdom of God hides blessed truths in paradoxes. For example, did you know that generosity doesn't impoverish, but that greed does?

A friend once asked me for some financial help but because I was jobless, broke and struggling, I wasn't in a position to help him. Not long after he made the request—it must have been the same week—out of nowhere, a member of our local church blessed me with some good amount of money. No sooner had I received the money than a voice spoke to me from inside: The money is not yours, pass it on! Without a struggle, I knew whose money it was. I gave it away in its entirety to the friend who had asked for help.

It is important to remember that we can be called upon to share the things that are for our personal consumption. That brings me to explaining the difference between contribution and distribution.

The things we give away as contributions are things that are ours but out of our own volition, we give them away. They are things like offerings we make out of what we could as well use on ourselves. Things for distribution on the other hand, are those things that are not necessarily ours. The reason we get them is to pass them along. We may not even keep some portion for ourselves, unless there is a provision for that.

Good stewardship demands that we understand if something is for distribution as opposed to contribution. If we treat a distribution as a contribution, something is bound to go wrong somewhere. This is because if it is a contribution, we decide how much we give away. If it is distribution, we have no choice but pass everything along according to instructions. If it is distribution, it doesn't matter that we ourselves are in need of the very thing we are expected to give away. The mentality of contribution can interfere with the faithfulness expected in the distribution of the things that must be passed on to others.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira tells us that it constitutes fraud to give away something as a distribution when it is a contribution. The mood of what was happening was that of distribution but they had a choice to either contribute or distribute. They lied because of the attitude they had in their heart.

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

—Acts 5:1-4.

When God is doing something serious and special, He doesn't condone people who come to mock and defraud. Such behaviours can be punished instantly and hard.

Good stewardship means that we have to be truthful and faithful. During the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah made Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Pedaiah the Levites and Hanan treasurers over the treasuries, for they were counted faithful. Their office was to distribute unto their brethren (Nehemiah 13:13).

The Holy Spirit may speak different things to different people depending on what He wants individuals do to. If Ananias and Sapphira were not convicted to give away everything, they didn't have to lie about it, they were free to keep their land or all the money after they sold it. It could also have been alright for them to say that they sold the land and decided to share part of the proceeds.

Although we can learn good example from people around us, we have to be careful not to do things that we don't feel inspired to do. A steward must listen to the master for instructions on what to do. When we go forth to present our work, we don't tell the master that we have been doing what others were doing.

The context of the story above shows that believers had a conviction to distribute their possessions. They did it willingly. Ananias and Sapphira did what they did out of imitation not conviction.

Two Types of Contributions

I attempted above to differentiate between contribution and distribution. I explained that contribution is where we decide what to give. We may even decide not to give anything because what we are giving is actually ours to use. The basis of testing our generosity is by how much we share what was for our use. This is unlike in the case of distribution where we are commanded to pass along what we have been given.

One type of contribution is where we give away what we don't need. The other is where we give away what we equally need. I mentioned above that giving away what is ours provides the basis of testing our generosity. It is a good thing to give away what we don't need, but to be precise, the core of testing our generosity is by how much we share the best of our possessions—things that we not only use but are also our favourites. It is one thing to give away what we don't have use for, it is another to give away what we equally need.

One who is willing to sacrificially share his personal things will not find it difficult to pass along things that he has been given to distribute.

In Luke 3, John the Baptist had challenged the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him: "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance" (v.8). What did this constitute? They wondered. This was his answer: "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise" (v.11).

John the Baptist's message was that of repentance. And the evidence of that repentance was good stewardship. The primary question about stewardship is: What do you do with what you have?

Note that John the Baptist exhorted people who have extra to share. To him, extra can be as little as having two of the same thing. Extra must therefore be understood relatively. You have extra if you have two but your neighbour has none.

Sharing necessitates multiplication, therefore, if the sharing stops, multiplication also stops.

We can also categorise what we share into offerings and sacrifices. If we give away what we don't have any use for, it may be called an offering. It also remains an offering if after giving, we are as comfortable as we were before giving. For those that have nothing left after sharing what they had, it is a sacrifice. The Lord Jesus implied this difference by the comment He gave after watching people give into the collection basket.

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

—Luke 21:1-4.

There is sharing when you have surplus and one where you kind of lay down your life. Self-sacrifice is an applauded virtue in Christ. A steward that cares for others is sure to touch the heart of his master. Sharing is so important that it defines, in many contexts, the work of the steward. The Lord exhorted His servants, the stewards, to be spiritedly engaged in it.

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth....

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

—Luke 12:33, 42-46.

Just in case the reader missed it: blessed is that steward whom the Master will find busy sharing out portions of meat at the right time to the fellow servants. The steward is in charge and his main assignment is to make sure that the servants are fed. Isn't this the same thing the Lord Jesus commanded Peter: Feed my lamb! Note also that the perception that the Master has delayed His coming, is likely to make the steward become irresponsible, given to minding his own indulgences—eating, drinking and beating instead of feeding the other servants. This is a parable and we can sure interpret who these stewards are and in what ways they eat and drink and beat other servants. It is chilling to realise that lapses in stewardship would cause some believers to end up in the same damnation as the unbelievers. Stewardship is truly a big issue.

Share Even if You Have Good Reasons Not to

The apostle Paul exhorts the Romans to distribute to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality (Rom. 12:13). It is not always that sharing is easy. There are three things that make sharing difficult:

i) The difficulty experienced by the giver.

Sharing is difficult when one doesn't have enough for oneself, leave alone surplus. We saw above that John the Baptist exhorted the multitude that came to him to share if they have extra. Nevertheless, elsewhere in the Bible it is evident that we don't need to have extra in order to share.

We read about the Zarepath widow who didn't even have enough for herself and her son. The prophet Elijah appeared into the scene when she was at the verge of preparing the last supper after which she and her son would starve to death.

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

—1 Kings 17:9-15.

There is not so much talk about faith in the Old Testament, but the widow acted in faith. What the prophet had asked was extremely difficult. Elijah had directed that he be served first. She had all the reasons to refuse to share, but she decided to heed the servant of God. It was a beautiful story that happened after she defied all odds to share. Note that it was God who had commanded the widow to sustain the prophet (v.9). The widow didn't seem to have had an encounter with God, she was therefore not expecting Elijah. God had however prepared her heart so that as Elijah spoke to her, she caught the conviction to do as Elijah had asked. Can we discern the voice of God in a man's? O Lord, help us know your voice, for there lies our subsistence and sustenance.

I personally had an experience where I had to share the little food I had. In what I called A Watchman at the Veranda, I already shared the details of this experience in the book, Virtue That Counts (1) and I may not duplicate the whole story but only summarise what it was about.

It was about a caretaker that was employed by my landlord. I was newly employed and the government would take three months to process my salary. At the meantime, life was difficult. Despite this, the caretaker, who had mastered the times for my meals, used to come at my veranda almost everyday. He would clear his voice to alert me that he was there. I would invite him in and share the meal together. After feeding him for a stretch of time, I decided that enough was enough. One day, he came at the veranda as usual and cleared his voice but I ignored him. The Holy Spirit spoke to me, asking if I would just eat while Christ was out there at the veranda clearing His voice wanting to come in for a meal.

A hyena who faithfully runs errands delivering meat is to be praised more than the one who faithfully delivers vegetables.

I reluctantly invited the man in and decided that I would not ignore him again as long as he came to eat with me. As a result of that, God opened my eyes to see things I had never seen before in Matthew 25.

ii) The difficulty experienced by the receiver

Though there are people who may take advantage of the poor and get from them even the little they have, many people would be very reluctant to accept a gift from someone who doesn't have much. I have heard of cases where servants of God refuse to accept a gift from a person who is struggling. If it was not for the fact that God had spoken to the prophet Elijah, he could have found it extremely selfish to want to be served first with what was not even enough for the widow and her son.

Some of the people struggling to make ends meet may plead with a servant of God to accept a gift because they are under the conviction that God has instructed them to give what they are giving. It is important to note that if it is God who has instructed someone to give, then it doesn't matter how little the person has. One doesn't need to have extra in order to give. The apostle Paul gave an example of people who were poor but gave more than anyone would imagine possible. In fact they pleaded with the reluctant apostles to allow them participate in giving.

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

—2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

iii) The difficulty experienced by the rich people

It is paradoxical, but the majority of rich people are not so good in sharing. For many of them, the reason they are rich is because they would rather accumulate rather than share. Once a person gets into the mood of accumulating material things, one may not be so keen on sharing. I would wish that the reader doesn't mistake "saving" for the "undue" accumulation of material things. Unless it is the savings of a miser as we shall see in chapter 11, reasonable saving is part of stewardship.

The Apostle Paul noted the difficulty the rich people experience to the extent that he asked Timothy to exhort them to share and to be humble.

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

—1 Timothy 6:17-19.

The reader may have noted that the apostle Paul is talking about both distributing and contributing. In the above context, willing to communicate can as well be translated as willing to share. Why did they have to be charged to distribute? The reason is that it is very likely for the majority of the rich to withhold what was primarily meant to be passed along.

Some rich people think that those who are poor are poor because they are lazy. This is not true because some of the poor people have worked harder than the rich people. It is true that hard work brings wealth but this can be affected by other factors outside the control of the worker.

For many rich people, to ask them to share is like asking a hyena to deliver meat. It is an extremely difficult test for them. A hyena who faithfully runs errands delivering meat is to be praised more than the one who faithfully delivers vegetables. The idea here is that hyena likes meat so much that if he were to give in to temptation, he would certainly eat the meat along the way. The affinity of the rich people to materialism is so strong that they would want to accumulate as much as crosses their path. A rich man who would share needs a radical spiritual surgery to remove the love of the material things from his heart. Let us look at two examples of rich people—one rejected the surgery and the other accepted the radical surgery.

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

—Luke 18:18-25.

The rich man actually walked away and Christ let him. The Lord would rather the man went away than have him as a disciple who would not give away his wealth. He never lowered the requirement, telling him that he could keep his wealth as he followed Him. Christ made it clear for him that the condition of inheriting the kingdom of God is to distribute his wealth to the poor. For the rich young ruler, it was a command to distribute his riches—he was not going to decide how little or how much he would give away. Though he had been religious, he disqualified himself by clinging to his wealth.

His love for wealth brings to suspicion how he acquired it. It is very likely that he accumulated what he was supposed to share or distribute.

There was another rich man who prior to meeting Jesus was not even careful about the commandments of God. He was in a special class, loathed more than just being a sinner. Whenever his likes were mentioned in the Bible, they would say, "sinners and tax collectors." When this latter rich man met Christ, he didn't even wait to be told to share. He took the initiative to declare what he was going to do with his wealth.

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

—Luke 19:1-9.

Jesus was indeed impressed with Zacchaeus' decision. Distributing and sharing of wealth is not optional. It is a big consideration to qualify as a good steward.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. Do you share? How would you rate your sharing? Is the kind you would describe as an offering or a sacrifice? What is the difference?

2. Do you sometimes get a thought sneaking into your mind saying, for example: 'If only this money was mine, I would have bought X or done Y?

3. How much must you have before you consider that you have extra so that you can share? Must you have extra in order to share?

4. Why is sharing part of stewardship?

5. Do you think the disciples in John 6:1-12 could still have distributed the food if Christ wasn't there and the instruction to share out the meagre food was delivered by a messenger? Today, does it make any difference especially considering that Christ is not present physically?

6. How much would the rich young ruler in Luke 18 be comfortable in the church today as one of the 'committed' followers of Christ?

—Chapter 5—

FOR YOU TO INVEST:

Things Meant For Production And Re-Production

"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."

—Luke 19:13.

Talent grows when you serve others with it for their edification; resources grow when you invest them for production and reproduction.

God Gives Resources to Invest

In the Garden of Eden, the initial plants that were there were planted by God. Through them, the first couple would get the seeds for reproduction. God provides the 'starting capital.' How we manage the initial capital will determine the extent of growth we may experience. Whatever God put there was not going to last forever. Reproduction would replenish the garden and sustain the life circle.

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

—2 Corinthians 9:10-15.

A keen steward will pay attention to verse 10 and not get things misappropriated: "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness."

The above verse says that God is the one who gives both the seed to be sown and the bread to be eaten. Let us assume that the order is significant, that is, the seed to be sown is given first followed by bread to be eaten. The idea then is: the steward must differentiate the seed from the bread. If you take corn for example, the same 'seed' is also what the bread comes from. When you sow it, it is a seed; when you grind it, it is flour (for the bread). The test and challenge for stewardship comes when the seed precedes the bread at a time the steward is hungry. When you get a seed to sow at a time you don't have bread to eat, you will be tempted to eat the seed—this is misappropriation. The temptation to make bread out of a seed is strong because there is a lot of time waiting before harvest. Sowing and harvesting is a natural circle that teaches the virtue of patience.

Your future will soon be your present; your present will soon be your past. Your present is going, your future is coming—mind your future, prepare for it.

The above scripture also shows that when stewardship is executed appropriately, beneficiaries of the bountifulness of the harvest will lead into thanksgiving unto God, and He gets the glory. In other words, he who does his work diligently and appropriately earns God thanksgiving. It is also clear from the above portion of the Scripture that it is through sowing that we get more for further distribution.

Consumption without production leads to depletion. It is through production and reproduction that we replenish the supply, leading to sustainability. These things are obvious and almost unnecessary to emphasise but there are challenges that make them very tricky for many people.

It is important to remember that there are things that God has given us to invest, we must not find or allow excuses to eat them, or use them in any other matter.

Investment is Not Only for Businessmen

Any time investment is mentioned, we quickly think of businesspersons. May I emphasise here that investment is not exclusively for formal business activities. Just as one doesn't have to be a chef in order to cook, so it is that one doesn't have to be a trader in order to invest. There are many forms of investments and money is just one of them. A farmer planting a seed is investing, so is one who spends his time reading for schoolwork. A person who pays school fees for a student is investing; a person who uses his resources to instruct the young ones is investing, the list is endless.

The main idea with investment is that we are going to directly or indirectly get back more than we invested. It is direct if our investments bring us profits; it is indirect if our investments benefit other people. If we help one person who will in turn help many other people, that is an investment. We don't have to be the centre of what we are doing. That means, even if our investment benefits other people, it is still worth giving it the best we have.

It is through investment that we experience multiplication, hence growth. Wasn't it the first commandment? "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22). This shows how important investment is. Without investment, there is no multiplication, and without multiplication, all the other areas of life will be affected. It is therefore very important that the wheels of production are kept rotating.

The Most Demanding Form of Stewardship

Investment is the most demanding form of stewardship. This is why though it is natural to invest, many people shy away from it. The following reasons explain why:

• Risks of losses

In any form of business undertaking, there are always risks involved. One can get profits just as he can incur loses. If we are operating our own business and we incur loses, we will not be required to give an account to anyone but still it will pain us to experience a loss. Losses in business are likely to affect other areas of our life. If we are stewards, we will be managing somebody else's business. Any losses must be accounted for. One can lose his job if he is not a good steward.

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. 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.

—Luke 16:1-2.

In the above story, the steward was involved in some manner of misappropriation of his master's resources. He seemed to have loaned out lots of goods. He didn't steal these things for himself because when his job was threatened, he lamented the fact that he didn't have anything to go to—either he would have to dig or beg.

Sometimes, factors and forces at play may not be within the manager's control. Most of these can be unpredictable market forces. This notwithstanding, a good steward is expected to do a realistic risk analysis and resilient fall-back strategies. In this way, he can put in place buffer facilities so that business doesn't collapse in an event of unforeseen circumstances. The owner of the business may still seek answers even if unpredictable circumstances came up. Stewardship carries with it a great responsibility. He must have an in-and-out-of-season operational scheme and strategy. In fact, the qualification of being made a steward is that you are able to foresee things. This means that the so-called unforeseen circumstances are not an excuse for a failed stewardship. They are called unforeseen because you didn't see them, the blame will therefore be: why didn't you see them? If you are caught unawares, it means you were not watchful enough.

• Test of faith

In Ecclesiastes 11:4, we read the following: "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." This scripture encourages sowers to defy the prevailing weather conditions and plant their seed. It takes a remarkable faith to sow seeds into a dry ground, unless the clouds give a sign that they are pregnant with rain. Planting seeds in dry ground without rain in sight is comparable only to sending the sheep out among the wolves and still hope that it will come back.

And when we invoke faith into this matter, it means that we acknowledge the fact that we are not in control over everything. Naturally, we will be blamed if we planted the seed without observing that the conditions were right. If the conditions are not suitable, the only thing that can make you plant a seed is if you have a working relationship with the One who has the keys to the water reservoirs in the sky. Regardless of how the conditions look, you can plant and then go talk to Him to send the rain. Or sometimes, He may ask you to go out and plant without caring about the prevailing weather conditions. If this is the case, He would want you to trust Him, because He would surely send the rain. It doesn't take Him time to gather the clouds and fill them with water.

• Sacrifices and self-denials

Investment is painstaking and risk-taking. We need to deny ourselves in order to invest. Investing can demand that we shun the instant needs in order to pitch for a distant profit.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

—Psalm 126:5-6.

In the countryside where I grew up, we used to hang the maize seeds on the roof. This was to place them out of easy reach. They were placed directly above the fireplace. With time, because we used firewood for cooking, the smoke rising to the roof would cover the seeds with bitter soot. It was then not possible to eat them. More often, towards the sowing time, there wasn't enough cereals for daily subsistence, making the temptation to eat the seeds extremely high. Because the seeds would be 'out of reach', people would persevere, sometimes starving.

Consumption without production leads to depletion. It is through production and reproduction that we replenish the supply.

A good steward must device a method of preserving the investment capital and the seed to be sown. He must find a way to put them out of easy reach. A time of investment/sowing is a time of frugality. To be frugal in this sense and season has nothing to do with being stingy. We may easily save when we have abundance but this is not always the case. There are times when we have to engage self-denial in order to save the capital for investment.

Today, many people start investment by taking a loan. That is alright, but the best way to acquire starting capital is through "saving" and starting small so that we see the power of growth emanating from an excellent stewardship. There is a Kiswahili proverb that says: Haba na haba hujaza kibaba (Little by little fills a container).

A good steward must resist the impulses that urge him to live only for the moment. What we are living on today are profits accruing from investments we made yesterday; what we are going to live on tomorrow are the harvests of the seeds we plant today. The most important thing about sowing and reaping is not for the quick fixes but the long drawn sustenance, because of this, I do not wish the reader to read any immediacy in the 'yesterday', 'today' and 'tomorrow.' Some people will tell you to sow a seed when you are in a need, creating the impression that the seed will yield an immediate harvest. This is not to rule out any miracle in this regard, nevertheless, it is important to remember that miracles are called miracles because they are rare. My purpose in this book is not to advocate the miraculous but to promote consciousness to an everyday good management of what is at our disposal.

• Test of patience

There are some forms of investment that can yield profit immediately. Nevertheless, majority of investments have the element of waiting.

It is human nature to want things instantaneously. The technological discoveries tell how man works so hard to eliminate waiting. We have fast-moving trains; speedboats; cruising cars and supersonic jets to quicken movements from one place to another. We have microwaves that pop the corns in no time; we thrive with fast foods. We have genetically modified crops to shorten the time between sowing and harvesting; we have animals that are fed with chemicals to make them grow fast so that they can be ready for slaughter within the shortest time possible.

The abbreviation WWW stands for World Wide Web, but it can also mean We Will Wait. In the earlier days of internet, it literally required the patience of we will wait for a computer to connect to the internet. Today, we can't stomach a slow system—but patience is here to stay, we just have to live with it. We may have gotten computer systems to work at desirous speed but there are things in life where we just have to wait whether we like it or not.

Despite all we do to minimize waiting, patience still remains a virtue. There are areas where patience cannot be circumvented. To benefit and get it right, there are things that must just take their natural course.

• Keeping the seed-eaters at bay

If what is meant for investment is used in any other way, it constitutes a misappropriation. We will come back to this in chapter 10. When I was a young boy, I didn't understand the principle of sowing and reaping. And I never understood the adults most of the times. One of the things that puzzled me was why they would 'bury' groundnuts in the soil. I used to like groundnuts so much. I never knew that they were 'sowing' the seed and not just burying them. Because I didn't understand the principle of sowing, I used to sneak behind the adults, dig out the sown groundnuts and eat them.

There is always a possibility that something would come up that wants to divert your attention from investing, or somebody who tries to eat away your investment capital. I had an experience where I put out a large sum of money to publish a book. After finishing the payment, the book was supposed to be published and printed within two weeks. Over two years, and the book was nowhere to be seen. That publishing company just 'ate' my investment capital. Because of that, many things went wrong.

• Making sense of some of God's confounding paradoxes

We have already talked about planting a seed in order to harvest. This may not be difficult for a farmer because he understands the principle of sowing and reaping. Nevertheless, such wisdom can be representative of some forms of sowing that is not obvious.

Samwel Owiti, a friend of mine, once posted the following on Facebook: "In an orange you can count the number of seeds, but in a seed you can't count the number of oranges!" That is a fact, but I had never thought about it before. The statement enthused me, especially considering the divine ingenuity, wrapped in what could pass for a comical paradox.

A good steward must be inspired enough to unravel the divine wisdom that eludes many people because they come in paradoxical packages. Let me explain the paradox of the orange seed and the orange fruit: the orange (fruit) is much bigger in relation to the seed, yet it has limited number of seeds. The orange seed is smaller in relation to the orange fruit, yet it has unlimited number of oranges. And that is not all—in the seed, you also have roots, stem, branches, leaves and flowers. Simply put, the seed is loaded. A good steward sees with a prophetic perspective. In this sense, he will 'see' what the eye is not seeing, namely, the orange seed is much bigger than the orange fruit. In one seed is a forest of orange trees.

If you were given an opportunity to choose between a seed and a fruit, you will be wise to choose the seed. You will however need to work hard and put in a lot of patience before you begin to enjoy the fruit.

A good steward does not look at a calf as competitor for the cow's milk. A person who milks the cow dry, kills the calf and when the mother cow is done, he will not have any more cows to milk. It is a simple knowledge but a difficult practice.

A friend of mine, Esther Nduta, told me of a family that had a beautiful Frisian cow. At one time, the cow gave birth to a robust calf. The family would not let the calf suckle. They opted to feed her with some milk from the mother and supplemented it with corn porridge. However, the proportion of milk to porridge was about 1:20. The calf went through malnutrition while the family earned enormously from milk sales. The exquisiteness of money blinded them to the calf's plight—she was getting thinner and thinner by each passing day. She died before becoming old enough to eat grass. Bad stewardship focuses on the short-term gains and closes their eyes to the long term benefits.

Esther also told me about a case where a newly married woman asked for something to keep her busy as well as a source of income. A cow was bought for her. She was however not kind with the animal. She often beat the cow using crude objects like stones. Her mistreatment of the cow probably led to the cow miscarrying. The husband fearing that the cow might die because of poor treatment, sent the cow to the butcher. More than 30 years later and the lady hasn't stopped buying milk and being dependent on her husband yet she had the opportunity to nurture a cow that could have reproduced many more cows.

Investment is inspired by the hope of catering for the future. This has nothing to do with worrying about the future as the Bible discourages (Matt. 6:34). Rather, it means that we do what is natural and scriptural to plan for what is coming. Our future will soon be our present, our present will soon be our past—we must mind our future.

Mobilized By Attitude or Magnitude?

The perfect example of the command to invest is the parable of the talents (money). It turned out that the servants were not at liberty to choose whether they would set to work or not. The reason they were given the talents was to invest.

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed.

—Matthew 25:14-26.

There are many things to learn from this parable. One of them is that people tend to be mobilised by what they perceive to be the size of their assignment and the weight of their starting capital. The bigger the size of the assignment, the more a person would be mobilised to hit the road. This is what I call 'Grandeur Syndrome.' Nevertheless, if we take lessons from life generally, we will appreciate the fact that the starting capital doesn't put a limit to what one can grow into. The one who got two talents didn't surpass in profits the one who got five talents. This was the same with the one who got one talent—in fact, he was not mobilized at all. Going by the trend, I wouldn't have been surprised if he invested and made only one more talent. We shouldn't be satisfied that this trend shown here—that is, five makes five more; two makes two more, etc.—should be the norm. Though Jesus did not reprimand those who at least did something, this trend was not perfect. We will come back to put this into perspective using the parable of the pounds in Luke 19:12-20 later.

What we are living on today are profits accruing from investments we made yesterday; what we are going to live on tomorrow are the harvests of the seeds we plant today.

This parable (Matthew 25:14-26) implies the kind of attitude the servants attached to the magnitude of their assignments. There was no reason to expect the one who got five talents to get 'only' five more; the same applies to the one who got two talents. The best attitude is to refuse to let the size of the talent limit what we can do. The secret for success does not depend on the amount of the starting capital. Rather, it depends on the diligence, persistence, patience and enthusiasm with which one sets upon his work. Did you know that there was all the possibility for the one who got one talent to make more profit than the one who got five? It is important to remember that one's departure point doesn't dictate one's destination.

We saw in the above scripture that each was given according to his ability. We must remember though that abilities don't remain the same if we exercise. For example, the one who got five talents could only manage five talents at the beginning, but by the time the master came back, his ability had grown to manage ten.

Some few months after getting saved, I was called upon to preach to about 500 high school students. I was so intimidated that I had no nerve to go preach to that 'big' crowd. I declined. If I was called upon to preach to a small number, say ten, I would have taken up the offer. If I was to continue preaching and each time the number increased slightly, it would just have been a question of time before I grew into preaching to a big multitude.

The above parable takes into account this level of ability, that is, we are not given more than we can handle for a start. If I was to fit in the above parable, I would be given ten people to start with, for example. As long as the multitude grew in my watch, my ability would grow with it.

It is wrong to save what is meant to be invested. It is a serious thing to do. It is not enough to give back exactly what you were given for a start. If it was given for purposes of investment, the profit will be required—nei, demanded. That is the essence of giving an account. The Bible says that everybody will give an account before God, that means everybody is a steward. We better find out what our talents are and what our resources are and then set to work.

And now let us look at the parable of the pounds.

... A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin.

—Luke 19:12-20.

Unlike Matthew talking about different amounts of talents given out to three servants, each according to his ability, Luke is talking about ten servants and ten pounds. It is safe to conclude that these servants were not working in a team. This conclusion is plausible because when the master came back, each servant gave personal rather than collective account. From that, we can further assume that each servant got a pound.

There are a number of things that if we read the parable of the pound with the lenses of the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-26), we would be curious about because we are not told about them. This being the case, we will continue to make assumptions—albeit plausibly. Let us assume that these people had the same ability. This is significant because it gives us another perspective to analyse success with a starting point from a level playing ground. From the parable of the talents in Matthew, one can easily make the mistake of concluding that the servants performed differently because they had different abilities. Luke's account shows that even if people had the same ability, it matters what a person does with his ability. It was very possible for the one who got one talent in Matthew's account to grow both his ability and his profit to make ten more talents.

It is not correct to maintain that people with the same ability and same resources will always perform equally. It is equally incorrect to maintain that people with more ability will always be ahead. The growth of your ability does not respect the pace and the limit of the ability of those who initially had the advantage of endowment. The perfect trend to take home from this is that one can make ten from investing one—in fact, like we said earlier, the starting capital doesn't put a limitation to how much one can grow.

We are told about three servants only coming to give an account of what they did with the pound. There are two possibilities. The first possibility is that the three servants may have been representative of all the other servants where the most successful got ten, the middle got five and the last got nothing. If this was the case, there was one with nine, followed by eight, then seven and so on. This assumption is possible but not plausible—I have no reason to claim that it is what happened. That brings us to consider the second possibility, and that is: the other seven servants didn't even bother to turn up in order to give an account.

In verse 14 we read: "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us." It is possible that the missing in action servants joined or led the rebellion by the citizens so that they would reject the nobleman's authority over them. In this way, they would not give an account to him. They would also appropriate the money they were given.

In verse 15, we read, "And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading." The nobleman had called all the servants because he wanted to know how much every man had gained from the money. If all of them came, we could have been told about their accounting.

The above verse also tells us that despite the protest by the citizens not to have the nobleman to rule over them, he was made the ruler all the same. It was not for the citizens to decide who the ruler should be. The protestors were destroyed: "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me" (Lk. 19:27). When it comes to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we have no choice. We better cultivate a healthy attitude towards the Lord so as to give a successful account of our stewardship—anything less is a doom.

I had a Muslim refer to Luke 19:27 as an evidence that Jesus endorsed violence on people who don't obey God. This scripture has nothing to do with any current religious violence. Rather, it is eschatological—that is, it is an end-time judgement.

The Means of Production and the Capital

May I not conclude this chapter without talking about a very important part of production. At the inauguration of the church, Christians turned to voluntary socialism. The Bible doesn't reprimand them because the sharing was alright but selling the means of production was not a good idea in the long run.

In the book of Acts, Luke is telling the story of what was happening. He was not keen to endorse or question what he recorded. This means that there are things believers did that one may not take as a good example considering that some of their acts were informed by what could have been a euphoric zeal or impulsive perceptions. For example, there was a general perception that Jesus would come back in their lifetime. This may have been the reason some of them sold their land and gave money to the apostles to distribute to those who had needs.

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

—Acts 4:34-37.

It is understandable the kind of 'excitement' the believers had that made them overly euphoric. Nevertheless, the Bible expects us to be sober at whatever we are doing. They could still have done better by managing the good will they had about helping one another. The reason is that if they kept the means of production (land) and the capital, they could continue producing and sharing out. In this way, they were destined to give more than giving once after selling land and houses.

I believe the grace was there to cover them for this innocent and well-meaning mistake, but there was something they missed as far as good stewardship is concerned.

The secret for success does not depend on the amount of the starting capital. Rather, it depends on the diligence, persistence, patience and enthusiasm with which one sets upon his work.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the spiritual relevance of the idea of investment?

2. The idea of "planting a seed" has been abused in some quotas. Why is 'planting a seed' liable for abuse in a spiritual context?

3. Majority of believers do not get rich through 'miracles', they do through hard work and patience. Do you agree? What scriptures would you use to establish that God has called us to work?

4. In business, it is what we call the capital. In farming, it is what we call the seed. Among the things you have, have you identified what your capital is and what your seed is? In what way are you going to invest or sow?

5. Do you invest your time or spend it? List ways in which time can be invested and ways in which it can be spent. In your personal use of time, how does it balance out in terms of investment and spending?

6. Is it scriptural to maintain that one can invest on earth but reap in heaven? If yes, what are some of the scriptures supporting this?

7. In spiritual sense, what can you compare with 'selling the means of production?'

—Chapter 6—

FOR THE RAINY DAY:

Things To Save For Hard Times, Expected and Unexpected

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

—Proverbs 6:6-8.

Sometimes scarcity comes to test how clever you were when you had plenty. If you are intelligent, you shouldn't be indulgent when you are affluent. Dry spell may just be around the corner.

Cows Eating Cows

This is the story of Joseph in Egypt.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had multiple dreams on the same night. He realised that these were no ordinary dreams. He had to find an oneirocritic to interpret the dreams. Meanwhile, Joseph who had dreamed his way into trouble, would soon realise that somebody's dream would get him out of trouble.

In the dream, Pharaoh stood by the Nile. There came up out of the river seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, another seven cows, ugly and emaciated, came up out of the river. They stood beside the fat ones. The cows that were ugly and emaciated ate up the fat ones.

In the second dream, he saw seven ears of corn that came up upon one stalk, healthy and good. And, like in the first dream, there appeared seven other ears of corn—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven healthy ears (see Genesis 41:1-7).

Pharaoh had sought the help of all the magicians and wise men in Egypt but found none who could help interpret the dreams. That is when Joseph was called upon after having earlier interpreted a dream for one of Pharaoh's servants who shared a prison with him (Joseph) but was later reinstated just as Joseph had interpreted from a dream.

After Pharaoh told him the dream, Joseph explained to him that his two dreams had identical meaning. In the dream, God had shown Pharaoh what He was about to do. Both the seven good cows and the seven good ears of corn represented seven years of plenty. The seven lean ugly cows and the seven worthless ears of corn were seven years of famine.

When an expert or a gifted person does his job, he makes it look so easy everybody else thinks he could also do it with ease. In the same way, when God inspires a person with wisdom, his counselling would look like an ordinary common sense, making some people think that they could have also come up with the idea. This must have been the feeling after Joseph interpreted the dreams. The good thing is that the wise men and magicians of Egypt had had the first chance but they failed.

The prudence or lack of it at stewardship is determined by whether we allow poverty to devour abundance or abundance to pre-empt poverty.

A question that comes to mind which will also help us appreciate the importance of stewardship is: Why did it have to be the lean ugly cows eating up the fat well-fed cows and not vice versa or thin ears of corn swallowing up the healthy ones instead of the other way round? The answer is that when things are left to take their own course without an intelligent management, the power of destruction always overwhelm that of construction. Without God deliberately and intelligently managing the universe, there was only emptiness, formlessness and darkness.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

—Genesis 1:2.

It was not enough that God had created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). He had to set upon setting up order, light and life (vs. 3 onwards).

A farmer has to manage his farm. If he lets crops grow without getting himself involved, the weeds will always swallow up the crops. Stewardship is truly fundamental. Is it any wonder that in the parables related to stewardship, Jesus pronounced harsh judgement over those who would do nothing? The Lord Jesus knows that if we don't do anything, the ugly mean lean cows of evil will swallow up all the resources He provided for posterity.

Just like God who did not just create the heavens and the earth and then take leave, so did Joseph not just interpret the dreams and considered his work done. He decided to do more than he was asked—a shadow of the wisdom of Jesus who would later say: "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (Matt. 5:41). Well, Joseph was not compelled to interpret the dreams, so it was not difficult to go an extra mile. The extra mile was that he took it upon himself to give an unsolicited advice.

He knew that there was likelihood that Egypt would get their bounty harvest, eat it away and suffer when the famine would finally catch up with her. It may look like a common sense that Egypt needed to store grains but more often common sense may not be as common as the designation portrays. That may explain why it took a wise man to advise, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest" (Prov. 6:6-8).

It was therefore an act of inspired wisdom for Joseph not to consider his work done after interpreting the dreams but instead took another step to advise Pharaoh on what to do.

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

—Genesis 41:33-36.

Pharaoh liked what he heard. That was an advice from a wise man, Pharaoh would look no further to get the wise person to manage the food affairs—a wise man has just spoken before him and he could tell when he heard one. Listen to Pharaoh's tribute: "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (v. 38). Some of Pharaoh's servants might not have liked it. A foreigner, probably a criminal, who had just been brought in from prison is at the verge of being extremely promoted. But there was nothing they could do.

It was very important for Pharaoh to recognise the contribution that Joseph would make in the Egyptian society. He disregarded all the odds relating to Joseph's immediate past. Sometimes, in His discretion, God sends foreigners to save a country. But even if a country is too big for an foreigner to impact, there are individuals who would benefit from foreigners in the country. I personally got saved through ab foreigner that God had sent to our country. I thank the system that allowed them to stay in our country. That was for a parenthesis! Let's get back to Joseph's case.

Look at it again, especially after Joseph spelled out the strategic plan of action! Doesn't it feel like a common sense that when we have plenty, we should keep something for the hard times? But how much is this 'common sense' operative in our daily life?

It is always advisable to have a reserve whether we know that hard times are imminent or when they are bound to catch us unawares. In Joseph's case, the storing of grains was inspired by the dreams and the subsequent interpretation thereof revealing that hard times were forthcoming.

There are four important things I must emphasize regarding the need to save:

i) We don't only save when we have abundance. We can still keep something aside even if it means cutting down on some essentials. One can decide to have 'sacrificial saving.'

ii) We don't only save when we have learnt that hard times are coming. More often, hard times come unannounced.

iii) The prudence or lack of it at stewardship is determined by whether we allow poverty to devour abundance or abundance to avert poverty.

iv) We save to create a buffer for financial shocks and emergencies that are bound to come from time to time.

Good management during abundance empowers the resources to overpower scarcity when the latter sets in. On the contrary, poor management weakens abundance making the latter vulnerable and therefore conquerable by scarcity. In other words, without saving, scarcity will make a meal out of abundance. Word of advice: it is not wise to overspend your money on luxuries today and lack money for essentials tomorrow.

Lessons from Scarcity and Abundance

Whether plenty comes first or last, there are always vital lessons to learn. The apostle Paul puts it as follows: "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4:12).

When scarcity comes before abundance, it is meant to teach us the worth of the little we have. It may teach us that life can be sustained by the little there is. When abundance comes before scarcity, it is meant to test our wisdom if we understand that plenty can be for a season. Isn't this the wisdom behind the saying: Make hey when the sun shines? This proverb counsels us to take advantage of the opportunity—in terms of timing—but it can also imply sparing when the supply lasts.

If we have a divine perspective over things, we will be in a position to understand from the alternation of abundance and scarcity the paradox of how much the little can be worth and how worthless the much can be. Little is not little if the Lord Jesus is in it; much is not much if the Lord Jesus is not in the mix.

Not all stewards get the privilege of graduating from the school of scarcity. A fully baked steward is one who has experienced scarcity before coming into abundance. Scarcity teaches us not to be wasteful and that is a lesson we should take with us into abundance. During scarcity, a steward learns to endure trials. During plenty, he has the opportunity to learn to resist indulgence and shun wastefulness. If our conscience is alive and active, it doesn't take long to realise that plenty doesn't come alone. It comes in the company of temptations that urge us to indulge. If we give in, that is when we begin to overspend on luxuries today and lack what to use on the necessities tomorrow.

When an expert does his job, he makes it look so easy everybody else thinks he could also do it with ease.

During plenty, we should be able to manage the delicate balance between consuming, investing, sparing and sharing, among others. The time of plenty provides an ample opportunity to save for investment.

And don't forget that there is a positive relationship between abundance and laxity. Pride is also another by-product of abundance. And when we talk about abundance here, we are not only referring to material things. The abundance here includes talents, grace, spiritual insights, etc. The apostle Paul, for example, talks about the messenger of Satan, a thorn in the flesh that the Lord allowed him to carry in his body to keep him humble. Due to the abundance of revelations he was given, there were chances that he could become conceited (see 2 Cor. 12:7).

Paul was a learned man who could easily mistake the revelations he had to be the work of his intelligence and academic achievements. Often, we tend to forget that we owe it to somebody else when success comes our way. One of the main characteristics of a steward is his awareness that he neither owes it to himself nor owns what is in his possession. He is conscious of the fact that he owes it to the One he will ultimately give an account to.

Speaking through Moses, the Lord God reminded the children of Israel how He took care of them in the wilderness—a time of scarcity. He counselled them what their attitude ought to be when they finally enter the promised land where they would experience abundance.

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

—Deuteronomy 8:16-18.

A man came to Jesus and asked Him to arbitrate between him and his brother who refused to share the inheritance. In response, Jesus sounded to decline to arbitrate between them but told them a parable of a rich man who had a bumper harvest.

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

—Luke 12:13-21.

At the beginning of this chapter, we applauded Joseph for advising Pharaoh to see to it that they stored something for the anticipated hard times. I also noted that we need to store not only when we anticipate hard times. It may look contradictory to bring in the parable that painted as a fool a man who set out to store his harvest so that his needs would be taken care of for many years to come. It is important to emphasise what C. P. Hia wrote (Our Daily Bread 16-3-2012) that the man was not referred to as a fool because he wanted to build bigger barns to store his bumper harvest. It would have been essentially foolish of him to leave it out in the fields where inclement weather would spoil it.

The man was considered a fool because the abundance of his harvests made him forget that he owed his life and times to God. He was also a fool because even when God spoke, he never heard it, or if he did, he ignored it. Otherwise, if he heard God spoke, he could have repented. Whether we have stored things for many years to come, we must still remember that we are not the masters of our destiny. This means therefore that when we save, we are not just saving for ourselves. We can be rest assured that we may be saving for our progenies, friends or even strangers. Another problem with the man was that he was laying up treasure for himself. He was thinking only of himself.

Depleting the Source

One of the ways of insuring against the unpredictable future is to refrain from depleting the source of supply. The parable of the Prodigal Son comes to mind. Though the primary message in this parable is about the love and compassion of a father demonstrating his readiness to receive back a repentant son, there is an element of stewardship that we can also learn from it. This is why I like Jesus' parables, they are so rich.

And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

—Luke 15:11-16.

From this parable, it is evident that the young man took everything that belonged to him. He then started to squander his wealth. He never cared that he hadn't left anything at home to fall back to. To want to prematurely go away from the father was bad enough, but as he went to experiment on life, he could have either taken good care of his inheritance or leave something with the father so that should things not work for him, he would always come back to what he left behind.

During scarcity, a steward learns to endure trials. During plenty, he has the opportunity to learn to resist indulgence and shun wastefulness.

It is no wonder that when he came back to his senses, he lowered himself to the level of asking to be a servant of his father. That would have been the first. Fathers don't make servants of their own children, but his attitude shows how low he had fallen. What he initially received was an inheritance, this time round, even if the father didn't make him a servant, whatever he was going to get, would be his toiling. You are wise if you can tell the true worth of things you have acquired without toiling for.

We never know! It might just start raining not long after we squander what we had. We don't have to pay dearly to be taught a lesson that only needed self-control and common sense to learn.

Again, although the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) is principally about being ever-ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus, it also teaches us something about stewardship. The Bible describes the ones who had extra oil as wise while those who didn't have reserve as foolish. The question is, can our resources stretch enough to outlast the indefinite wait? Remember that not having reserve oil earned the five virgins the designation of being "foolish." They ended up being at the wrong place for the right reasons at the wrong time. Good stewardship means that we must have extra resources at the right place at the right time. Remember that the virgins didn't go out to loiter around. What they went out to get was important, but it was at the wrong time. The fact that they were virgins shows that they were ladies of moral integrity. To borrow from the apostle Peter's formulation, we could say: To your moral integrity, add managerial ingenuity.

It is through preparing for a long stretch that we would avail resources to last as long as the waiting takes its toll. And we prepare by saving something for the unknown.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt from this chapter?

2. Did you spare something when you had abundance? If yes, how? If no, why?

3. Have you ever undergone a period of scarcity? How did God sustain you during that period?

4. In what practical ways can you allow scarcity swallow up your abundance? And in what practical ways can you make your abundance swallow up your scarcity?

5. In what ways can you create abundance out of scarcity and scarcity out of abundance?

6. What are the things you have abundance of? How are you using them? What are the things you have scarcity of? How are you using them?

7. If one who has no children have come to a point where he knows he has a short time to live, could he still have reasons to save?

—Chapter 7—

TO LEND OUT:

Things That You Lend Out to People Who

Seek to Borrow From You

"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow

of thee turn not thou away."

—Matthew 5:42.

The things you lend to God, do not expect repayment from man. But if you are lending to man, do not lend out what you cannot afford to write off, for some of the borrowers are fraudsters.

Impatient Generation

I mentioned above how we naturally like when things happen fast. The technological breakthroughs have made it worse so that we are comparable to the 'spoilt child'—whatever it is we want, we must have it, and we must have it right now; right here! This has had a tremendous influence over the way we handle spiritual matters. If we invest, we want the profit right away; if we sow, we want to harvest pronto. Life is not like that!

The impatience has resulted in unintended but manifest manipulative relationship with God. If it is faith, we want it to avail our wishes instantly, forgetting that there are many sides to faith:

i) Instant Faith—this is the faith that avails what we want promptly;

ii) Patient Faith—this is the faith that waits for God's timing;

iii) Faith that Loses—this is the faith that pays a price for a proof of commitment.

I may not go into details here but suffice it to say that instant faith is what majority of believers want to identify with. We reluctantly accept patient faith while faith that makes us lose something is extremely unpopular, yet it is the faith that tests our commitment.

It is important to remember that there is faith unto receiving and faith unto losing. Sometimes we may let go of something to prove that our faith is so important we can lose up to and including our physical life for its sake.

It is Biblical to lend in this life and be paid back in this life, but it is equally scriptural to lend on earth and get repaid in heaven (Mark 10:30). It is also true that the repayment can be both here (now) and there (later). God decides.

In our generation, we have complete Old and New Testaments' records of the things God did in the past. We read about spectacular miracles that happened to people who believed in God but were faced with difficult situations or choices. We identify more with the earthly victories than we do with 'earthly failures.' Today, if we praise in jail, it is on condition that God will do to us what He did to Paul and Silas (Act. 16:25); when we refuse to bow for the Nebuchadnezzars of this world, we do it on condition that God would respond the way He did for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan. 3:13-17). But the question is: are there things that we can give without expecting something back? That brings me to what I want to emphasize in this chapter—and it is not 'good news' as far as the popular expectations would have it:

i) Not everything you give out is a seed you plant in order to harvest;

ii) We must be driven by: 'it is the right thing to do' and not 'here is an opportunity for me to be rewarded;'

iii) There are things that will be repaid in heaven—eternal life itself is a reward enough for all the good things done here on earth. That God has promised more tells us how immeasurably gracious He is.

The S.W.O.P Ministry

S.W.O.P. is my abbreviation for Stranger, Widow, Orphan and Poor. Even if we read the Bible casually, whether it is the Old or New Testament, we will realise that these people have a special favour of the Lord. Many people don't see this favour because it is not manifest materially—to claim that they are favoured is ironical to people who equate favour with material endowment. But this is the group of people God identifies with. Any stewardship that doesn't have a special place for this group of people, has not understood the instructions of his stewardship correctly.

This is the group that if you lend to, you shouldn't take usury and you shouldn't refuse to lend them even if you know there are chances they may not pay back.

If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

—Exodus 22:25.

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

—Deuteronomy 15:7-11.

Although the Children of Israel were allowed to take usury from strangers (Deut. 23:20), there were other strangers with special needs that they were not allowed to take advantage of. God instructed them to cater for this special group even if it meant deliberately leaving behind some crops during harvest so that the stranger and the poor may glean.

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

—Leviticus 19:9-10.

To emphasise the importance of ministering to the SWOP, the instruction to let them glean is repeated in many places.

When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

—Deuteronomy 24:19-22.

I believe some things are too good to just leave behind, so in a way, the Lord may cause you to forget them so that the widow, the stranger and the orphan may benefit. It is important however, to remember that we don't have to forget a 'sheaf' for the underprivileged to benefit. The scripture above also implies that there are things we can do deliberately for the underprivileged to benefit. Boaz, for example, instructed his servants to deliberately leave some grains behind so that Ruth the Moabitess could glean (Ruth 2:15-16). Again, we don't need to have been strangers somewhere for us to identify with or understand the plight of the strangers.

We identify more with the earthly victories than we do with 'earthly failures.' Today, if we praise in jail, it is on condition that God will do to us what He did to Paul and Silas.

SWOP are the people God would borrow from you to help.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

—Proverbs 19:17.

Because of being an impatient generation and overtaken by appetite for materialism, we expect all our payments in this life. The truth however, is that God uses His discretion to decide when, where and how to pay us back for what we lent Him. This means if God had promised to pay us back, our departure from this life doesn't invalidate the promise. The promises of God don't expire with time. He has eternity to make good of His promises.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth....

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.

—Heb. 11:13, 39.

The Bible exhorts us to keep our treasures out of reach of the earthly elements that would destroy them, or thieves that would steal them.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

—Matthew 6:19-20.

We also read that we are blessed even if these blessings are not physically manifested. One of the benefits of having faith is the fact that with it, we are able to see the unseen. We may have an earthly hope that things will happen in a certain way. An earthly hope expires at the end of this life, but faith-generated hope can never be invalidated by the end of the earthly life. For this reason, the blessings that are spiritual and are, as at now, suspended in the heavenly realms, are as real as they can get.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

—Ephesians 1:3.

As we mature and get transformed into assuming the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ, we reach a point where we minister to the needy around us not necessarily because we are doing a deal with God where we are preoccupied with what He is going to give us back. On the contrary, ministering to the SWOP becomes a lifestyle. We were created in the image of God and it is His nature to do good to all people, including those who neither give Him anything back nor thank Him.

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

—Matthew 5:45.

The Good Samaritan's benevolence (Luke 10:30-37) was not motivated by expectations of getting anything back from the man or anybody. Interestingly, he wasn't even expecting anything from God. He was not religious. Believers who practice Good-Samaritanism are the ones that will be surprised by the Lord like the people described in Matthew 25:37-40. They will ask: When did we do all these things to You? The Lord will answer and said: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (v. 40).

It is human and natural to do good to others. It is our 'factory setting.' If we don't get 'customized' by the devil, we wouldn't always expect to gain whenever we help our neighbour.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

—Ephesians 2:10.

May I clear the air by emphasising that if you lend out something, there is no problem expecting it back., but there are always people who would sweet-talk you that they are borrowing, but for one reason or the other, they wouldn't pay you back. There are people who are good in borrowing and poor in paying back. They would even afford some luxuries but feel that they have no money to pay you back—don't start a war with them. Lending and letting go is like forgiveness. If you do it, it is for your benefit, spiritually speaking. This is why I said at the beginning, don't lend what you cannot afford to lose.

It may be too bad for you to 'lose' your money but it is worse for the one who wouldn't pay back after borrowing. While you are 'losing' your money, God is 'losing' a soul. If you have the heart of the Father, you should bemoan the lost soul more than the lost money.

Jesus told a parable where he likened somebody who would not let go of his indebted brother to someone who wouldn't forgive.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

—Matthew 18:23-35.

Lending Or Giving?

According to the Lord Jesus, especially in the context of the scripture below, lending is as good as giving and forgetting about it. The word 'lending' implies that we expect to get back what we lent. Jesus, however, exhorts us to lend without expecting anything back.

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

—Luke 6:34-35.

The above scripture is one of the least practised. Though it is not a parable requiring interpretation, many people struggle to understand what the Lord was saying. There is no need asking if He meant what He was saying. Unless it was a parable whose meaning depended on interpretation, Jesus always says what He means and means what He says. When we ask what He means, it is not because we don't understand what He says, rather, it is because what He says is too difficult to practice. We better take Him at His word.

An earthly hope expires at the end of this life, but faith-generated hope can never be invalidated by the end of the earthly life.

We read in Psalm 112:5 "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion."

It is usually the person asking for help that announces that he is only borrowing. To test his faithfulness, even if we know he will not pay back, we may not tell him that we don't expect him to pay back. The good thing is that majority of those who borrow but never pay back don't usually come back to 'borrow' more. Instead of coming back to 'bother' you, they will be doing their best to avoid you.

If the Lord Jesus exhorted us to lend to those who ask us, it means that there are things that the reason for having them is that God intended that we lend them out. If we don't do that, we would be bad stewards. This may be a sin not unto death (1 John 5:16) but is a sin all the same.

Before I end this chapter, may I sound a warning to the borrower. It is not for the borrower to tell the lender to write off the debt because he (the lender) was meant to lend and not expect back. That posture would constitute extortion, manipulation and covetousness. If one will not pay back what he borrowed, too bad. Such a person must know that the devil has borrowed him and he (devil) is not keen to give him back to God.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1) What important lesson have you learnt from this chapter?

2) Does a stranger/widow/fatherless/poor benefit from your business? What are the 'gleaning' possibilities you allow the disadvantaged to benefit from?

3) If you know that somebody will not pay you back, will you still 'lend' him?

4) Should people know that you can lend and not expect it back, they will definitely take advantage to defraud you. Knowing this, how can you get the balance so that you don't get overwhelmed by fraudsters?

5) Someone may say: 'I don't want problems with people, so I don't lend anybody anything.' Is this a right strategy? Outside what is shared in this chapter, what are the scriptures you would invoke for a yes or a no?

6) Have you ever lent to someone who would not pay you back? How do you relate with the person? How is the condition of your heart towards the person?

7) What difference would it make if you knew that the reason you had what you had was to 'lend' it away to someone who would not repay it?

—Chapter 8—

FOR YOU TO LOSE:

Things That Will Be Stolen From You

"And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also."

—Matthew 5:40.

Never lose your spiritual gains because someone has stolen your material things. Those who hold so tight to the material things stand the risk of being dragged, along with what they hold on to, into the abyss of godlessness.

The Thief is More Lost Than What He Has Stolen

Let not the title of this chapter give the wrong impression. The losing is not on purpose. I call them things for us to lose because God seems to allow them to be stolen or robbed. Fish is never caught by a baitless hook. We must not love material things to the extent that the enemy can use it as a bait to hook us and subsequently pull us out of 'the waters of life' into the 'dryness of death.' Sometimes, it is wise to let go.

Basically, there are different ways through which we can lose something: we can lose something because somebody has stolen it, or because we accidentally misplaced it, or because we are not careful enough to take good care of it. As we shall see below, there are other subcategories of ways that we can lose things. May I emphasize that the kind of losing things I am talking about is not that which results from carelessness. If anybody loses things because of carelessness, that is a sign that he is a bad steward. He needs to pull up.

If you have never lost anything by the hand of a thief, fraudster or the likes, you must be one of the luckiest few. Maybe it is a question of time. That something will be stolen from you in one way or the other is certain—and this no negative confession. The question is, what will you do when you are defrauded, short-changed or conned?

The very people that we believe to have been brought our way by the Lord to work with, may defraud us in one way or the other. Apart from through "lending" to people posing as "borrowers", there are other ways we may lose what we have.

At one time, someone stole my bag. Among the things in the bag was a Bible. I felt so bad losing so many of my valuables, including passport. As I was lamenting the loss of my things, I felt that God was lamenting the loss of a soul. I prayed that God may use my loss to win the soul. I asked Him to let the thief make good use of the Bible. If only he could read it and get convicted unto salvation, I would jump for joy imagining the person giving a testimony that he got saved reading a stolen Bible. I would rather lose money, or any other material thing for that matter, but God wins a soul in the process.

When I started writing this book, I had my outline chapters but they didn't include For You to Lose. This idea came towards the end of writing this book because of some experiences I went through. I had earlier written a book that I entitled: Faith, Mountain and the Seven Options. I paid a publisher a US $ 900 in 2009 to publish the book. Instead of publishing it according to the schedule and agreement, the CEO started giving me empty promises. After waiting for three years, I called off the contract and demanded back my money. It is 2015 and I am yet to get the money back. Initially, I had thought that God was allowing the delay to test my patience because the latter is one of the things I wrote in that book. From experience, I have come to learn and accept that the Lord has not allowed me to write theories but practical things. If I had written about patience as a theory, God was taking me through practical lessons of waiting—so I thought, and so I waited.

I went ahead to look for a new publisher. I got one which looked promising. I paid a total of Kenya Shillings 301,000/-. The agreement was that a thousand copies of the book would be printed in two weeks' time after the completion of the payments. I completed the payment in March, 2012 but like in the earlier case, the new publisher also started giving me empty promises—that is if I was lucky to get their response, otherwise, they ignored my e-mails and telephone calls most of the times. It is now August, 2015 and they haven't printed the books. I learnt that the company was grossly mismanaged to the extent that it was at the verge of collapsing.

I was determined to travel back to my home country, Kenya, and institute a legal redress against the company that was not delivering the service I had bought. I was getting bitter, especially because this was the second time I was getting defrauded for the same book. That is when God whispered, reminding me about what He had convicted me about many years ago when I lost the bag with many of my valuables. I felt like I was having a conversation with Christ:

Christ: What are you crying over and why are you allowing bitterness to lodge in your heart?

Me: I am crying over my money. It was a big sacrifice for me to get that amount of money.

Christ: I am also crying! Crying over the souls I died for. It was an infinite sacrifice when I shed My Blood for them.

Me: Mmmh! That is tough, Lord!

That was tough because I had begun to perceive what the Lord Jesus was telling me. In Ephesians 5:10 the Bible exhorts us to prove what is acceptable unto the Lord. NIV renders it as follows: "Find out what pleases the Lord." On the same note, the reverse is also true: find out what grieves the Lord.

When we find out what pleases the Lord, we identify with it regardless of how difficult it is; when we find out what displeases Him, we disassociate with it regardless of how inclined we may be to it. The Lord is pleased whenever a sinner repents and accepts salvation. On the contrary, the Lord has no pleasure when the wicked dies.

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

—Ezekiel 18:23.

The Bible tells us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). This explains why in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11-32), our human reasoning would question what kind of a father is one portrayed in the parable. To begin with, he doesn't ask his son questions when he (the son) comes for his inheritance. When the son makes a move to travel, he doesn't make an attempt to talk him against going away. When the son comes back, he doesn't even seem to listen to the repentance narrative his son was voicing. He promptly calls for a party and doesn't even care to invite the elder son to come and take part in the party. All these gave the elder son grounds to be angry.

As I was lamenting the loss of my things, I felt that God was lamenting the loss of a soul.

The father in the parable can only represent God. There are many things that God does that don't seem fair in our human estimation, but that is the essence of His ways and thoughts being higher than ours. If the elder son in the parable loved his father, it wouldn't have been enough that he obeyed him in everything. He ought also to have made a choice to seek the father's pleasure at whatever cost. If he did this, he could have forgotten his interests in favour of his father's pleasure. The father was pleased that the lost son was back home. For the sake of his love for the father, the elder son ought to have identified with the father's heart and be pleased on his [father's] behalf.

It was established in my heart once more that the fraudsters are more lost than my money and that the loss of souls grieves the Lord more. His grieving is not as much that I am at the verge of losing the money as it is that He is at the verge of losing a soul. Because I love the Lord, I decided to grieve over what grieves Him and be pleased with what pleases Him. So I pray for these people to refund me not primarily because it is a terrible thing to lose a lot of money but because it is an eternal tragedy for these people to lose their soul. Jesus asks:

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

—Mark 8:36-37.

Radical and Paradoxical

Some of the teachings of Christ are so radical and sometimes confoundingly paradoxical that they don't make any sense to the carnal reasoning. Consider for example the following:

... and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again...

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

—Luke 6:29-30, 34.

This is radical because who in his right mind will 'reward' an extortionist? If he takes my cloak and I let him have it, isn't that senseless enough? How would I follow this by giving him my coat as well? It is equally paradoxical because what kind of a steward would just let go of things that he is supposed to be taking care of? If these things belong to somebody else and the time comes to give an account, how can a steward say that he was defrauded and never cared to pursue restitution? How senseless would it be to report that he also gave away more to the same person who defrauded him? Is this really good stewardship? These are not mere rhetoric questions. The answers thereof differentiate the divine wisdom from carnal one. There must be a very good reason why the Lord Jesus said those things. If it comes to this, we don't need to worry because the One before whom we will give an account is the very One who pointed out that He expects us to exude that kind of 'irrational' behaviour.

The ultimate owner of everything we have is God. He is the One who decides what we do with the things He has put in our custody. If He says let go, then He knows why. The apostle Paul echoes what the Lord Jesus said in the sermon of the mountain regarding how to handle fraudsters.

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

—1 Corinthians 6:7-8.

The above scripture shows that fraud was found among brethren. It was not basically between non-believers and believers. That is sad. The next question that comes up is: These people who defraud, are they still Christians? Every believer knows what drives them: some know that they are in Christianity because they are pursuing material gains; some started as genuine believers but are distracted by intervening opportunities luring them into materialism; others are just 'careless,' allowing themselves to be hypnotised by the devil. The latter are the kinds that do wrong things and yet behave as if it is not a big deal.

Does that mean it is alright to defraud because the brother will not take you to court, or expect you to pay back? No, not at all! The reader must have noticed that just as the defrauded is asked not to go to court, the fraudster is asked not to defraud—"Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren." The warning that follows the above scripture is chilling. Defrauding is a type of stealing and such will never inherit the kingdom of God.

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

—1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

There are three types of fraudsters.

• I am borrowing, I will pay you back

There are people who borrow with an intention of paying back but once they get the money, paying back becomes a problem. They will not pay, not because they are unable but because it pains them to release the money. They would prioritise their own things and constantly postpone paying back what they borrowed. The longer it takes, the more difficult it will be for the person to pay back what he borrowed. At the end, he qualifies to be a fraudster.

• Robbery without violence

There are people who will tell you that they are borrowing from you when they know in their heart that they don't intend to pay back. I have personally had experience of some people coming to 'borrow' from me and I get to know for sure in my heart—whether by intuition or discernment—that they will not pay me back.

Because the Bible exhorts us not to refuse to lend to the person who wants to borrow from us (Lk. 6:30), I have in a number of occasions accepted to 'lend' out money when I knew I wouldn't get it back. This is where it is important to remember not to lend what you can afford to lose. This is not to say that the loss may not be a true sacrifice. I remember at one time I lent out money and because of that, I couldn't pay the rent. The person had an urgent matter and I felt sorry for him. He returned part of the money and kept the rest all although he had promised to return everything in less than a week's time.

There are people that if you don't lend to, they will continue coming back and pleading. If you lend them, they will not pay you back but will let you have your peace because they will be ashamed to come back knowing that they haven't paid back what they 'borrowed' earlier.

• Paying for a service which will not be delivered

I guess everybody gets an opportunity and pressure to prove who he actually is. You may not prove whether somebody is a thief or not until you give him an opportunity when he also has the pressure to steal. If the person doesn't steal despite the pressure and the opportunity, then the person is confirmed not a thief.

You may not know that a service for which you are paying will not be delivered. As a self-publishing author, I had to pay publishers to publish my books. As I indicated above, I have had experiences with publishers I paid money to publish my books but they never did so. To make the matters worse, these are supposed Christian publishers.

I also had an experience where I opened my hand for a friend who needed to take a course. He told me that he was going to be given a specialized training and the college guaranteed him a job upon finishing the training. I discerned and was completely certain that the college wouldn't give him any job. The promise of a job was just but a scheme to get many people registered in the course.

It was expensive, especially because I also had other pressing matters to spend money on. I told him that the college was lying to them, but I gave him the money to attend the course all the same. Sometimes it is better to lose money than lose peace, for if you lose peace, you will also lose sleep. After completing the course, he went without a job for many years. If I didn't sponsor him, it would have been difficult coping with an incessant lamentation: If only you sponsored me for the course, I would be having a job. There was completely no way of proving to him that he wasn't going to get a job after the course.

It Costs to Test Honesty

I believe one of the reasons Christ advised us to give to every man that asks from us is to give them opportunity to prove what they are, especially if they pose as borrowers. If you don't give someone an opportunity to steal, how will you know that he is not a thief? Some people don't steal, not because they are not thieves but because they haven't had the opportunity or pressure, or both to steal.

Trust must be earned. No problem. But a person needs space and opportunity to earn the trust. Benevolence dictates that you give a benefit of doubt to someone who is yet to prove his honesty. It is also because of benevolence that in a court of law, one is considered innocent until proven guilty rather than guilty until proven innocent. It is not good to treat people you don't know with suspicion even before they behave themselves suspicious. When people get the opportunity to prove themselves, the evidence will emerge to help either withdraw the goodwill trust initially accorded them or confirm their trustworthiness.

If God chooses to send him without wearing a halo over his head or without appearing in sparkling light, an angel can appear as a normal human being—a stranger. If we don't give him a chance, we might easily have nothing to do with a messenger that was probably bringing us good news.

It is clear that in the process of giving someone an opportunity to test his integrity, you can pay dearly. But it is important to remember that if you lose because you are obeying the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is a 'good loss.' Have you ever considered why Christ who knew people including the hidden things in their lives allowed Judas Iscariot to be the treasurer of His ministry? Judas did not only steal from the treasury, he also later betrayed the Lord. Jesus knew all yet, He did not only call him to be one of His disciples, He also allowed him to be the treasurer.

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

—John 12:4-6.

There is what I call 'goodwill trust'. This trust is not based on merit. It is provisional pending approval through merit. This is where if one is a thief (for example), he will get an opportunity to prove that he is one. He will betray the provisional trust and the evidence of his thieving will confirm his latent behaviour. On the other hand, if one is not a thief, he will not take advantage of the opportunity to steal or make excuses of the pressure he underwent causing him to do it. The result of the opportunity and pressure will either make you promote 'provisional trust' into 'merited trust,' or withdraw the trust altogether.

If you don't give someone an opportunity to steal, how will you know that he is not a thief?

In one way or the other, God will always give us, if not allow us, an opportunity or pressure to prove what we actually are. Is it any wonder therefore that Jesus called Judas Iscariot to be one of His 12 disciples despite being a thief and traitor? Although He knew that this man was going to steal from the moneybag and betray Him, He allowed the evidence to come forth. The NIV Bible has a euphemism for Judas' thievery. It says that he used to "help himself" from the treasury (see John 12:6). Christ decided to give him an opportunity to prove that he was actually a thief.

It costs to test and establish trustworthiness but this is not as overwhelming as the cost of betraying the goodwill trust. The price Judas ultimately paid for his sin is heartrending. There are many other examples in the Bible of people who betrayed the initial trust God gave them. We may not go into those for they are not the focus of this discussion.

The Bible says that things that cause people to stumble must come (Matt. 18:7). In the same way, we can say that things that cause people to be bad stewards will come. What will you do when they come? Have you been tested? The latter question is a title of one of the chapters in the book, Virtue That Counts. (1)

Tests are important parts of proving what we are and the commitment we have for a cause. Therefore it is guaranteed that as stewards we will be tested, not just once or twice or even thrice but multiple times all through our life. Many people fail the exams of life because either there are no rehearsals for such tests or when there are, they may not know that they are undergoing rehearsals so that they take them seriously. And to make it even trickier, sometimes we get tested without us knowing that we are being tested. The best way to always pass the tests is to resolve to do the right thing even under extreme lures of pleasure and endure pain

Will You Let Go?

I still remember two cases that happened when I was in my early teenage. Odera, a nephew, about two years older than me, had forgotten his sandals in the ferry plying between Mbita mainland and Rusinga Island in Kenya. Instead of waiting for the ferry to come back on its return trip, he waded in the water trying to catch up with it. He never heeded the shouts from people trying to stop him. Mbita channel had very powerful currents. He had no chance! No sooner had he waded into waist-deep water than he was swept away by the strong currents. He drowned because of sandals.

The other case was a girl called Arujo, also a teenager. She had gone to the lake to wash utensils. An offshore wind picked a saucepan. She waded into the water, chasing the saucepan. In the process, she was lured into the deeper parts of the lake where she couldn't swim her way back to the shore. She drowned.

I personally almost drowned, chasing a jerrycan that was also picked by an offshore wind in the same lake. Chasing after certain things only lures us into a death trap.

There are general principles that rule life; there are also spiritual laws that influence the way we relate with one another and our environment. In some specific circumstances, there may be an inspired moment where the Spirit of God may prompt us to do something unconventional but out of which God may perform a miracle, teach something or show His unfathomable wisdom. This usually happens when we are the sheep that hears the voice of the Shepherd (John 10:27).

The moment of inspiration and the day of visitation are not matters out of which we should build doctrines or establish formulas. What this means is that if we are always in contact with Heaven, we may not live in the replica of what God did for or with others, unless it is His regenerated idea.

2 Samuel 23 tells us of the names of the mighty men whom David had. Amongst them was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. It is recorded that the Philistines were gathered together into a troop at a piece of ground full of lentils. Though other people fled from the Philistines, Shammah stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines and the Lord wrought a great victory (vs. 8-12).

We may ask: Why would Shammah endanger his life by facing off with a troop of Philistines because of a piece of land and lentils? The last part of verse 12 implies that he didn't just fight for the sake of it but that it was the Lord who inspired him to fight and it was the Lord who gave him the victory.

Compare the above case with the story of Isaac and his servants:

And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

—Genesis 26:18-22.

Instead of fighting the herdsmen of Gerar, Isaac and his servants let go the wells each time the Gerarites strove with them. When the latter finally gave up, Isaac and his servants perceived that it was the Lord who had made room for them. Even after losing two wells, the one well they got to keep would be enough to make them prosper in the land. God may choose to demonstrate that He is able to do with one well what people who don't know Him cannot do with many wells.

What the two stories teach us is that a person who lives under the daily inspiration of the Lord, will know what to do in every case. After having sat under the feet of Christ, one understands that the love we have for certain things can provide the enemy with a scheme to drag us into sin and eventually kill us. This is where we need to learn from gecko's autotomy (self-amputation). Geckos are known to sever their tails when a predator catches it (by the tail). A gecko would rather let go the tail than be eaten whole. This must be one of the things the Lord Jesus talks about when He says:

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

—Matthew 18:8-9.

If a gecko can amputate part of its own body in order to survive, how much more should we let go of a material thing if we realize that the enemy is using it to catch or enslave us? Is it any wonder that the Lord Jesus uses an autotomic narrative to show how important it is and how radical it can get when eternal life is at stake?

There are lots of fraud going on even among believers—this ought not to be but sadly, it is a reality. Quite unfortunate for the fraudsters, but will the enemy also use the scenario to destroy the defrauded? This is an area that needs to be managed spiritually, especially for the defrauded.

There are cases of piracy of gospel music and plagiarizing of Christian writings, etc. These are in addition to extortions, prosperity preachers' rip-offs, manipulations and sale of fake religious paraphernalia like holy waters, anointed handkerchiefs, etc. Spiritual matters have attracted many business people who come primarily to make money.

It is possible that when one discovers that he has been cheated, one would become either bitter or begin protracted court cases—and that is how one can be ensnared to give the enemy a foothold.

Sometimes it is better to lose money than lose peace, for if you lose peace, you will also lose sleep.

There is no denying that some are in the ministry not for the souls but for the privileges. There are also people who are in the ministry because they are called and would want to reach souls but they are being distracted. If the driving motive is to reach souls to the extent that one can pay whatever cost to fulfil the call, Paul's convictions in Philippians 1:18 would apply for the ministers who feel that they have been robbed or cheated. The apostle Paul said: "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." What this means is that, for example, if one pirates music, a minister should rejoice that some soul is being reached by his music.

The writer of Hebrews had the following to say:

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times, you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

—Hebrews10:32-35 (NIV, note the italics).

May the Lord help us! We can be confronted by a situation where chasing souls can mean losing money, and chasing money can mean losing souls, including our own. May I emphasize this: the first soul that we will lose as we chase mammon is our own. We must be aware that the main aim why the enemy may want to defraud us materially is to disorient us spiritually.

And before I finalize this chapter, may I mention that it is not only material things that get stolen. Some people will have their hearts stolen in relationships gone sour; some will have their trust stolen (read: betrayed) in social settings; some will have their identity stolen and character assassinated, etc. In all this, we must know and understand that we do not fight flesh and blood. We must understand the tricks of the enemy.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing(s) you have learnt from this chapter?

2. Have you been tested? How?

3. If yes, did you pass or fail? What do you need to do if you failed?

4. There are people who testify of losing 'everything' except Christ. Have you been defrauded of something that you couldn't afford to lose? If yes, how did you manage the situation?

5. If the enemy came for your best, what are the chances that he may succeed in dragging you into territories of darkness, spiritually speaking?

6. We saw in the cases of Shammah and Isaac that there is a time to fight for something and a time to let go.

Did you know that the Lord may not expect you to act in the same way somebody else acted even after knowing that the person was led by God? How do you let God talk you into His purpose, especially when it is an unpopular thing?

7. Nothing is worth dying for except life, eternal life: Do you agree? How can you demonstrate in the way you live that your life is more important than the things of this world?

—Chapter 9—

FOR YOU TO:...

i) Keep For Others

"The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments."

—2 Timothy 4:13.

"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions."

―Lillian Hellman.

The Integrity of a Custodian

The apostle Paul implies in Galatians 4 that a father can entrust inheritance for his underage son into the hands of custodians. As long as the heir is a child, there may be not much difference between him and a servant. He may not even know that he owns the estate. This scenario provides a perfect opportunity for integrity of the custodian to be tested. A person whose integrity is wanting may swindle the property of the underage son.

It is one thing to keep something for yourself and it is another to keep it for somebody else. When we keep our own things, sometimes we can stray into them and use them prematurely. This may not be a good sign because it shows that we have chosen to break our own resolve, but there is no one who would call us to account.

We may not even feel convicted before God that we are doing something wrong. This is not the case if we are keeping something for somebody. In this latter case, we will be sinning if we decide to use what was left in our custody, unless of course we ask the owner to allow us use it. There are also cases where the owner may allow us to use for the time being what was left in our custody. The danger with the latter case is that for some people, after using something for some time, they get attached to it to the extent that they possess it. When the owner comes back to get it, the custodian would feel so bad. They may even refuse to surrender it back. They think that the owner is mean to come back to repossess what they have possessed and even thanked God for.

It is not advisable to budget with what is not ours. We must resist all the temptations to get attached to what is for somebody else. The Luos of Kenya have a say: Dher ariemba inyiedho kin'giyo rangach (As you milk a cow that is in your temporary custody, always watch the gate). The idea of watching the gate is because the owner may come for his cow at any time. In other words, one must not get attached to the cow that is not his. It is a common practice in Luoland, Kenya that somebody can give his friend a cow to tend for some unspecified period. During this period, the one tending the cow is allowed to milk it and use or sell the milk as he wishes. The rule under this arrangement is that the owner should get his cow whenever he wants, with or without notice. Some people are known to be very reluctant to release the cow when the owner finally comes for it.

Quite often, there are many things we may have in our custody but which belong to others. It is important that we take good care of them so that the owner may get them intact when he comes for them.

The things we usually find in our custody are either those that were left deliberately for us to keep or those that were forgotten at our place. The apostle Paul had left his cloke with Carpus. When he needed it, he instructed Timothy to take it along with him and bring it (2 Tim. 4:13). I believe Carpus had taken good care of it. It is not clear whether the books and the parchments were also left with him. Books have a tendency of disappearing. We lend a book to somebody who in turn lends it to another person—it continues like that until the book cannot be traced. I can't tell how many books I have 'lost' in this manner.

There are cases where a dying father can entrust the inheritance and the will for his son to somebody. The inheritance would be turned over to the son when the latter reaches a specified age. This is where the test is. Anybody who fears God will deliver everything without holding back anything. There is a temptation to want to hold back something 'small' and justify it as a payment for having taken care if what one was entrusted with.

ii) Offer For God's Work

"And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering."

—Genesis 4:4.

He who gives God a significant part of his possessions can neither be possessed by his possessions nor enslaved by materialism.

A Pleasant Offering Unto God

The first brutal attack, leading to the first human physical death was a result of making an acceptable offering to God. Have you ever thought about it? The irony of the story of Abel is that he is the first person whose act God respected—in other words, God was pleased with Abel's offering—yet he was killed for it and God chose not to prevent it. God had pointed out to Cain that he stood a chance to be accepted if he did well. Envious of his brother, Cain had purposed to kill Abel to which God asked him to take responsibility and rule over sin instead of God taking it upon Himself to restrain Cain physically (Gen. 4:7).

From the very beginning, God had let something happen that shows that pleasing Him has a cost—and the cost can be up to and including life. The difficult question that this leaves me with is: If Abel knew that he would be killed for offering his best to God, would he still have given what he gave?

Giving back to God must be extremely important. It was the first material exchange with God that the enemy attacked with a physical death. Is it any wonder that giving the best to God is a challenge to many people? Today, majority of us may not be killed for giving a respectable offering to God, but does this mean offering to God has since become easy and 'less dangerous'? The enemy must have devised other sly ways to stop people from giving. He can do this by making people face some economic challenges; or giving them good reasons to make them give pathetic things; or give them an endless appetite for luxury to make the competition for their resources stiff, etc.

Just as Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, died when they offered strange fire before the Lord (Numbers 3:4), it is also anathema to make 'strange' offerings unto the Lord. In fact, God rebukes sacrificing blemish animals to Him (Deut. 15:21, Mal. 1:8,13).

Grace neither nullified God's ownership of tithe nor dispossessed Him of His right over worship.

Giving the best to God and doing so joyously and generously, is not only an act of appreciating Him as the ultimate owner of all we have, it also helps us be free from the bondage of materialism. Giving back to God, whether as an offering or tithe, is natural and inherent. We meet both before the law was constituted.

After God created and placed the first couple in the Garden of Eden, we don't read any instruction or commandment about offerings they were expected to make to Him. This means that when Cain and Abel made their offerings, they were not doing so under the requirement of a constitution but under the prompting of intuition. Doesn't it naturally feel like bad mannerism to always want to get things from others but are reluctant to give anything back to them? It is so natural to give to the one who gives us. The Bible says that even sinners do this (Lk. 6:32-34). Giving back to God is as natural as it is spiritual.

Your Discretion Reflects  
Your Devotion

Important as it is, God has allowed us to decide what we want to offer Him. He is however not obligated to accept it, especially if it is defective (Deut. 15:21). There are things that we give to God but which we may not give an earthly leader.

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.

—Malachi 1:8.

It is through giving that we express our love. The value of what we give corresponds to the measure of love we have for the person. We gauge how much God loves us by considering that He gave His only Son to come to the earth and die for our sins. By giving us Christ, God gave us Himself. It is sad that when God gives Himself, we feel like He needs to necessarily materialise His giving in physical dimension. God told Abraham, "I am your exceeding great reward" to which Abraham responded, "Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" (Gen. 15:1-2). Note that God didn't say, I am your 'rewarder'. This is not to say that we shouldn't relate with God as our "rewarder" because the Bible says that He is indeed a rewarder (Heb. 11:6). What this means is that we stand to be fulfilled more in our relationship with God when we understand that we are complete when we have Him in our life regardless of whatsoever things seem to lack in our life.

Giving back to God is a very important way to appreciate Him and it is an integral part of stewardship, yet it is as voluntary as it is natural. There is no law about it. Though we don't have to give, yet we can't help but give. It is so natural that there must be something truly wrong if we don't regularly give, the reason for not doing so notwithstanding. The commitment to give back something to God is a sign of the devotion and the health of a fellowship we have with Him.

Dr. David Livingstone, the man renowned for championing the abolition of slave trade put it as follows:

"I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time or eternity."

May the paradox of Abel's death not discourage anyone from offering to God, especially knowing that the Devil may fight you for pleasing God.

In John 12:1-8, the Bible tells us about Jesus' visit to Bethany at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. The latter took a pound of ointment, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus. Judas Iscariot looked at it as a wastage. He complained about the beautiful thing that Mary had done to the Lord. He asked, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? (v.5). It turned out that it was not because he was concerned about the poor. There are people who are supposedly followers of Christ who would discourage you from giving gifts of value to the Lord. They would point you to other supposedly better alternatives where to give your resources. The tricky thing is that some of these people may not be outrightly malicious like Judas.

Now, consider the relationship Judas had with money. First, he was bold enough to often steal from the treasury (v. 6)—how could he steal from someone who knows everything? His was what the Luos of Kenya call, wan'g teko mar Jachien (bold like Satan). Second, he betrayed Jesus because of 30 pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15). He didn't care that he had already been exposed and direly warned by the very One he was about to betray. If he cared about the poor, but sincerely mistaken like the legendary Robin Hood who was stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, the Bible could have told us how he used to steal from the treasury in order to give to the poor. Instead, as NIV puts it, he was helping himself (John 12:6).

iii) Separate as Tithe

"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord."

—Leviticus 27:30.

"If we do less under the grace than they did under the law, it is a disgrace."

—Anonymous.

Tithe Belongs to God

Let us start on the right note: You don't pay tithe, you separate it. There is a significant difference between paying and separating. The difference influences both the attitude and the practice of tithing. To claim to pay tithe implies either that we are 'buying' something, or that we borrowed and now we are paying back. Both are wrong! The Bible says that tithe belongs to God, so when we give our tithe, we are not paying for anything neither are we refunding something we borrowed. A good steward knows how to separate things that are at his disposal. Anything that belongs to God is consecrated and must be treated as such.

When we have our things mixed up with other people's, what we do is not called paying them what is theirs, rather we separate what is not ours and let the owner have his things.

Setting aside tithe calls for integrity and self-discipline because nobody may follow you up to ask you to separate your tithe.

There is an on-going debate in some sections of Christendom that tithing was done away with in the new dispensation. That tithing belongs to the Law and not to the Grace. It is important to note that when the law is taken in its generic form, misconceptions arise and they abound. There are different categories of the law. There are some aspects of the law that the grace rendered obsolete; there are others that needed perfection, and there were also new law that was introduced by the grace. (1)

The Lord Jesus himself said that He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but came to fulfil the law (Matt. 5:17). Not every aspect of the law was done away with. The Bible says that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (Ps. 19:7). The grace cannot do away with something that is perfect, not to mention something that converts the soul. There is a law of the Lord that converts the soul from materialism to the worship of God.

The grace did not come to dispossess God of His possessions, rather it gave Him more claim over that which belongs to Him. This is why instead of offering material things only, the Bible tells us to offer ourselves as well (our bodies)—as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). The churches of Marcedonia understood this (2 Cor. 8:1-5).

Consider what the Lord Jesus said in Luke 11:42. "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Did He by any means abolish tithing in the above scripture? This was a perfect opportunity for the Lord to put it in black and white that there is no place for tithe. Don't leave it undone, but remember that it is not the only thing that matters here.

The Law of the First Appearance

The law of 'first appearance' allows theologians to contextualise a concept to find out the justification for its inspiration and function and its application in other contexts.

Though some believers cause confusion, albeit unintendedly, about tithe because they claim it is outdated by grace, I found out that tithing would still stand even if the law collapsed. The reason is that tithing, just like offering, was not a creation of a constitution. It was instead a creation of an inspiration and intuition. Abraham tithed without any divine commandment directing him to do so.

And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

—Genesis 28:22.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer records about the mysterious king and priest called Melchisedec to whom Abraham tithed. Mysterious because the Bible says he had no father or mother or descendants. He neither had beginning of days nor end of life. Sounds almost angelic to me.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

—Hebrews 7:1-3.

Tithing was there before the law; it was there during the law and I don't see why it cannot be there after the law. When it was incorporated into the law, it was to document, endorse and structure it. This was necessary because the society was getting more complex and needed a constitution—all important matters of life, including pious obligations, had to be enshrined in a constitution.

When Cain and Abel made their offerings, they were not doing so under the requirement of a constitution but under the prompting of an intuition.

It is important to remember that whatever the grace annulled in the law, tithe was not part of it. As we had seen above, tithe belongs to God so that even at the beginning, the first reason it was required was not because it was a command but because it was not ours. It was not therefore the law that made Old Testament insist that tithe be given to God. The dispensation of the grace did not disposes God of what belongs to Him but added clarity that we actually belong to Him—the whole of us. That is why the people who first gave themselves unto God (through His servants) are commended. That is why even though they were poor they gave beyond expectation (2 Cor. 8:1-5).

Salstrand writes:

"In the earliest Biblical records, namely, as found in the Book of Genesis, we noted... the tithe as something usual and natural as in the record of Abraham tithing, and still another direct reference to it in connection with the vow of Jacob to give the tenth of his increase to the Lord. Abraham brought 'tithes of all' seven hundred years before the tithe became part of the legal system. Jacob made his vows to tithe five hundred years before the law. Should these Patriarchs living in the daybreak of God's revelation give more than Christians who enjoy the full glory of that revelation?" (2)

Have We Fallen Away?

Today, we have ministers who are good in mobilizing believers into giving for the work of God. Fine, but is that how it should work? In the Bible, I see stories of people who were inspired to give without being prodded to do so. In some cases, leaders even attempted to restrain people from giving (2 Cor. 8:1-5). In other cases, the people had to be stopped altogether.

And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

—Exodus 36:5-7.

There is no problem asking people to give, but if this has to be belaboured in a spirited preaching, then there is something wrong with the preacher or the people or both. People who are devoid of the inner revelation and inspiration are like a wheelbarrow which only moves when pushed. This means that it can only go as far as you push it. You will surely come and get it where you left it. People who are reluctant to give even after they have been shown the need, don't need to be prodded to give but prodded to catch the heart of Christ. If only they can catch the heart of Christ, they will be like a motorized vessel that needs very little effort to get moving, including moving up a slope.

The Bible says in the first part of Proverbs 29:18 that where there is no vision, the people perish. In the same way, where people lack inspiration and revelation, there is no much that can be accomplished. To have inspiration and revelation is like having an engine that drives the believers to pursue the divine vision regardless of the obstacles along the way. The apostle Paul was so 'motorized' that he never allowed anything to restrain him (Acts 26:19).

We need to understand that we don't tithe only because we want to avoid curses and instead, get the blessings.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

—Malachi 3:7-11.

The above scripture talks about a people who had fallen away from God. He exhorted them to come back to Him by stopping to rob Him. He even had to promise them blessings to help them do the right thing. We may not need to compare ourselves with the children of Jacob at this point because they were a people who had fallen away, unless of course we have also fallen away ourselves. Have we?

If tithe belongs to God, it is not necessary for believers who are in Christ to be promised goodies in order to mobilise them to do the right thing. If you owe me something, I don't need to promise you goodies for you to let me have what you owe me. The basis for tithing is that it is the right thing to do. That God promised blessings in order to make it easy for the Children of Israel to tithe and give their offerings, tells how gracious God can get. Grace is not something we demand; it is not a right. God promises the blessings of grace out of His discretion and will. We don't make doctrines to use to demand the promises of grace.

Justification for Tithing in the Dispensation of Grace

We have already seen that tithing stands with or without the law. We have also seen how a right offering is so important to the extent that the devil attacked it with a cold-blooded fratricide right from the beginning. Whether it is given in a form of tithe or offering, the devil hates anything that man gives to God. What does this tell us, especially in this time and age?

It tells us that the devil will increase his assault, especially now that finances determine so much in everyday life. In the same way, finances determine a great deal of how many souls will be reached. He may not kill everyone who gives, but he devises schemes and strategies to stop people from giving, or making them give insignificantly.

Another way he messes up the funds for God's work is by influencing ministers to have insatiable taste for comfort and luxury. Much of the moneys offered or tithed go into funding indulgences. It is difficult to draw the boundary when one passes what is reasonable lifestyle, but it is not difficult telling when a lifestyle has gone overboard with indulgences. A good steward must force himself to sacrifice some comfort for the sake of the gospel. May the Lord help us.

The following are some of the reasons I believe tithing must be sustained:

i) Tithing helps structure and regularise the finances that ought to go into the work of God.

Although some believers are resorting to and championing house church movement, the majority of mainstream Christendom is still based on congregating in a local church-building. Some of the proponents of the house church movement criticise doing church in a local building. They maintain that it is unscriptural. I will not go into that debate now. Suffice it to say that sometimes it is not the institution that is a problem but its management. A cliché that I don't agree with holds that politics is a dirty game. I maintain that politics is not a dirty game, it is the politicians that choose to play dirty. In the same way, it is not the local church institution that is a problem. If there is a problem, it may be bad stewardship.

Regularised source of income helps churches streamline their operations. There are servants of God that depend solely on the support from the church. Such people have house rents to pay, not to mention food and other regular budgets. If there is no constitution to bolster commitment in this area, it is almost certain that servants of God will be disoriented by the fluctuations that are sure to characterise arbitrary giving.

ii) Tithing materialises commitment

If giving into the work of God is left to decide-what-you-are-going-to-give arrangement, it is almost guaranteed that people will give out of convenience not out of commitment. Show me a godly life devoid of commitment and I will show you a superficial Christianity. To put it candidly, there is no Christianity without sacrificial commitment. The call for commitment is why Jesus talked about taking up one's cross everyday and following Him.

iii) Tithing stops the enemy from selling excuses to believers

If we want to live a life devoid of commitment, the devil is always standing by with a catalogue of excuses that he would sell to believers in order to minimise their devotion in terms of time and money. It is extremely important that our material (financial) commitment is clearly defined—thank God that He did this for us. It would have been a different story if we were to decide on the terms of engagement with God.

iv) Tithing is the main source of income for most churches

Structured income helps churches to organise and budget their operations, otherwise the erratic, impulsive and fluctuating offerings may not help to fulfil regular financial obligations and missionary endeavours. Tithing remains the main source of finances for the Church.

Tell people that they are no longer obligated to give tithe and you will almost see a people in a celebratory mood. It is the same feeling we may expect when people are told that they will no longer pay taxes to the government. Can you believe what will become of tax if the government left it for the citizens to decide whether they are going to pay tax and that should they decide to do so, they will also decide how much to give?

It is true that there are people whose maturity and love for God would make them regularly offer over and above what they would give as tithe and offering. But I can guarantee that such people are not many.

v) Tithing quenches the spirit of materialism

Those who tithe have the spirit of materialism under check. Though it is just one out of ten, faithfully and routinely separating tithe is one of the most challenging to many believers, especially for those to whom much has been given. When a believer defies the challenges and faithfully tithes, it is like a medicine that cures the craving for materialism.

Refusing to separate tithe because of the grace is misunderstanding and misapplying the grace. It is like arguing that because grace revealed Jesus as our friend we should stop calling Him Master, or because grace revealed God as our Father, we should stop worshipping Him—after all, we don't piously revere our friends and worship our fathers. We must remember that the grace can be frustrated and abused (Gal. 2:21, Heb. 10:29, Jude 1:4). This happens when we use it to justify something that doesn't honour God, or when we ignore it as we try to earn our own righteousness (Gal. 1:6, Eph. 2:8).

It is my understanding and conviction, according to the Scriptures and divinely inspired intuition, that grace neither nullifies God's ownership of tithe nor dispossesses Him of His right for worship.

Scrutinising the Motive

The good thing, or bad, depending on where one stands, is that the "Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts" (1 Chron. 28:9). We may put words to explain and hide our intentions but this is only working for man. God knows everything from the heart.

Is tithe such a yoke that some believers would want to throw off their shoulders? Will somebody breathe a sigh of relief upon throwing off the obligation to consistently separate the tithe?

Now that Christ endorsed the giving of a widow who gave everything she had and maintaining that she outgave those who gave from abundance, can we match that so that grace can approve our giving to have surpassed our ability? Listen to what grace says about a people who were not so endowed materially yet their giving exceeded the apostles' expectations.

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

—Luke 21:1-4.

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

—2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

It is not clear whether the giving by the Macedonian churches was a kind of fundraising for a targeted operation or a regularised one. Could part of it have been the regular tithe? We don't know. What the Bible tells us is that they gave themselves to the Lord and then to the servants of God, everything they had followed. It doesn't matter how much we give ourselves, there are also some parts of the ministry that need our money.

Tell people that they are no longer obligated to give tithe and you will almost see a people in a celebratory mood.

Those who want to give over and above the tithe, fine but how many people would do that? How many people would give above the expectation of the church leaders? It is important to note that whatever we give over and above tithe is an offering, tithe is ten percent.

It is amazing that to some people, the word tithe has become almost offensive. Even if one doesn't want to call it 'tithe', one should make sure that one's giving is consistently above the ten percent mark. It is likely that some believers view tithe as a form of taxation. Taxation is generally hated. That means believers who take tithing for taxation may tithe grudgingly or find ways to explain it away.

The most important thing that I have to emphasise is that God understands the motive for which some people may not want to commit to give their tithe regularly. There may emerge a number of groups here:

• Those who have sincerely misunderstood the place of the law in the age of the grace;

• There are those who have found grace to be a convenient tool to fight tithe. The bottom line is that tithing is a financial burden they are happy to lay down;

• There are people who get confused in the process of the debate and they choose to award themselves the benefit of doubt, they therefore don't tithe;

• There are those who are not sure but cannot afford to make a mistake. They tithe because they aren't comfortable giving themselves the benefit of doubt;

• Lastly, there are people who are sure that tithing still holds. This group tithes faithfully.

We really don't need a law in order to tithe, we only need instruction. And it is not difficult to see the necessity of the tithe. Those who criticise tithing shouldn't do so to imply that it is a sin to tithe. Even if it was discontinued by the grace, I don't think God will count tithe-givers as sinners that must be locked out of heaven. To the contrary, it might be 'extremely dangerous' to refuse to tithe. This is because if grace didn't disqualify tithing, those who don't tithe qualify to be called robbers robbing God.

There was something that was sin during the dispensation of the law. Did the grace transform or neutralise the sin? In Malachi 3, God had charged the children of Jacob that they were robbing Him by not giving their tithe and offering. Robbery is sin. Even if the grace has bought us so that we have become God's own possession, separation of functions and resources must still apply. We may not appropriate certain things simply because we belong to God. If it was sin then, it is still sin today.

According to Malachi 3:10, the reason God commanded that tithe be brought into the storehouse was to make meat available in God's house. The question is: Did the grace render the need for meat irrelevant? Tithe was the main source of food for the priests. Even today, there are people doing the work of God and they rely on tithes to get their food.

God understands the motive. A good steward doesn't award himself the benefits of doubt. If the grace brought freedom from the law, the same freedom needs the law to regulate it and define exceptions. As I had noted elsewhere, it boils down to what kind of law was done away with, for there is a law that endures forever.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt in this chapter?

2. Have you ever had the custody of something that belongs to somebody?

a) How did you take care of it? If it is something you were allowed to use for the time being, how did it feel when the owner came for it?

b) Did you wish the person allowed you to keep it for good?

3. I wondered by asking the following question about Abel: 'If Abel knew that he would be killed for offering his best to God, would he still have given what he gave?'

May I now ask you the same question: If you knew that you would be killed for offering your best to God, would you still give it?

4. I made the statement that it is anathema to make 'strange' offerings before the Lord.

a) What, in your estimation, can constitute a strange offering?

b) We live in the dispensation of the grace, does this mean we can withhold our offerings or give 'whatever' we like? How does Malachi 1:8 apply for today—in other words what are the equivalents of lame offerings?

5. If the work of God is left to the haphazard giving by the so-called "Grace Giving," what are some of the likely things to happen?

6. Sometimes we ask God for silver and gold in order to do His work. When we get it, we don't release it. In what ways can we stay alert so that we don't use God's money only to return to Him?

7. In what ways can you help a minister who seems to divert the finances to other things?

Part 2:

Challenges to Stewardship:

Distractions; Aberrations And Shrewdness

Introduction to Part 2:

Like in any other area of life, stewardship has its challenges, especially so when we want to glorify God with our life. The purpose of this part is to outline and briefly discuss these challenges. This will not be exhaustive but will suffice to serve two purposes: i) identification and ii) management of the challenges. Though not all the challenges are brought on board, the reader should treat this as an eye-opener and direction-pointer.

There are some stewards who may not know that what they are doing amounts to losing to the challenges. Others may find 'genuine' excuses to compromise some principles of stewardship. It is important to note that the Lord Jesus takes no excuses as far as doing the right thing is concerned.

I must emphasize that there are many things that would fall into place if we get it right in stewardship. May the challenges discussed in this part help the reader to alert and navigate through them.

—Chapter 10—

MISAPPROPRIATION AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY:

Using Things For What They Were Not Initially Meant

"And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf..."

—Exodus 32:3-4.

Intervening opportunities are not always better alternatives; they are most likely sly distractions sent to test your integrity and resolve. Remaining focused keeps you on the course of the original plan and the set goals.

A Noble Venture to Justify Misappropriation

There are always intervening opportunities majority of which divert the focus from the original goals. Although some intervening opportunities can be genuinely better alternatives, letting go the original plan can invalidate the foundation and inspiration that birthed a project. One needs to be acutely discerning in order to safely clutch on an intervening opportunity. In the absence of this, it is safe to remain focused, the lure of the intervening opportunity notwithstanding.

The power of an intervening opportunity lies in its promises of quick fixes and easy accesses. It provides shortcuts and insists on revising and reneging on the initial priorities and goals. In this way, intervening opportunities relax character-testing rules; cheapen the price for integrity and elevate the pursuit of self-interests.

In its wider meaning, misappropriation can range from diverting resources into other uses (if mild) to utter fraud (if gross). More often, the term misappropriation is used to refer to resources that are diverted to purposes they were not initially meant for.

In its mild form, many people don't see misappropriation as a problem. Part of the reason for which this is likely to go unchallenged is because there are euphemisms that mitigate the practice. It can positively be referred to as the reallocation of resources; accommodation of changes; emergency response; flexibility in tackling impromptus, etc. The tricky part is that all these may not be outrightly wrong. They must therefore be thoroughly interrogated to establish whether they are snares or positive options.

There was a church that needed instruments sooner rather than later. They organised for fundraising. The members, not being endowed, were unable to raise the required amount of money amongst themselves. It made the church ask for help from beyond its membership. It worked. All the money required was raised within the set time.

Things changed after they got all the money they wanted. The church realised that souls were perishing somewhere. The instruments could wait. They organised a mission and used the money that was originally intended for buying the instruments. There you have it—misappropriation. But look at it again! What can be as noble as using money for missions to win souls?

After the mission, they realised that they still needed the instruments as a matter of urgency. The church members may have 'understood' that it was a good idea to prioritise the souls at the expense of the instruments. The church organised a fundraising once more but like the first time, they were unable to raise all the money needed for the instruments. They once again contacted brethren far and wide. Some of the people who had contributed in the earlier campaign were overheard asking: What happened to the money we had already collected? The idea that the money was used for mission only brought more perplexing question: Is there a time when there will be no souls perishing somewhere so that the church could buy the instruments with a clear conscience?

Though some of the misappropriations can be a result of a short-term plan, others are spontaneous. There was a case where a man gave some money to his friend and brother in the Lord for a business project. The friend diverted some of the money marked for the business project into buying Bibles. He then distributed the Bibles to people on the streets. What a noble venture, you could say! But was it? At one time again, the same man was given money to deposit into an account. But he didn't. When his friend called to ask if he deposited the money, he answered: "I used my discretion as a minister and gave the money to some of your relatives who were having some financial challenges."

It doesn't matter how generous we know somebody to be, or whether we are great friends with somebody, we may not be generous on that person's behalf, especially if we are doing it with his resources. We can only distribute it if that is what he told us to do or if we consult with him and agree.

The Snare of the Intervening Opportunities

What biblical story explains the snare of the intervening opportunity than the story of Esther! Mordecai had challenged Esther to risk her life and go before King Ahasuerus and rescue the Jews. A wicked man called Haman had planned an ethnic cleansing of the Jews. Though Esther went to see the king illegally, God granted her favours. The King asked her to make her request and it would be granted up to half the kingdom. The king repeated this offer three times (Est. 5:3, 5:6, 7:2).

Something better had come up—or hadn't it? Esther could have requested half the kingdom. Why? Because that would have made her equal to the king. In this case, she wouldn't need the king's power to rescue her people but use her own powers. But she remained focused on and loyal to the original mission. She never opted for half the kingdom.

Did Esther lose an opportunity? It is only a matter of speculation what could have happened if Esther opted for the offer of half the kingdom. One thing is certain though: the king knew that Esther had a petition and this petition was not about dividing the kingdom with her. The king used half the kingdom expression to show how much he was willing to address Esther's concerns. If Esther took up the offer, the king would probably have hated her for being an opportunist and power thirsty.

The Shrewd Manager

Jesus told the parable of the shrewd manager and noted that the people of this world are clever in the way they deal with their kind. One needs to be 'clever' in order to deceive and it is a game in the world, characterized by deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:13).

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. 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.

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. I am 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 lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 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.

—Luke 16:1-7.

Initially, I used to think, contrary to what is written, that it was Jesus who commended the manager for his shrewdness. He couldn't have done that. It was the steward's master that commended his shrewdness (v.8). The master knew that he had been defrauded but it seems like he couldn't recover his goods without the manager's signature.

The power of an intervening opportunity lies in its promises of quick fixes and easy accesses.

I like Jesus parables. They hide so much and whenever you discover something new in them, it gives a delightful feeling and a revival to the soul. Both the master and the manager were not wise. The master made a mistake by telling the manager that he was at the verge of losing his job. He could have called him to give an account without telling him that he was being dismissed.

The manager was also anything but wise. But if you consider him to have been wise, then it is the kind of wisdom that I would describe as the 'wisdom of darkness.'

Upon digging deeper into this parable, I perceive that the Lord Jesus wanted believers to understand how the wisdom of the world is foolish. If the manager had a true wisdom—the 'wisdom of light' which could be as easily available as using common sense—he could have..:

i) understood that it pays far much more to live on his salary doing a faithful work than defraud his employer and wait to benefit from handouts from those who benefitted from his dishonesty.

ii) known that his solution was very temporary. It wasn't going to be long before his master's debtors have had enough of him. His response was impulsive.

iii) considered that his master's debtors wouldn't employ him after he had proved to them that he was dishonest (The amount of debt they owed implies that they were also businessmen. They could have probably considered employing the man).

iv) invested or saved part of the proceeds of his work. This could have given him something to depend on in an event of losing his job.

v) stopped deceiving himself that he won't be caught in his mismanagement.

Paradoxically, the "children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light" (v. 8). What this means is that the children of darkness are clever in how to do the deals of darkness than the children of light are clever to do the deals of light.

We must ask ourselves and insist to answer ourselves: When God puts wealth in our hands to manage in our generation, what is the primary purpose? Is it to live large and luxurious or is it to minister to others?

Anyone who preaches against tithing is like the shrewd manager cancelling what people 'owe' to God. He does this so that he can be accepted by the beguiled.

Defrauding Others in Order to Preach the Gospel?

Really! There are things that ought not to be even mentioned among brethren. Recently, I wanted to involve brethren to help me expose a book. A pastor friend advised me not to involve pastors to sell the book. "The books may be sold but you will not see the money!" He warned.

This was no news for I had experienced this in another form. This was also confirmed first-hand by a Christian author who had stocked her books in the bookshops of some very renowned Churches in a country I will leave unnamed for now. She fell short of naming the names, kind of 'protecting them.' I was afraid to hear who they were, so I didn't pressurize her to reveal them. But she told me: "You will be shocked if I told you the names." Talk of dead conscience (1 Tim. 4:2). How can 'respected' pastors and bishops be identified with fraud?—people who tell others not to steal when they do exactly that (Rom. 2:21). Is this the epitome of a people having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5).

It was supposed to be a spiritual common sense that believers don't defraud one another. But the Lord God is merciful enough not to take chances a result of which we are warned against fraud:

That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

—1 Thessalonians 4:6.

I have come to learn that there are two categories of 'believing fraudsters'. One group is that which have a taste for missions—not a bad thing at this point. Any money that lands in their hands, they use for missions. After all, isn't the pursuit of souls the most noble venture to use money for? Many ministers judge the success of their ministry by the number of people they lead to Christ or the crowd they influence with the Word of God. It is a kind of 'the end justifies the means.'

I am afraid many so-called believers will get a shock of their life if they don't wake up in time from the diabolic trance they seem to be in now. We must not behave as if we love people more than God loves them. We must remain faithful in our dealings. If God doesn't provide the money in a right way, it is better to wait with the mission. The Bible implies that one can preach to people and they go to heaven without the preacher necessarily getting there. That is the fact against which the apostle Paul took self-counsel.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

—1 Corinthians 9:27.

God will not reject anyone because the person who preached to him never made it to heaven. And God will not allow anyone to enter heaven on the account of how many people he led to Christ. The transforming power of the Gospel must work in the life of everyone who confesses the name of the Lord Jesus.

The other group is that which is hypnotized by the desires for material prosperity. They want to be seen as prosperous and so when they handle the Scripture, they employ all interpretational gimmicks and nuances to justify their pursuit. I call it hypnosis because someone in his right mind cannot dare flout the overt principles of loyalty to Christ and honesty with one another. Otherwise, how can one help himself on what is not his and still get away with it? (John 12:6).

One of the most profound characteristics of people lost in chasing after wealth is that they are presumptuously daring. I still don't understand how Judas Iscariot could steal from Jesus' ministry with the Lord physically present. Didn't it bother him that Christ knew everything? Greed and covetousness also cause people to be impetuous, acting on the spur of the moment without considering the guaranteed and the possible consequences. Isn't it sad what happened to Gehazi, Elisha's servant?

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

—2 Kings 5:20.

Gehazi's sin of going and getting gifts from Naaman called for another sin. He couldn't get the gifts without lying to Naaman and when Elisha confronted him, he also lied to him. He ended up getting Naaman's leprosy not only for himself but for his descendants as well. If only he could undo what he had done. His greed and covetousness cost him so much without benefitting so little.

That was a bit of digressing. Let us come back to the subject of discussion. If God says, I want to give you your own but I want to see how you are going to take care of someone else's, will that be a difficult assignment? The interesting thing is that more often, God puts us under a test without us knowing that He is testing us before promoting us. Whether we know that we are under a test or not, the secret that I could as well make a chorus is: Always do the right thing! If you do that, you'll always be passing tests you were not even aware you were undergoing.

When Jesus asked, "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" (Lk. 16:12). Jesus implied that if we can't take care of what belongs to somebody else how will we take care of our own? 'Our own' is still Someone's. It is stewardship at every turn. What this means is that we are supposed to take care of things whether they belong to someone or they belong to us.

We must not 'steal' and con people in order to preach the gospel. This may be like king Saul taking the best of sheep and cattle from Amalekites to sacrifice to God who had instructed him to destroy everything (1 Sam. 15:15). The question is: Were they really going to sacrifice these animals, or they were just trying to find a way of escape after having been caught? In the same way, we can ask: Are we still serving the interests of God when we defraud others in order to preach the gospel or in order to project an image of being materially blessed by God?

It is Easy Invoking God's Name

The abuse of authority in stewardship occurs when servants of God invoke the name of the Lord in order to forestall opposition or avoid censor. If the Lord hasn't indeed spoken, then any invocation of His name constitutes a misuse of God's name and an abuse of authority.

In his book, Chanakya's Chant, Ashwin Sanghi says: "It is impossible to know when a fish swimming in water drinks some of it. Thus it's quite impossible to find out when government servants in charge of undertakings misappropriate money."

If it is impossible to tell when the fish is drinking some of the water it swims in and to tell when a government employee misuses the money under his management, it is even trickier finding out when servants of God pursue their personal whims but invoke God's name to delude fellow believers. I once watched a servant of God—if indeed he is—being asked by a journalist to explain his lavish life. He maintained that his lifestyle and effluence reflect what the Bible says about servants of God. The journalist tried to probe but the minister couldn't allow her to probe any further. He simply walked away.

Interestingly, there are multitudes of believers partnering with ministers who are already wealthy. In fact they are wealthy enough to sponsor and sustain an elaborate work of God. Those partnering with a wealthy minister are not necessarily supporting the work of reaching the souls more than they are funding and sustaining a lavish lifestyle. May the reader not get me wrong, I am not saying that rich ministries should not be supported, I'm saying the ministers should be very careful that they don't settle for unnecessarily and overly lavish lifestyles. Otherwise, we might be misappropriating resources by supporting such ministers. I believe it matters where we put our money and why.

Anything that is fraudulently acquired will most likely be imprudently utilized.

In order to align our attitude with that of Christ, we must understand that not everything we give away is a seed planted. There has been a misuse of the phrase "plant a seed." Misappropriation of expressions lead to misappropriation of resources. If something is meant to be given away freely but somebody "plants" it, that would constitute misappropriation. "Freely you have received, freely give," Jesus commanded (Matt. 10:8). May I repeat, not everything we give is a seed planted.

We must tame the attitude of 'commercialized giving'. There is no denying that there are things we invest in a commercial sense where the hope to profit is the driving motive—that is part of life, no problem. But this must be kept into healthy perspective as had seen earlier. The apostle Paul warns against those who think that godliness is a means to financial gain (1 Tim. 6:5). He didn't mean that gaining financially as a result of godliness is necessarily wrong. If everything is set into right perspective, then it is the wrong attitude and motive for godliness that he was attacking.

I would also like to caution that the attitude for supporting a ministry should be very clear and noble. I personally know somebody who was partnering with a very rich ministry. Her reason for partnering was not as much to empower the ministry to reach more people as it was for her to be blessed with material riches. The minister associated with the ministry had told her that people partnering with him will be exceptionally blessed materially.

What Did You Do With Ten

Thousand Bags of Gold?

If stewardship is used as the yardstick to qualify believers for heaven, almost everybody will be disqualified. This explains why the Lord Jesus plotted the grace of forgiveness in the context of stewardship. One of the anticipated and prevalent failures of meeting the expectations of the Kingdom of Heaven is in stewardship. Unless we are forgiven by God's grace, we have no chance paying the debt of stewardship. Having said that, should we flout the principles of good stewardship because grace will cover for us? By no means (Rom. 6:1-2). Ironically, only those who don't take advantage of the grace are destined to benefit from it.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

—Matthew 18:23-34.

A day for accounting is a day for reward—if we did the right thing; it is also a day for sentence—if we did the wrong thing. Although the subject matter in the above scripture is forgiveness, it also brings to mind a failed stewardship.

The servant owed his master ten thousand bags of gold (NIV). The question is: What did he do with that large amount of gold? We may not tell the size of the bags, but the impression is that it was a large amount of gold. He was not able to pay and though he besought his master that he would pay with time, his master knew he would not be able to pay anytime soon.

I am smelling misappropriation by the steward, that is, he must have used the gold for what it was not meant. He neither saved nor invested it. If he invested, it must have been a bad investment where he incurred definitive loss. There are chances he may have been living beyond his means.

It is also possible that the man used to 'borrow' small amounts of the gold over a period of time. He must have been oblivious to the cumulative effect of the small amounts he was taking. If this was the case, it is a warning against addictive behaviour. If we repeatedly take something, it doesn't matter how small amounts we take each time, the snowballing effect will raise the value to intimidating proportions over a period of time. Take for example addictive smokers, if you compute the amount of money they use on cigarettes per year, you wouldn't need to be surprised. If someone has smoked for ten years and the Lord says that the money he used for smoking was misappropriation, that he has to pay it back, he would be shocked at how much money it is. Only forgiveness of the Lord would save the person.

The conclusion of the matter is that what is fraudulently acquired will most likely be imprudently utilized. This man, despite the great wealth that had been in his custody or had passed through his hands, still remained a 'servant'. The wealth seemed to have been squandered; it vanished and that is why he wasn't able to pay. The day of accounting caught up with him, he didn't seem to be prepared for it.

We are not told how much wealth the Prodigal Son inherited from his father (Lk. 15:11-19). What we know is that a 'wild living' devours wealth like fire consuming dry leaves.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt from this chapter?

2. There is an axiom that says: When the deal is too good, think twice. Can you tell when an intervening opportunity is a distracting strategy?

3. I had asked this question above, let me bring it here as well for a deeper reflection: When God puts wealth in our hands to manage in this generation, what is the primary purpose? Is it to live large and luxurious or is it to minister to others?

4. "Esther remained focused on and loyal to the original mission. She never opted for half the kingdom." What do you think could have happened if she chose half the kingdom?

5. What are some of the addictive behaviours that make people engage in misappropriation of resources and accumulation of big debts? How can such behaviours be stopped?

6. In what ways can we misappropriate time and talents?

7. What are the strategies you can use to stop yourself from misappropriating resources, time and talents?

—Chapter 11—

TEMPTATIONS, EXTORTIONS AND HOARDING:

Giving In To Temptations Because You Have Genuine Excuses

"He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it."

—Proverbs 11:26.

Temptation tests your resolve to resist sensual appeals; extortion is using one's advantage to squeeze benefits from others.

Borrowing Temporarily

It doesn't matter how much one may need a car, something is certainly wrong if, in order to buy one, he takes the money that belongs to a person who doesn't even have a bicycle. The idea here is that if one is generally doing better than the person whose money he is taking, it would constitute a character grossly incompatible with faith in Christ.

Most people don't intend to outrightly defraud others. This unintended fraud usually begin by a person maintaining that he is only borrowing and that he would pay back sooner rather later. People who fall for this trick are usually those who have the custody of things belonging to others. At the beginning, they may take small amounts that may not seem difficult to repay, but because there is no pressure to pay, they may not pay for a while. Instead of paying, they may 'borrow' more. It may continue like that, as we have seen in the previous chapter, until what he has been borrowing accumulates enormously that ultimately it becomes difficult to pay back.

It is understandable how tempting it is to be in a fix yet have the custody of something that the owner may not need soon. If we are honest with ourselves, we should know if we have a problem repaying what we owe others. If this is the case, it is better not to borrow. Struggling to keep oneself from borrowing may not be as difficult as struggling to pay back what one borrowed. Temptations must be resisted. It doesn't matter how much one is tempted, there is no acceptable excuse for sin.

Most people who like borrowing don't like paying back. Remember that the Bible describes those who borrow and don't pay back as wicked: "The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth" (Psalm 37:21).

There are also people who borrow mostly small amounts from different people. Cumulatively, their debt-worth becomes unmanageably big. Unless one chooses to be called wicked, this act is dishonourable.

If we tell people that we want to borrow from them because we are going to do the work of God, we will most likely get what we are asking for, especially if they have what we are asking for. Although we may invoke faith that we know God is going to provide so that we pay back, if this act is frequent without repaying the previous debt, we should know that we are no longer doing the work of God in the right way. We would be manipulating people and extorting them. Most believers would be disturbed in their conscience if they refuse to lend money to someone who was going to use the money to do the work of God.

If I borrowed money to go for a particular mission, for example, I wouldn't go for another mission before I settle the previous debt. Otherwise, I might continue going for missions on credit. I don't think God would be swayed by the idea that I used the money for missions—and it may not matter for my ultimate accounting that wonderful things happened at the missions. Doesn't the Bible tell us that many will come to the Lord, pointing out at what they did in His name only to be rejected as evil doers? (Matt. 7:21-23). God does not qualify us by the accomplishments of our life, even if those accomplishments were in His name. Rather, He qualifies us by our character.

I have to repeat this: We shouldn't behave as if we care for the perishing souls more than God. If God doesn't provide for missions, we may not device unorthodox ways of getting the money. If we can resist the temptation of always going for missions on credit, how much more should we resist the temptation of always borrowing to use for our personal matters, especially if they are things we can survive without?

It doesn't matter that people around us are doing far much better than us. We should not allow ourselves to be tempted to want to match them or distinguish ourselves out.

The 'right' time for Satan to tempt your vulnerability is equally the right time for God to test your integrity. Who are you going to let win?

A friend told me of a case where a pastor almost destroyed somebody's family because of money. He was routinely asking for money from one of the female members of the church. The problem was that the woman's husband wasn't saved and so the money that the wife was giving to the pastor was not factored into the family budget. Because of the frequency at which the pastor used to ask for money from her, and sometimes asking for relatively large amounts, the husband suspected that there was something not adding up in their family finances.

He had to ask his wife what she was doing with the money. When he found out that she used to give money to the pastor, he accused the pastor of fleecing his wife and accused his wife of being gullible. The family almost broke up.

It may be understandable that some pastors work under extreme lack. This means that they may over-depend on some of their members who seem to be doing well and generous. But it is also important to remember that the call to do God's work demands a lot of sacrifice. Some sensitivity and wisdom must also restrain our urges.

Again, regardless of how much we are in need, we shouldn't yield to the idea of over-dependence on some of our church members—at least not to the extent of playing off a couple into family feuds.

Extreme Temptation

If we receive from the devil what God has denied us, we have to know for sure that we have been deceived. The quick reliefs that the devil offers are brief, but they prepare one for an eternal grief. If God hasn't given it to us, then it is not ours. The 'right' time for Satan to come and tempt is when we are vulnerable and greatly in need. That is what he did when he went to tempt Christ. The Lord was genuinely hungry after fasting for forty days and nights (Matt. 4:2). Remember that the 'right' time for Satan to tempt your vulnerability is equally the right time for God to test your integrity. What you choose to do will determine who the winner will be. Who are you going to let win?

He could have reasoned that he was through with fasting so there was no problem for Him to break the fast. But the Lord Jesus demonstrated that it was wrong for Him to do it at the prompting of Satan. The latter had nothing to do with Christ's plans. It was good that the Lord refused to yield. It was not for Satan to counsel Him about His need for food.

We had noted in chapter 4 that a hyena who faithfully runs errands delivering meat is to be praised more than the one who faithfully delivers vegetables. What this means is that there are things that are more tempting to some people than they are to others. We will be tested by things that we have a weakness for. Our integrity and resolve to be stewards after the book is only tested and qualified if we refuse to take advantage of an opportunity and or pressure to compromise.

Are You Rich?

Being wealthy is relative. Because of this, many people are generally rich but they don't acknowledge it. Despite this, there is a point at which we should accept that we are rich. Wealth has a terrible lure. The lure usually comes with a paradoxical twist. When celebrity status comes, it doesn't come alone. It is always accompanied by money. When money begins to stream in, a minister who used to spend his meagre resources to go for missions, would 'charge' substantial amount of money, including luxurious accommodation, if they are invited to go minister somewhere.

We should not use the Bible to get what we want; rather, we should let the Bible get from us what God wants. We will then realize that what we want is not as good as what God wants for us.

With wealth comes many temptations. If we are not careful and keen to listen to the Holy Spirit, our attitude and priorities would change, for example, we would aim at making money out of Christ instead of spending it on Him. Those who are rich need to be extremely careful. A believer should be rich because material blessings have overtaken him. In other words, he is not chasing material wealth but chasing the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and then God Himself adds "all these other things" (Matt. 6:33).

Money is sluggish when it is following, a sprinter when it is leading. In real life, fast runners don't have the stamina to run long distance. But money is a fast runner doing a marathon. When it is following, don't wait for it; when it is leading don't chase it. May the Lord help us move at His pace so that our pace is not dictated by money.

Any believer who is rich should not be so because he fleeced others. Neither should it be as a result of accumulating things he was supposed to distribute, nor should they be things that he was supposed to pay out as salary or wages.

The prophet Jeremiah voiced a solemn warning from the Lord God as follows:

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

—Jeremiah 5:27-31.

Rich According to the Scripture?

When we get rich before getting saved, we have to resist the temptation to think that our life depends on the riches (Luke 12:15). When we get rich after getting saved, we have to resist the temptation of the distractions that are bound to come with wealth.

We will only be in a position to manage the riches of this world if it is strictly put under the dominion of the spiritual authority. This may mean different things to different people, but those who are willing to hearken to the Word of God, the Bible has parameters of how we need to relate with wealth. If we can't figure it out from the Bible, our critics will frequently and freely tell us when we cross the line. Unlike many people believe, criticism—whether positive or negative—can help us be better people. The problem comes when we get desperately defensive and sensitively jittery.

The quick reliefs that the devil offers are brief, but they prepare one for an eternal grief.

Good stewards of the Master must avoid taking selfish advantage of people and circumstances in order to exploit, extort and manipulate them. We talked about the Zarephath widow (1 Kings 17:9-15) in chapter 4. Sorry to be blunt but there are many people who have used this scripture to extort money from very poor people. Remember that the reason Elijah was in Zarephath in the first place was that he was sent by the Lord God Himself. He had also commanded the woman to feed Elijah. This means that everything was laid out so that Elijah didn't 'labour' to convince the widow. When he assured her that her resources would never ran dry, it was not a manipulative strategy but a divine appointment. It was a special miracle that may not necessarily be duplicated for everyone else. It was not an area to build a doctrine.

How can we tell that somebody is extorting material gain in a religious context? While conceding that it can be very difficult telling if one engages in extortion, it doesn't eliminate all the possibilities of telling that somebody has crossed the line into the territories of extortion and manipulation. We can tell this from the body language; the circumstances; the twisting of the scriptures; the character of the person, etc. It was Judas Iscariot's character of stealing from the treasury that helped the understanding that he never cared for the poor enough to make him perceive that the costly spikenard ointment Mary poured on Jesus feet at Bethany was a wastage (John 12:4-6). Servants of God who are lost into indulgent and luxurious lifestyle may most likely manipulate believers in order to sustain if not to increase their indulgence.

I recently watched a guest preacher making frantic financial appeal as his host cheered, or if you like, agreed with him. This followed an insightful teaching of the Word of God. In my conviction, this set a very good stage to impress on the audience that God was speaking through them—and why not? We know (or ought to know, for that matter) that there are distractions that can get servants of God compromised.

At the end of a teaching session, the host preacher introduced a pastor, saying, "He is a mighty man of God with a great church... " With that short introduction the pastor took over. He pointed his finger at the camera and exuding an energetic conviction, he began by saying:

"Right now you are watching me and this program has been going on and this rises up in my spirit, just for you, only for you! You've got to watch me, just for you! Something have been stolen from you! I mean something has been ripped off."

At this he captured my attention because I have lost a great deal. The way he pointed "at me" I was in it. I would accept the prayer. I felt like it was just me, but when he started counting the possible losses, I realized that we could be many of us and not just me.

He went on (counting the possible losses):

"Your children—maybe on drugs; maybe have been separated; a breakdown in your marriage; or your job; or something that you had. There is loss. I just hear the word 'Loss!'"

I wonder why I didn't see it coming. It would take something before the prayer. This could be alright but my inner man started getting troubled. He reminded 'me', well, 'us' of the story of Samuel, as he put it, "... when he was gonna prophesy over Saul."

He explained that Saul had gone out with his servant to find his daddy's donkeys. They were at the verge of giving up when the servant suggested that they could inquire of the seer [Samuel]. Saul objected to the suggestion because according to him they didn't have any offering to give to the prophet. The servant replied that he had a shekel.

The pastor went on hypothesized what the servant seemed to be saying:

"If we give it to the seer or the prophet, he will then know that we have respect and honour, and what we honour will come to us."

He also conjectured what could have been the Prophet Samuel's response: "You will find what you lost because you honoured a man of God."

It is important to note that the prophet didn't ask for a gift, leave alone making it a condition for telling Saul and his servant the whereabouts of the donkeys. If this was necessary, it was prompted in their heart without the prophet asking them to do so—and it was the 'little' they had.

This is the story the pastor was referring to:

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.

—1Samuel 9:6-8.

The minister explained that when you honour a servant of God, you strengthen his prayer and God would be pleased with you for honouring His servant. He implied that you don't go to the servant of God empty-handed.

He also talked about the story of Job. The following is part of the transcription of what the pastor said:

"The Bible says that Job lost everything. I am talking to someone and I want to say this real quick, just for a moment because the Spirit of the Lord is about to do something. You are about to recover; you are about to get back what the enemy has stolen from you. The Bible says that Job lost everything that he had and he lost it probably in three to ten minutes and this is only a minute and a half that I'm gonna give you because I believe this is just for you. The Bible says that he lost everything: he lost his children, they died; he lost everything! And maybe you haven't lost as much as Job have but you have lost something and God connected with Pastor... today. And I wanna tell you that I sense in my spirit that God is gonna give you back what you lost and can I use my faith with Pastor together? We gonna believe in just a moment, you gonna get back double. The Bible says that Job put seven rams and put seven bullocks on the altar. When he put that offering on the altar, God stood up, pointed His finger at the devil and said, 'you give him double everything you've stolen from him'".

He continued:

"I sense something rising up right now! I sense you going to your phone at this very moment and saying, 'I'm going to put $77 offering upon the altar. The moment you put that offering through the phone line or through the computer or however you can get it in the next few moments, I believe in my spirit, God's gonna rise up and say, 'Satan, what you have stolen from him: their children; their health; their money, you gonna have to give it back'. I want you to go to the phone and even after we've gone off the air, I want you to get on the phone and say: 'You know what? I'm gonna find my loss; I'm gonna get back what the devil has stolen from me.' And I'm gonna tell you right now, I've got five seconds, and I'm gonna tell you what the devil is saying. Whatever you do, don't listen to him, turn your television, turn another channel quickly, because Satan knows that when you give the offering, it gives God the right to put a weapon in His hand to destroy and rebuke he devourer that has come against you. In the Name of Jesus, I declare it; I feel it; I sense it! You've watched me, you are the person and in Jesus Name, go to the phone now! As we go off the air get to that phone because you are about to get back what you lost. Seventy seven dollars, go to the phone now." (See appendix).

The body language; the urgency; the misrepresentation of the Biblical facts point, in my sober estimation, point to a desperate attempt at extortion. According to the above transcription, it was Job who offered to God the seven bulls and seven rams, a result of which He [God] immediately rebuked the devourer and commanded the latter to restore double what he [Satan] had stolen from Job. The Scripture, however, says that it was Job's friends who made the offering after God commanded them to do so before Job could pray for them. Note that Job, the servant of God, was not the beneficiary of the said offering. It was a burnt offering unto God. The restoration of Job's losses had nothing to do with any offerings. The following is the story the pastor was referring to:

Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

—Job 42:8.

But even if Job had made an offering to God, it would have been explained by His custom. He used to routinely offer burnt offerings whenever his children had a feast. This was to sanctify them in case they had sinned by cursing God in their heart (Job 1:4-5). It must be emphasized that the restoration of Job's losses had nothing to do with any sacrifice he made.

Juxtaposing miracle and offering, especially where one is asked to make an offering in order to receive a miracle, has the danger of manipulation. There is a very thin line between extortion and exhortation. While it may be acceptable to exhort people to give their offerings, it amounts to manipulation and extortion to imply that giving an offering is a condition for receiving a miracle. The only condition for a miracle is faith—but even this has some exceptions (1).

There are some of us ministers who price our ministrations. We no longer serve the Lord with our resources but use our gifts to acquire and accumulate more wealth for ourselves. We are good at mobilizing others to fund the work of God while we hoard our resources to fund our luxurious indulgences. This is not a negative criticism. I pray that the Lord may speak to our hearts to understand that this is an area that needs critical examination. The Bible encourages us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).

Ananias and Sapphira died when they attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-10). They found occasion to lie because of their desire to keep back part of the price they received after selling a property. What they hoarded didn't help them.

If only this couple took warning from Ecclesiastes 5:13: "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."

The apostle James also warns the rich and reprimands them at the way they make their wealth:

Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

—James 5:3-4.

The Savings of a Miser

Self-denial is a virtue but it has to be done within the limits of common sense. I heard about a man who was studying in the UK. He used to do part time jobs from where he accumulated huge amount of money. The man lived in a cold house because he was careful to preserve his savings. He never thought it wise to warm his house during the cold winters. He also ate poorly. It was just a question of time before he got into problems.

We saw in chapter 6 that part of the reason we save is to help us in difficult times. This means that one may save in summer in order to be in a position to afford the expenses of heating the house in winter. We also save for other purposes but we have to remember that saving is relevant after the basic necessities are met. If we save at the expense of surviving, then there is something wrong.

The above case ended that the man died of pneumonia. The money he had saved was used to transport his body back to his country in Africa. The savings of a miser do not help him in his daily necessities, much less in a rainy day.

What is the purpose of savings if one cannot save his own life with his savings? To help us not degenerate into a miser, we must always ask ourselves why we are saving.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. Have you ever been tempted until you felt God would 'understand' if you gave in? What are the right strategies of dealing with temptations that overwhelm us? Does God 'understand when we give in to temptation?

2. If you know that someone is manipulating and extorting money from you, what would you do?

3. How you tell the difference between a normal exhortation to give and a manipulation to extort?

4. How do you balance between self-denial saving and self-destroying saving?

5. Are you rich—spiritually? Materially? With talents? With time? What do you do with your riches as listed here?

6. One needs to be spiritually rich in order to manage the other riches named above. Do you agree? If yes, why? If no, why?

7. Do you sometimes find yourself craving for things you cannot afford? How can this affect your stewardship?

8. What is the difference between saving and hoarding?

—Chapter 12—

COMPARISON AND COMPETITION:

Using Possession or Lack of it to Position Self or

Others in the Scale of Significance

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

—Philippians 2:3.

Your par-excellence is achieved not by undermining your competitors, nor by nullifying their strategies but by maximising your potentials.

A Teacher is Better than a Farmer

When I was in primary school in Kenya many years ago, we used to have school debates. The debates were interesting not only because of the way we used to try our debating skills and aspire to master English language but also the kind of topics we used to discuss. Topics like a teacher is better than a farmer; a mother is better than a father; water is better than fire; a doctor is better than a driver, etc. The debating club would choose the speaker and two secretaries, one for the opposers and the other for proposers. Pupils would then choose whichever side they supported.

It was alright to give opportunity to youngsters to think about positive and negative things on each side. In retrospect, I can now see that the choice of topics to be debated on was wanting. These kinds if topics made us grow up with the mentality of comparing people and things that don't in everyday life compete but complement one another. Sometimes our kids would try to manipulate us. When they are with the mother, they would say: Daddy is better than you. If it were him he could have granted our wish. When they are with me they would say: Mummy is better than you. She always grant our wishes. My answer to them: How can she be better than me? We have not been competing.

How on earth would somebody want to set a mother and a father on a competitive platform? How on earth could somebody compare a farmer and a teacher?

That was Kenya's primary school in the 70's. But is it any different in the world in the 21st Century? The mentality of comparing and competing is awash even in areas where they ought to be irrelevant. This is not to say that comparison and competition has no place in life. Competition and comparison is part of life but they must be managed in terms of where they apply and the virtues that go with them. For instance, we expect athletes to compete but we cannot set a marathoner to compete with a sprinter.

The virtue surrounding competition means that the competitors are not enemies but they help one another to be the best each can be. If one is in the front, the others 'push' him by chasing behind him; if one is back, he is being 'pulled' by the natural drive that makes him want to catch up with the leader. In this way, each athlete with give it all he has. If one was pace-setting, he would be helping the race to break the record. When the pace-setter stops, the others don't stop.

In life generally, and in stewardship particularly, the above rules must be adhered to strictly if any manner of competition and comparison are inevitable. We have to remember that there are some manner of competition and comparison that constitute envy and jealous. If we want something for example, our driving motive for seeking to have it must not be because everybody else have them. The elder brother of the Prodigal Son wanted a party only after he saw a party thrown for his brother. The Bible doesn't tell us that the returning son ever asked the father for a party. It was the father's discretion to throw a party to celebrate the son's graduation from the school of life.

Belittling What You Have and What You Are

From the parable of the talents we saw earlier (chapter 5), there was a strong reason to believe that the servants were motivated in accordance to what they perceived as the value of what they got.

It is natural that the significance we attach to what we have will determine the level of motivation to do the work assigned to us. This is also the same with the kind of self-esteem we perceive for ourselves. This is why it is important to get a divine perspective of what we have and what/who we are.

If we look around us and get to see what others have, we may easily begin to underrate what we have if it is not as big as what others have. The servant who got one talent must have compared it with what the others got. He must have despised what he had, leading him to burying it. We have to remember though that anything God gives us is not small even if it looks so.

Identify what God has provided; appreciate it and set out to do what God intends with it. If it is God who has provided it, it is not as small as it looks—and it is not a small matter.

There is no need for comparison. The Bible says that each person will give an account of himself before God. God will not expect any person to give his accounting in relation to what others had or did. If He gave him much, He will require much MORE. Why much more? It is because when we get 'much' it is supposed to grow into much more.

If we compare what we are doing with what others are doing, it must be in the spirit of comparing notes for purposes of inspiring one another. It should not be to measure our personal worth or the significance and magnificence of our work. The significance of our work is not measured by its magnificence but by the enthusiasm with which we do what we do.

Anything God gives is significant even if it looks insignificant—looks can deceive. The one who got little will not get exemption from giving an account. It is possible to think that if one got very little, God will not bother with it.

Thinking Big or Thinking Small?

There are two ways by which pompous thoughts can adversely affect our effectivity in stewardship. If we are thinking big, we are likely to overlook the small factors that would set us off. Another way is that if we already have a big reserve, we may relax thinking that it is a buffer that may not be depleted when we sit back and relax. Great achievements always come with complacency. We may realize when it is too late that a buffer is only a buffer if it is sustained by continuous productivity.

Whatever God has given you, regardless of how big it is, don't ever multiply it by zero. Anything multiplied by zero is zero. What does this mean? Doing nothing with what you have been given, is like multiplying it by zero. When what you had is taken away and given to others, you will remain with nothing—zero.

Let us look again at part of the parable of the talents that we saw earlier, especially about the servant who hid his talent.

His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

—Matthew 25:26-30.

Note that the man was called wicked. This is a very strong term yet this man did not misuse the money. And as if that was not enough, he was banished into darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Humanly speaking, this sounds cruel. Some people may use this to claim that God can't be merciful to pronounce such a harsh sentence on someone whose only wrongdoing was that he didn't invest a small amount of talent. But for us believers, let us use that to show that it is not a small deal to ignore the instruction that God has given. Because God has the ability to do great things using small things, it was not a small matter after all.

If we perceive that we are in a competition, we must refrain from working hard to slow down our competitor; instead, we should work hard to increasing our pace.

Note also that in the parable, the master didn't ask the servant with five talents why he didn't make six or more, nor the one with two, why he didn't make three or more. This tells us that the most important thing for the Master, at this point, was not how much you did but that you did something. Set to work, beloved—only strive to do your best, like an athlete, aim to push yourself to the limit of your ability. It is also possible that these people did the best they could do; otherwise, the Master could have asked them why they didn't strive to realize their full potential.

Take for example if God were to give out seeds: To the first man, He gives five seeds of mango; to the second, two seeds of guava, and to the third, one mustard seed. If you the reader has a practical picture of the sizes of the seeds in question, you have probably begun to figure out where this is leading.

If the people who got the seeds were to be mobilized by the size of what they were holding in their hands, the third servant would despise the mustard seed—being the smallest seed there is (Mark 4:31)—yet it has the capacity to grow into a very large tree, and eventually into a forest, if planted. Prophet Zachariah therefore asks: "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zach. 4:10).

There is nothing wrong with thinking big or thinking small. But there is everything wrong when the thought pattern is ...

i) under the spell of a syndrome;

ii) when the small thinker allows himself to be intimidated and spellbound whenever grandeur shows up;

iii) when the big thinker is complacent and conceited;

iv) when the small thinker imprisons himself by his thoughts and doesn't provide for growth.

At one time, I used to think big. I guess I had a "think-big" syndrome. I wanted to be a big man—both in status and in stature. My perception was that people with big bodies display an intimidating image. When they speak, others listen. If you are small in stature, people don't seem to take you serious. You have to be twice or even thrice as good as the big bodied to match the latter—or so I perceived.

I didn't grow up with computers. It was until I was 30 years old when I came into contact with them. I had wanted to buy a computer before I knew much about them. One day, I walked into a shop. On display were what I called at the time "big computers" and "small computers." I later learnt that the big computers were called "desktops" and the small ones, "laptops." You guessed it! I would go for the "big computer."

I got amused at the prices. Some of the "big computers" cost less while some of the "small computers" cost more. For me, this was an irreconcilable paradox. I asked the seller if there were people 'beside their mind' enough to buy an expensive "small computer" and not a "big computer" which was even costing less. He told me that as a matter of fact, they had more 'beside-their-mind' customers than they do their counterparts.

Technologically, the world has turned around to show that small things can be very effective. We are discovering this in the technological world but it has always been like that spiritually. To be careful not to exaggerate this matter, it is also important to point out that it is a natural rule that most things start small.

We have to come to a point where we ask the question: When and where does it really matter? Mobile phone, for example, how big or small should it be? Today, a smart mobile phone has more computing capacity and efficiency than the computers of yesteryears. There are things better small; there are things better big and there are things that the size is irrelevant. We must be watchful that the size of our talents, resources, ministries, etc. do not adversely affect our stewardship.

It really doesn't matter to God that our dreams are too small. I know this may sound controversial but I have come to learn that it is the truth. Let's say that our dream is a mustard seed—a very small dream indeed. That our dream is small may not be a problem if we put the dream to work. As we work diligently with the dream, nature will take its own course. A planted mustard seed, watered and taken good care of will not remain small. We don't even need to dream big in order to make it grow—we only need to manage the process as we do the little right things at every turn. The apostle Paul captured this when he said: "I have planted,... but God gave the increase" (1 Cor. 3:6).

I have heard people say that we usually limit God with our small expectations. I don't think so! Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. As long as God's power works in us, it doesn't matter that we ask small or do small. Our initial small dreams will not confine what God will do, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure"(Philipp. 2:13).

A friend told me of a pastor from a developing country who got into contact with some missionaries from a developed country. The missionaries wanted to work together with the pastor. They asked him to facilitate the buying of a parcel of land where they would build a centre to house a school, Bible college, etc.

The pastor was a big dreamer. He gave a quotation for the price of a parcel of land which scared away the missionaries. A missionary lady in the planning committee went to my friend to ask if the quotation was realistic. My friend happened to have been originally from the developing country in question but was then residing in the developed country where the missionaries came from. Though he never told the lady that the price looked extremely high, my friend was shocked at the quotation, especially because the piece of land was some distance from town. It is possible that the pastor had wanted a very big parcel.

The missionaries were not from a big church. They got intimidated by the quotation and were at the verge of withdrawing. The pastor hadn't interacted with the missionaries for long. It would have been advisable for him to start something small and let it grow. He went straight for a kill and by so doing, he was instead at the verge of killing the small fire that was beginning to burn. We don't need a big fire to start a conflagration that would burn down a forest, a matchstick fire is all we need.

But even in cases where size matters, we must remember that big things start small. I encourage the reader to think small at the beginning, only put the thoughts into action and let them grow therefrom. If you let your initiatives grow under your watch, you will be able to manage the size of your fully-grown projects.

Different People, Different Abilities, Different Assignments

"Each according to his ability." That is a fundamental issue in this matter. It means that people indeed have different abilities. And this explains the futility of competing someone whose ability is more than ours—and then getting mad after the person wins against us. In the same way, there is no point despising those who are not as good as we are. There is nothing we have that we didn't receive. In her novel, A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle correctly observed, "We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts."

Our ability determines what God gives us to manage. If we are faithful, first in putting to use what we are given and second, not misappropriating the proceeds, God will ensure that we grow from our initial ability. It is one thing to do the work we are asked to do, it is another to manage the proceeds from the said work.

It is the personal passion to keep away from being polluted by the world and to work with the ability and resources God gave us that will raise our spiritual capital. This is what the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to do.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

—2 Timothy 2:21.

The Bible counsels us not to compare ourselves with one another. It only results in commending ourselves after feeling that we have outdone others. This is not healthy, it is actually a manure for pride.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

—2 Corinthians 10:12-13.

The apostle Paul discourages comparison and competition for obvious reasons. Environments under which people operate may be different; abilities are different; assignments are different and goals may be different. Take for example athletes who set out to run. Among them are those who will be running a hundred meters and they are done, others will be running marathon. It is foolhardy for a marathoner to burn himself out trying to keep pace with a sprinter. Equally, it doesn't work if an athlete sprints himself out in a marathon race.

From the above illustration, what then can we say about competing people with identical disposition? Is there anything wrong, for example, with competing marathon runners if we ourselves are marathoners? If we read slightly down the line in the above scripture, part of verse 14 says, "For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure..." In life, there are always elements of competition around us. We compete consciously or unconsciously.

In spiritual matters, it is not healthy to compete and compare. In general life, we need a healthy perspective as Christians in order to manage competition in its various forms. If we perceive that we are in a competition, we must refrain from working hard to slow down our competitor; instead, we should work hard to increase our pace. We must not do both because our efforts at slowing down our competitor will not only utilize our resources but also our time and energy—we need to concentrate everything we are and have on improving our position.

Instead of always making excuse that we are human beings thereby mitigating our proclivity to depravity, we should invoke our regeneration in order to challenge ourselves towards higher virtue.

The virtue in Christian stewardship is based on the wisdom of sharing resources rather than compete for them. If we understand this, we will appreciate the beauty of true success. True success is where we consider ourselves successful only if our 'competitors' are also successful; we only have peace if our neighbours also have peace.

A healthy attitude towards people we compete is to maintain that they are helping us realize our potentials by pushing us to our very limit. The person who wins against us is not our enemy. Even more important to remember is that we really don't compete people, we compete standards.

If we continue to use the illustration of the athletes, the athlete should aim to break the record and even after breaking the record, it doesn't end there, a challenge to break it afresh beckons. The people competing by his side are only helping him push himself to the maximum of his ability.

I once watched athletics competition heats where there was a false-start. The margin however, was so small that the umpire failed to call back the athletes. All except one started off at the same time. The one who didn't start appealed and when videos were scrutinized, it showed that indeed the other athletes had a false-start. It was decided that instead of repeating the whole race, the concerned athlete would run alone. He had to at least beat the time of the last qualifier in the race he was to participate in. He indeed ran the 400 metres alone and qualified.

If we have to compete, we must use it to grow in our ability. Otherwise, our ability is not the measure of our worth—that is something we must always remember. Something is wrong when we begin to think that because God has given us more ability than others, our personal worth is also greater than others.

Healthy stewardship over the gifting bestowed upon us demands that the more we receive the more we would need to be humble. The significance of our work is not measured by its magnificence, but by our diligence in accomplishing the assignment.

Talents and Abilities Put to Competitions

Can you put a prayer into competition? Can you put praise into completion? I once entered a regular writing competition. My reason for joining was that I needed exposure for my books. If I won, it would boost my ministry because of the readership that I would get.

Despite participating for some time, I never won once. When I read the articles of those who won, I realized that there had to be an element of entertainment to get a chance of winning. Being a Christian writing platform, I expected the message to be as equally important as, or perhaps more important than, the style and skills of delivery.

Each time my writing failed to make the cut and considered those that did, I realized something was amiss. This may have been subjective, but I also considered other 'losers' against the 'winners' and realized that I would have given it to the 'losers' in some circumstances. Instead of slowly degenerating into trying to measure up to the taste of the judges, I decided to stop participating. I had also noticed that instead of writing to please God I was beginning to write in order to please man. It was beginning to be difficult to be focused.

There is a lot of grace and the favour of the Lord Jesus in what we do. If it was the Lord ranking our performance, it would confound many of us to see who the 'winners' are. Some have worked so hard and long, yet they get same wage (Matthew 20:1-16). Don't forget that there is favour factor. We must learn to mind our business; not focusing on what God is doing with or for others.

David was under a moment of inspiration when he offered to face off with the Philistine's giant in the name of Goliath of Garth. Otherwise, how would you explain an inexperienced youth facing off with a giant? And as if that wasn't enough, Goliath was also heavily armed and an experienced champion. David's courage and accomplishment was therefore not a subject of comparison with anybody.

Against all odds, David faced Goliath. When he finally defeated the giant, the women were excited. They did something unwise. They composed a song which was in effect saying, king Saul slew so few, David massacred so many.

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

—1 Samuel 18:6-8.

In other words, the women had compared the two and gave it to David. This caused king Saul to be jealous. King Saul started scheming to kill David because he knew that it was just a question of time before David would take over the kingship. Things would have been different if the women composed a song without comparing king Saul and David. In case, the reader missed it: king Saul's problem with David was ignited by the women's comparative song.

Note that before the women sang, elevating David more than king Saul, the latter didn't seem to have any problem with the former. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us that David behaved himself wisely.

And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house...

And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

—1 Samuel 18:2,5.

Due to the inherent human weakness, ill feelings against those who 'do better' are widespread—sadly, believers included. Whenever an upcoming servant of God is compared with his leader and wins in the comparison, the leader will feel that his position is under a threat—they will be intimidated and insecure. It doesn't stop there. Things usually go wrong even among seasoned servants of God when they begin to compete and compare themselves. This must be the reason the Bible maintains that it is not wise when we compare ourselves with ourselves (2 Cor. 10:12).

Believers, nevertheless, should not allow themselves to be overcome by the fallen nature of the old man. The Bible says that we are a new creation and that we have done away with the old man (2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 6:6, Eph. 4:22). Therefore, instead of always making excuse that we are human beings thereby mitigating our proclivity to depravity, we should invoke our regeneration in order to challenge ourselves towards higher virtue.

Giving Put to Competitions

It is a common practice in many places whenever there is a fundraising to ask people to pledge what they would give. There is no problem fundraising but the way it is done can be a problem.

I was once visiting in a church where the pastor encouraged competition in giving to see who was going to win. I eavesdropped on a conversation by some members of the church after the meeting. They were applauding a lady who wouldn't allow anyone to defeat her. It was customary for this church to fundraise once a year. Each year the lady would win. She used even to take a bank loan just to make sure that she won.

The giving would take a public proclamation of how much one would pledge to give. As he presided over the fundraising, the pastor asked the congregation to identify themselves with the amount they would give.

First those who would give 10 000 were called out, followed by 5 000, then 2 500, followed by 2 000; 1 500, 1 000, etc. This is a manipulative and extortive way to make people give. In this kind of arrangement, some people give so much in order to 'save image', others to impress. I have personally sat in some church settings where funds were being raised without raising my hand to publicly identify myself with the amount I would give. People have literally turned to look at me expecting to hear me mention what I would give.

The justification is that if there is a target to be met, the pledges would help in the accounting.

The Biblical giving is where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is giving (Matt. 6:3). Unless it is technically impossible to hide, we shouldn't let others know what we are giving. We should give what we have purposed in your heart and it doesn't matter what others are giving (2 Cor. 9:7).

Any giving that is motivated by the spirit of competition, or yielding to manipulation, or coercion, etc. is not a godly giving. The Bible records many cases where people gave voluntarily beyond expectation without being 'taught' to give or prodded to do so. They were also asked or shown what the need was and then they were left to do the necessary (1 Chron. 29:2-9, Neh. 7:70-72, Acts 10:2).

We don't need a big fire to start a conflagration that would burn down a forest, a matchstick fire is all we need.

Prodding, manipulation, extortion, etc. only cause confusion to the extent that a believer may misappropriate the resources that were meant to be used elsewhere. He may give only to regret later. We are responsible to know what God has laid in our heart so that we don't have to allow anyone to manipulate us in any way. Remember that this is not to ask believers to rebel and refuse to give as need be. May God inspire us from within to be great givers who don't need to be prodded or manipulated.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt from this chapter?

2. Do you sometimes ask God for things because others have them? Why is this not a good idea?

3. People will always compare and compete. There are competitions that we willingly enlist ourselves into and others that we are not even aware we have been enlisted into by people.

a) How do you feel and respond after losing in the competition?

b) How do you feel and respond after winning in the competition?

c) What do you do when you realize that people have set you against others to compete them when it was not your idea?

4. In most ministries, competitions bring with it an almost irresistible desire to please the people. How is this a danger to managing the talent that God has given us?

5. What are the benefits of competition and comparison? And what are the disadvantages? How do we get the balance?

6. Thinking big and thinking small can each be both a problem and a benefit.

a) When is thinking big a problem and when is it a benefit?

b) When is thinking small a problem and when is it a benefit?

7. When God choses you to be a leader, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are better than everybody else. When you can do something better than your leader, it doesn't necessarily mean that God intends that you take over leadership.

a) What is your take on the above statement?

b) How would the above statement help leaders who get intimidated when they are 'outshined'?

c) How would the above statement help those who think that when they do something better than their leader then they ought to replace the leader?

d) Cite some biblical examples supporting the fact that leaders don't have to be the 'best' and the 'best' don't have to be leaders.

—Chapter 13—

COVETOUSNESS AND ENVY:

Wanting to Have Things that Belong to Others

"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."

—2 Peter 2:3.

If God didn't give it to you, it means you shouldn't have it. If you insist to have it and find your own ways of getting it, you will be accused of possessing what was not yours.

The Boundary is Thin

Covetousness is one of the vices condemned in the Ten Commandments. On the surface, it may not look serious because it begins as a natural act of admiring or appreciating something. It needs a rare discipline not to begin to wish that the good thing we are beholding should be ours. And that defines the thinness of the boundary because not many people have that discipline. In a moment, as a matter of impulse, we may admire something, in the next moment, we begin to possess the thing in our heart. When we admire, chances are that we would also desire.

The other sins may be easier to manage because they are overt, and therefore, evident. The mere fact that somebody is seeing our sin is enough to stop us. On the contrary, covetousness is covert—we can burn with it in our heart without others readily noticing it. It comes out only when its fruits manifest by which time it would be too late. Covetousness can therefore be one of the most prevalent sins and the mother of the other 'bigger' sins.

We need a certain amount of discernment to notice covetousness in somebody's life. It is therefore not common to sound an alarm for the covetous person. This means that every person must watch out his own heart to deal with covetousness so that it doesn't take root.

It is possible to admire something that somebody has and from that we can go and get our own if that is possible. Personally, I have seen some good things with friends. I would then ask where they got them so that I can also go get them for myself. I maintain that there is no problem with this. Covetousness comes in when we desire to have something that we either can't afford or is one of its kind and somebody else has it. For example, when a man covets his neighbour's wife, there is only one of her and she is taken.

Covetousness: The Mother of Bigger Sins

There are many sins that have their root from covetousness. The following are some examples:

Adultery—"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's" (Exodus 20:17). Of all the things counted here, there is none as easy to materialize as coveting someone's wife. For example, it may not be easy taking someone's house after coveting it, but it is easy seducing someone's spouse ending up in adultery.

Stealing—Achan's confessions tells how covetousness gives birth to stealing. "When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it" (Joshuah 7:21). Stealing results because one covets what he doesn't have and cannot afford (or don't want to spend his own money on) to buy his own.

Extortion—According to 2 Peter 2:3 we saw above, there are so called believers that make merchandise of others because of covetousness. An extortionist is one who misuses his authority and influence to obtain money or other valuables from people.

Robbery with violence—"And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage" (Micah 2:2). This is the same story with Ahab conspiring with his wife Jezebel to take Naboth's vineyard (1 Kin. 21:1-15).

Greed and selfish materialism—"And he said unto them, take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).

Unfaithfulness in stewardship—"And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?... And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him" (Luke 16:12,14).

Idolatry—"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Ephesians 5:5). "... covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). People usually idolize (worship) what they intensely and relentlessly covet. Ahab could not even eat when Naboth refused to let him have the vineyard.

In a moment, as a matter of impulse, we may admire something, in the next moment, we begin to possess the thing in our heart. When we admire, chances are that we would also desire.

Dictionary.reference.com says the following about covetousness in the Bible: "A strong desire after the possession of worldly things (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5; Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 6:9, 10; Matt. 6:20). It assumes sometimes the more aggravated form of avarice, which is the mark of cold-hearted worldliness."

The strong desire after the possession of worldly things must be the engine and fuel of many other evils like corruption; unnecessary borrowing culture, etc. What manner of a steward can we expect of a covetous person? To give stewardship responsibilities to a covetous person is like giving a hyena the responsibility of herding the sheep.

Envying the Prosperity of the Wicked

Envy and covetousness are closely related. We were once walking with a sister in Christ along a road in Kisumu, Kenya when she pointed me to some magnificent buildings. She commented: "We are the children of the King, we are the ones who are supposed to live in such houses. I am looking forward to when the Lord will transfer the wealth of the ungodly to us." In my judgement, the lady had just displayed some signs of covetousness.

There are many ways we can spiritualise covetousness to the extent of vindicating it. Some people can enthusiastically quote the scripture, albeit aberrantly, to justify depravity.

We read in the Bible about Asaph who realized the folly of envying the unrighteous.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

—Psalm 73:2-3.

In verse 25, he says, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Judging from this, Asaph loved God. That he almost lost it by way of envying the prosperity of the wicked, shows how powerful a distraction envy and covetousness are.

Watch out! The moment you begin to envy the prosperity of the wicked, you are at the verge of becoming wicked yourself. That is why Asaph acknowledged that his steps almost slipped. He 'woke up' just in time to reconcile with God. If we continue on the path of covetousness, it doesn't matter how spiritual we seem to be, in fact, we would use our piety to spiritualize extortion; justify indulgence, and commercialize the ministry.

When we see a crowd, how do we look at it? Do we see a market or souls? We commercialize the ministry when instead of seeing souls needing the Lord's salvation, we see market needing our products. It is true that some believers are doing business of some kind and are therefore justified to see market in people. Nevertheless, it is better to interpret a crowd as souls so that even as we buy and sell services and products to them, we would be keen to find a way of introducing them to the Saviour.

Some believers admire the prosperity of the wicked because of the power the rich wield. Most of the times we can see that things are really working for the ungodly, but we have to remember that the temporariness of their advantage can be likened to a stone that is thrown into the space. When we throw a stone into the space, the power of our thrust will make it look like gravity has lost any claim over it, but slowly, natural law will give back power to the gravity. The stone will come back to the ground, guaranteed. The ungodly may have power to compromise things in your favour, but there is a law that will ultimately catch up with them. They will come down, guaranteed! A time is coming when the laws of God will make the ultimate ruling: Anyone who corruptly and fraudulently acquired wealth must be abased.

The Bible says that the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Believers should avoid two things: stop admiring the prosperity of others—including that of other believers. The next thing is to stop borrowing unnecessarily from the rich. When we stop envying and unnecessary borrowing, it will limit the chances of being held at ransom by rich. The apostle James reminds us "...Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? (James 2:6).

God's Favour Translates Work Into Success

Without God's favour, we can as well break our back toiling and nothing will come out of it. This is what the prophet Haggai said: "Ye have sown much, and bring in little" (Hag. 1:6). We own what we own and are what we are primarily because of favour and secondarily because of work. Therefore, we owe what we own to the One who grants us the possibilities and abilities.

We cannot explain favour nor demand it, we can only request it. God's favour is a mystery because it rests on His discretion which He often doesn't justify. Like He says about mercy: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom. 9:15), He can as well say: I will favour whom I will favour. I can figure out the question that runs in the reader's mind, and it is this: Does God play favourites? God indeed plays favourite, and this is not a problem. He doesn't favour like man does. He favours for responsibility and not for privilege. If God showed you the favour He intends to grant you against the responsibility that goes with it, you may as well not get over-excited.

If we continue on the path of covetousness, it doesn't matter how spiritual we seem to be, in fact, we would use our piety to spiritualize extortion; justify indulgence, and commercialize the ministry.

If we envy people because of the favour God has bestowed upon them, we are setting ourselves against God Himself. We also forget that for every favour there is a great responsibility and accountability. If we forget about the privileges of favour and look at its responsibilities, we may think twice about envying people who enjoy God's favour.

If we can't see the responsibilities that come with favour in someone's life, it may be because the favoured person has gone for privileges and forsaken the responsibilities. We wouldn't envy such a person when he is finally called upon to give an account before God. God will not require of us to explain how much we appropriated the privileges but how much we discharged our responsibilities.

It requires God's favour to translate work into success, otherwise we can work and work and get nothing out of it. That said, there is no denying that some people have worked so hard to be what they are and to have what they have. The harder we work, the more we will be in a position to know the value of what we have. This is why works and grace supplement each other.

It is important however, for the hard-worker to remain humble and recognise that God's favour played part in his success. People who have had an easy ride to success may think that those who are struggling are probably accursed while those who have worked their way hard to success may think that the strugglers may not have worked hard enough. This trend of thought shrouds the favour factor that explains God's workings which often influences things from the background.

Most of the times we envy people and covet what they have without regarding the work behind their success; the time they have invested and the discipline they endured.

A person who has worked harder and longer should naturally own more than someone who hasn't worked as much. Envying people who have made it may lead to us falling for scams like get rich quick or compromising our integrity by taking shortcuts. We read in Proverbs 28:20: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."

Covetousness and envy would make us despise what we have. If this happens, we will not thank God for what we already have. Be wary of covetousness; it has the power to turn wants into needs and needs into wantonness.

Because of envy and covetousness, many people choose luxurious life without having the means to finance it. The problem is that they force others to finance it for them. The more we crave for what is beyond our current means the more we are moving closer to the territories of a compromised life. The danger is that we may not tell when we finally cross the border.

The bottom line: Anyone ruled by the spirit of covetousness is guaranteed to fail as a steward. If we always remember the responsibility of stewardship, we will be in a position to manage the privileges of God's favours. On the day of accounting, it will not be about how we enjoyed the privileges but how we executed our responsibilities.

The apostle Paul's exhortation and warning summarizes the matter:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

—1 Timothy 6:6-10.

When Weights and Measures Aren't Standardized

When weights and balances are not standardized, a tricky question that quickly arises is: how much profit ought we to make? In farming, the good soil can give hundredfold, and even more (Matt. 13:8). We also know that there are some business undertakings that give unlimited returns without the businessman necessarily exploiting his customers. For example, it is my policy to make my books affordable as much as possible. Regardless of the low price, if I could sell millions of copies, I would profit more than hundredfold. Should this happen, I would need to let the Holy Spirit talk to me how I should give back something.

When we lack the standardized rule, we have to ask ourselves, where does over-charging come in? I heard two testimonies, one a few months after I got saved, the other, just recently. In the first one, a servant of God had bought a bed that he intended to use. He later realized that he needed money for an urgent matter. He decided to sell the bed. I can't remember exactly at what price he said he bought the bed, neither do I remember at what price he sold it. What I remember is that he got much more than he bought it at to the extent that he gave a testimony how God remarkably blessed him. He maintained that it was a miracle for somebody to have accepted to buy the bed at the price he charged.

Could the above have been taking advantage of consumer ignorance? Suppose the buyer later found out that a new bed of the kind was costing less than what he paid for the second hand one, will he not accuse the servant of God for 'overcharging' him?

In the second testimony I heard recently, a renowned servant of God was testifying how he impulsively bought a car at an auction. He later realized that the car had a problem and that it would be extremely expensive to run. He decided to quickly sell it before the problem got worse. He didn't of course tell the new buyer of the problem that car had. If he did, he would lose money. Because the new buyer didn't suspect anything, the servant of God made a huge profit out of the car. He praised God for turning things around for him, kind of alluding to Romans 8:28. He thanked God for boosting him financially in what could have been a misadventure.

There is a danger that sometimes we invoke God's name in things that He may scold. In Proverbs 11:1, the Bible says, "A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight" (see also Lev. 19:36; Prov. 16:11, 20:23; Ezek. 45:10; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11).

We are wont to take advantage of one another in the bargain as we buy and sell, especially when there is no clear standard. A buyer can take advantage of a seller's desperation; a seller can take advantage of a buyer's ignorance. This ought not to be so, especially for believers.

The best way to control the 'weight and balance' where there is no standardized way to determine the buying and selling prices is to use Christ's golden rule: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Luke 6:31). A warning derivative of the said golden rule is also true: Don't do to others what you'd not have them do to you. If we are guided by this virtue, the guiding principle will be:

If we can't buy it at the price we demand for it, then it is wrong to sell it at that price simply because we realize we can take advantage of the buyer.

Likewise, if we can't sell it at the price we want to buy it, then it is wrong to buy it at that price simply because we realize we can take advantage of the seller.

It is not wrong, however, if the buyer himself willingly accepts to pay more, or if a seller willingly accepts to charge less.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. If you covet in your heart and doesn't do anything with it, is it still sin?

2. How do you tell whether you are just naturally admiring something or coveting it?

3. Asaph confessed that he almost slipped because he envied the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 73).

a) What about envying the prosperity of the righteous—what is your take about this?

b) What are the characteristics of the prosperity of the righteous?

c) In what ways can a wicked prosperity be 'spiritualized' to beguile believers?

4. Do you have something (or are you something) that somebody might be envying? What happens if you fail to recognize what you have and are as you envy others for what they are and have?

5. Is there a favour in your life that you are aware of? What do you do with your favours?

6. A rich man may see something admirable in the neigbourhood, instead of 'coveting' it, he goes and buys his. Does this mean rich people may not be as covetous as poor people as far as material things are concerned?

7. If you always remember the responsibilities of stewardship, how will this help you manage the privileges of God's favours?

—Chapter 14—

GREED AND SELFISHNESS:

Wanting to Have Everything for Self

"Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter."

—Isaiah 56:11.

Having more than enough is not enough for a greedy person but contentment gives rest to him who understands that there is more to life than the pursuit of possessions.

Jesus Refuses to Arbitrate Between Feuding Brothers

If one is already wealthy and still restlessly pursues wealth, it is a proof that material possessions do not fulfil. We can have our life full of things without being fulfilled, for it is one thing to be full and it is another to be fulfilled. Material possessions cannot be enough. One of the human traits is that of finding pleasure in accumulating wealth around himself. The bane of man is that he accumulates money he will never use; amasses land he will never cultivate; buys things he will never utilise, etc.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity... and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

—Ecclesiastes 5:10-11.

If only we could accept the counsel of the One who created the things we run through life chasing, life would be a lot easier to live and bear. We had already mentioned about a man who had come to Jesus complaining that his brother had declined to share the inheritance with him. Let me revisit this case and highlight some issues about the matter. The man wanted the Lord Jesus to prevail upon his brother to share the inheritance (Luke 12:13-15). Refusing to arbitrate between them, Jesus spoke to them generally and parabolically so that both of them could decide what to do based on what each understood from the parable.

Before He went parabolic, Jesus told them blatantly: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Lk. 12:15).

The story of the two brothers is one of the cases in the Bible that leave me scratching my head. The man seemed to have had a noble request—or didn't he? I would have expected Jesus to tell the brother who refused to share to stop being selfish, but He didn't. On the surface, Jesus seemed to have compounded the problem for the man who sought help more than helping him. Did Jesus mean to make him leave the inheritance to the 'greedy' brother?

Jesus definitely knew something about the two brothers that we are not told. Why did He generalise instead of being specific? Was He speaking to the man who reported his brother, or was He speaking to the brother who refused to share? Assuming that the reported brother was present, the following might have been the reason Jesus chose to talk to both of them:

i) The man might have been already wealthy enough that it was not necessary to feud for more wealth. If this was the case, the man was following up the inheritance because of an insatiable desire to have more, hence covetousness. Perhaps his brother was not doing as well as him even after refusing to let him share part of the inheritance. If that was not the case, Jesus' answer implies that it is wrong to be driven by the spirit of covetousness even if he was pursuing his right. The Lord must have taken the opportunity to challenge him to deal with the vice of covetousness.

ii) Another possibility was that Jesus must have been maintaining His radical teaching where He said, "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" (Matt. 5:40). In other words, He was discouraging His followers from feuding over material things.

iii) We are not told why the brother didn't want to share. If it was sheer greed, though Jesus' answer sounds like He was discouraging the one who reported his brother from feuding over wealth, He equally never spared the one who wouldn't share.

"There is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."

—Mahatma Gandhi.

We read at the beginning of Luke chapter12 that there was a great crowd at the place. When the man reported his brother, he actually interrupted the Lord as He was teaching the crowd. Jesus used the occasion not only to teach the crowd about the folly of feuding over material things but also the imprudence of thinking that abundance secures the future. His warning after the parable, "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (v. 21) is a confirmation that he was not just addressing the two brothers but everybody.

It is not clear if the brother who wouldn't share was also present among the crowd. It can also be possible that the brother who reported the case had wanted Jesus to go find the brother and advise him. But even if he was not at the place and Jesus never went to meet him, it is possible that he heard what Jesus said from people who were present.

Whatever the case, there are two possible ways by which the two brothers would interpret what Jesus was saying. Their interpretation would be influenced by two questions:

i) What does it mean to me?

ii) What does it mean to my brother?

Depending on how selfish each one of them was, they might have shunned the question: what does Jesus teaching mean to me? Instead, they might have settled for: what does Jesus teaching mean to my brother? Because there was greed and covetousness in the picture, there was a call for repentance. One can only repent when one hears what the Lord tells him as a person and not what He is telling others.

If neither of them repented, the following is likely to have been the interpretation of what Jesus was telling them, directing the interpretation to each other:

The brother who won't share:

You heard what Jesus said, that your life does not consist of the abundance of your possessions. So stop covetousness; stop feuding with me over the inheritance! It will not make your life better.

The brother who wanted a share of the inheritance:

You heard what Jesus said, that your life does not consist of the abundance of your possessions. So stop greed; stop keeping the inheritance for yourself! It will not make your life better.

If on the other hand each of the two brothers personalised what Jesus was saying, they would repent and the following would be the interpretation each is likely to come up with:

The brother who won't share:

I heard what Jesus said, that my life does not consist of the abundance of my possessions. Therefore, I have to stop greed and feuding with my brother over the inheritance! It will not make my life better. I will give my brother his share.

The brother who wanted a share of the inheritance:

I heard what Jesus said that my life does not consist of the abundance of my possessions. Therefore, I must stop covetousness and feuding with my brother over the inheritance. He can keep the inheritance; I will keep my focus on spiritual matters. That is what will make my life better.

If the interpretation where each one of them is preoccupied by what Jesus told his brother prevailed, the two brothers would continue feuding. If on the other hand each one was concerned with what Jesus told him as a person, their interpretation would lead to repentance and the end of the feud. A good steward must be one who reminds himself of what the Lord Jesus told him personally and not waiting for others to 'force' him to consider what the Lord said.

Greed Knows No Rest

If we have been working so hard, whether under the supervision our own conscience or the supervision of somebody else, we would love to hear the word: Enough! In that context, the word enough means rest. If we can pursue the material things of this world without at one point hearing the word enough, we will never know rest. This is why King Solomon advised: "Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom" (Prov. 23:4). Some Bible translations render it as follows: "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint."

Good stewardship needs rest and reflection. If we are in tune with the Creator and understand the purpose of life, we wouldn't be enslaved by materialism. If allowed to come into someone's life, greed always assumes the position of a master and the person becomes a slave. One of the characteristics of a slave is overworking.

We read in Proverbs 11:24, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." It takes a lot of work to withhold what was meant to be scattered. The reason is that one of the natural ways to secure what is withheld is to buffer them. Buffering them means one has to acquire more to cushion what he has already accumulated. This is how the greedy lose freedom and rest.

It is paradoxical that one can scatter so much yet tend to increment while withhold yet tend to poverty. Part of the explanation for this paradox is that poverty is not measured by how little one has but how much one disregard what he already has. In the same way, wealth is not measured by how much one has but how little one regards what one doesn't have. In other words, anyone who doesn't allow what he doesn't have to cause him to lose sleep is a rich person.

For greed, having more than enough is not enough. Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said that there can be enough for all of us but not enough for one greedy person. It is also attributed to him to have said: "There is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."

We need to work hard in order to discipline ourselves in the way we relate with money because money is a necessity. The world has increasingly become monetary—we need money at every turn. It will therefore claim the right to dictate our pace and place in life. When we allow it to follow, it is a sluggish and reluctant follower; when we allow it to lead, it is a fast runner and has a stamina to hold out for a long distance stretch. However slow it follows, the place of money is back. We are sure to get it wrong the moment we start chasing after money.

Corruption: A Perfect Recipe for Troubled Life

When greed marries covetousness, they give birth to corruption, an offspring that eats and eats but never gets satisfied. Make no mistake about it! There is no chance for a corrupt steward unless he realizes sooner rather than later the folly and anathema of corruption and repents forthwith. Wealth accumulated through corruption is a wealth of wickedness of which the Bible says:

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

—Proverbs 13:7.

It is better to be kept poor by integrity than be made rich by corruption, and it is better to be poor happy than be rich sad. The Bible is awash with warnings against corrupt gains. It doesn't matter how well one seems to do, if his wealth is from corruption, he will lack the inner joy. It will also be a question of time before his misery explodes into the open. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:27: "He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live."

Greed takes every advantage including taking advantage of the disadvantaged to acquire more. The Bible warns: "Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate" (Prov. 22:22). I once stopped a man who wanted a bribe from an old helpless lady who had gone for her ID card. I told the man he had a job and he ought to be the one to give the poor old lady something. The man was wroth with me.

There are so many rich countries in terms of resources but because of corruption, their people wallow in poverty while a few wax in reaches. If you do research you will find that such nations are troubled. The rich live in a haunting fear while the majority of the citizens live in a daunting poverty. The Bible says that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). May I repeat: A nation that allows greed to flourish in the form of corruption will never develop, it doesn't matter how much resources they have.

Bribery? No thanks! Neither give nor take.

What is Your Price Tag?

Everyone has a price tag! I once saw a discussion on internet forum where a lady had asked on behalf of her friend if it was alright to agree to go to bed with a man who was willing to pay US$ 1 million. If it is true that somebody made that kind of offer, then the lady's conscience was still alive and active for her to have asked for advice. If her conscience was not alive, she could have just gone ahead without letting anybody know. But, on the other hand, the fact that she asked for advice also means that she entertained the idea, otherwise, she could have promptly and blatantly refused to enter into a bargain with her conscience. The weight of the offer seemed to have pressed down her conscience—it might have just been a question of time before her conscience would crash under the weight of $1million.

In October 2012, a 21-year-old Brazilian model, Catarina Migliorini, auctioned off her virginity to the highest bidder. She reportedly sold her virginity for $780,000 to a Japanese millionaire identified only as 'Natsu'.

She later came out again to claim that she never received the money and the deal was never consummated. She was still going ahead with the auction and was accepting a minimum bid of $100,00 but hoped to make $1.5 million (1)

Sex is the most wonderful gift God gave to mankind. Its value is enshrined in its expression of mutual love between a man and a woman. The irony is that if it is offered as an item of trade, it becomes an abuse of the body and self—a curse rather than a blessing. That somebody is willing to pay that big money to a lady who is selling her sexuality shows how the devil will give anything material to steal man's heritage with God.

When greed marries covetousness, they give birth to corruption—an offspring that eats and eats but never gets satisfied.

For those who are wholly committed to Christ know that the price tag and worth of their life is the Blood of Christ. They honour the covenant of life, sealed by the Blood of Jesus by not allowing anything to contaminate their life. They cannot be bought by money, the amount notwithstanding, or anything else for that matter. They understand that Jesus did not threaten but warned when He said:

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

—Mark 8:36-37.

We should not allow ourselves be tempted and intimidated like Balaam. He started well the first time Balak king of Moab sent a delegation to him. He refused to curse the Children of Israel. But on the second visit, unlike the first where Balak sent the elders of Moab and Midian, he now sent princes—more honourable. The Bible also records that they were numerous. To get Balaam to compromise, the reward would also be as generous as the nobility was pompous. In fact, Balaam was allowed to name his price.

And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.

—Numbers 22:15-19.

On the surface, he sounded determined not to go against God's will when he said: "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more" (v.18). It turned out that Balaam did not speak out of conviction. His immediate action was not compatible with what he said. In verse 19, he asked the delegation to wait for him as he went to inquire from God. This was not necessary because he couldn't have expected God to have changed His mind over the matter. He turned out to be a very bad steward going by the number of bulls they were purportedly sacrificing unto God. Those bulls lives were wasted, God never required those sacrifices.

It was clear that he did all that because he was indeed tempted and was finding a religious way to get the wages of unrighteousness. His heart's inclination to Balak's reward turned him from being a prophet of God to a soothsayer (Josh. 13:22).

[False prophets] have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

—2 Peter 2:15.

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

—Jude 1:11.

It is clear that nothing, the whole world included, should buy us. In Mark 8:36-37 we saw above, we are warned that we should not get or give anything to exchange with our soul. Yes, we have a price tag and the price is beyond the material world. Our price is the Blood of Jesus—this I must repeat. This being the case, isn't it ridiculous that some people sell their souls so cheaply? That some people even pay to lose their soul is a mysterious insanity.

From the above we realize that it is extremely cheap to defraud some millions and by so doing sell one's soul. What John the Baptist told his audience was therefore very minimal requirement of being stewards of integrity:

Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

—Luke. 3:12-14.

Greed Doesn't Give Back Change

It doesn't matter how much money somebody has, we must give him back the change unless he tells us to keep it. It also doesn't matter how little the change was. People who keep change without being told to, usually start with small amounts. It later grows. I call it robbery without violence. Many change-keepers assume that the person whose change they are keeping wouldn't mind, or perhaps he was not expecting it back.

This vice is extremely common in some societies, especially among relatives or friends. Is the word vice too strong for the simple thing of keeping the change? If we feel that keeping the change is not a big deal, that is when we need to remember that the 'size' can deceive. Something doesn't need to be big to irritate. A small stone inside a shoe is enough to hurt relentlessly. Sometimes it is not the size that matters, rather it is what the size represents. If we don't give back change, the question is, why?

I once read a story that can help us understand how the size can deceive. A servant of God was preaching in a congregation when he talked about some very minor details of being faithful. Being a guest speaker, he wasn't acquainted with his audience. The following day, he boarded a bus and after paying, the bus driver refunded him the change. As he walked to his seat, he alternately checked the receipt and the change in his hand. Meanwhile, the driver was checking him on the mirror to see if he would try to reconcile the change and the receipt. The passenger man of God realized that he had been refunded more. But the extra was so little—some few cents. He reasoned in his heart that it wasn't a big deal. The amount was so little that it couldn't bring any accounting problem to the bus driver. He almost sat down when the Holy Spirit whispered to him to refund the money to the driver since the idea that the amount was insignificant wasn't the issue. He went back to the driver and told him that he had over-refunded him. The bus driver told him that it was deliberate. He was in the meeting the previous day and never believed the preacher that one can be so pious even with petty things. "Now I believe that you practice what you preach, and I am challenged to live the kind of life you exhorted us to live," the bus driver concluded.

The trickiest test of our faithfulness is not how we account for the big things, rather it is by the way we account for the small things.

At one time, we were undergoing some financial crisis as a family. I had gone to shop in a food store. After the lady at the counter checked my wares through, she gave me Norwegian Krones (Kr.) 500,- I didn't even take the money in my hand but in a flash of a moment, the devil had bombarded me with 'good reasons' why I needed to take the money:

This lady is not a Christian. She doesn't give tithe and doesn't give offerings. God has blessed her with a job but there is nothing she gives back to God. It is just fair that God has caused her to give you the money. She will still have enough to sort herself out after making up for the shortfall in her accounting.

That whisper from the devil confirms the fact that he will always try even where he should know he has no chance. It is like when he tempted the Lord Jesus, couldn't he figure out that he had no chance to get Christ to give in to his temptation? It didn't matter how badly off we were, I couldn't just take the money. I told the lady that I was the one to pay her and not the other way round. She was grateful for my honesty. I felt so good inside of me—better than I would have felt if I took her money.

Mr. Hare and Mr. Eagle: A Story of the Wages of Greed

Let me use a fable to explain how greed can be short-sighted. Mr. Hare got an invitation to visit the moon. The adventurous Hare really wanted to honour the invitation but he didn't know how to get there. One day he met his friend Mr. Eagle and explained to him his helplessness.

Of course Mr. Eagle would help—how did he not think about it earlier? They agreed that they will travel together. He would ride on the back of Mr. Eagle. The journey was planned and everything was set.

On the material day, they left very early, aiming to reach the moon before noon. The unsuspecting Eagle didn't know what the cunning Hare was up to when the latter introduced his new name upon arrival. He told Mr. Eagle, "From now on, my name is called Guests." Mr. Eagle never bothered to find out why the change of name.

Hungry and tired from the long journey, Mr Hare thought it would be a good idea to have all the food and drinks for himself. He forgot that Mr. Eagle was hungrier and more tired than him after having bore Mr. Hare's weight and flapped his wings all the way for the steep climb to the moon.

Mr. Hare told Mr. Eagle that they should act civilized and not just assume that whatever was brought into their room were theirs. Mr. Hare took upon himself to be asking whenever something was brought in.

Moments later after their arrival, food and drinks were brought.

Mr. Hare: Whose foods are these?

Host: The foods are for the guests!

Mr. Hare: What about the drinks?

Host: The drinks too are for the guests.

Whenever the host announced that the food was for the guests, Mr Hare would happily and insensitively announce to Mr. Eagle that the food was his (Mr. Guests). In this way, Mr. 'Guests' ate all the lunch and supper and drunk all the accompanying drinks. The poor Eagle watched and starved while the greedy Mr. 'Guests' feasted on food and drinks that were meant for both of them.

It is better to be kept poor by integrity than be made rich by corruption, and it is better to be poor happy than be rich sad.

Mr. Hare had forgotten who made it possible for him to get to the moon. After starving for the whole day and night, Mr. Eagle had had enough of Mr. "Guests" greed. Annoyed, he woke up very early the following morning and left while Mr. "Guests" was still asleep. When he finally woke up, Mr. Eagle was nowhere.

When the time came for Mr. Hare also to leave, he had no means. He had to fall all the way from the moon to the earth. Upon landing, he broke his limbs and his bulging stomach almost burst—he almost died. What a price to pay for greed!

The Bible says, "Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith" (Prov. 15:16). In the same way, isn't it better to have just enough in the stomach, with limbs intact, than have a bulging stomach with broken limbs? It is a pity to have a bulging stomach but not the limbs to suspend it from ground.

How many cases exist of people who overwork their servants (employees) as they starve them of sleep and food? By doing this, they don't realise that this will only be counterproductive. In the long run, they will be the ones to pay the price. Greed doesn't even pay the right wage for the work done.

Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work.

—Jeremiah 22:13.

Greed Eliminates Common Sense

Greed deprives men of common sense; wisdom then becomes a mirage. For example, someone gives us a loaf of bread. He instructs us to pass the other half to a certain person, but because of greed, we decide to keep the whole bread. The common sense tells us that if we faithfully shared what we were asked to share, the giver will trust us and will use us repeatedly as a conduit. In the process of being a conduit, we will always benefit.

I know a case where a man had decided to be frequently sending his brother some hand-outs. He would also use him to deliver part of the money to their mother. At one point the brother failed to deliver Kshs 2 000/- when his share was Kshs. 10 000. By so doing the brother who sent the money got annoyed and stopped the regular Kshs 10 000 that he used to send his brother. Think about it, losing 10 000 because of 2 000!

I read a story of a young boy who was being routinely teased by some senior boys in their school. The big boys would offer him Kr. 10 and Kr. 5 coins simultaneously and ask him to choose one. In terms of size the Kr. 5 coin is bigger than the Kr. 10 coin. Whenever he was offered to choose between the Kr. 5 coin and the Kr. 10 coin, he would take the Kr. 5 coin.

The seniors knew that the young boy was supposed to be old enough to tell that the Kr. 10 coin was of more value despite its relatively smaller size. Whenever the young boy took the Kr. 5 instead of Kr. 10, they would laugh at him amused at how he was a fool, otherwise, how could he go for the size instead of the value? They used to do this frequently, deriving pleasure from this manifest foolishness on the side of the boy. Anytime they offered him the choice and he took the Kr. 5, they would laugh at him as they go their way.

One day the big boys met an old man. Wanting to share the fun with him, they pointed at the approaching young boy and told him that the poor chap doesn't know that Kr. 10 coin is of more value than the Kr. 5 coin. The old man objected, saying that the young boy was old enough to tell the difference. They offered to prove to him that the boy was a fool. They offered the boy the 2 coins and asked him to choose one. As expected, he chose the Kr. 5. The big boys laughed as they walked away.

The old man was amused. After the boys had left, he asked the 'foolish' boy why he took a coin of low value instead of the one of higher value. The boy asked him to promise not let the big boys know why he always choose the smaller value. He told the old man that he knows that the day he will take the Kr. 10, that would be the end of the big boys offering him money. Otherwise, as they laughed at him, he had saved a lot from the big boys.

The young boy must be commended for effectively resisting greed that could have given him a momentary bigger gratification. It was well-thought of him to take little by little each time he got the offer. Resist greed and you may as well be wiser than the one who thinks you are a fool.

If we put words in the works of greed in order to describe its folly, there are cases where we may come up with a statement like: I would rather remain poor than be given a lot of money and expected to be faithful with it. If you are given 1 million and allowed to use 10% don't take 11%. Because there is a lot of money in your hand, don't start to focus your eyes on things that you cannot afford with your own money. The money is not yours and you must not budget with it. If you can't afford what you want with your money, don't try to buy it with someone's money. It is simple: don't torture your mind by thinking about things you can't afford.

One of the most surprising stories of common sense taking leave is the parable Jesus told in Luke 20:9-16 (also Mark 12:1-9):

... A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others...

Although the subject matter of what Christ was talking about is stashed away in the parabolic value of the story, but we can see greed in the story's literal value. The parable was not unrealistic, except that it expresses gross lack of judgement on the part of the farmers to whom the vineyard was leased. How on earth did they convince themselves that they will get away with their mischief? They even killed the son and expected that they would inherit the vineyard. Why did they behave as if the owner of the vineyard would just accept and move on? Isn't it interesting that they arrived at the decision to kill the son after reasoning among themselves?

The story above shows how human beings can deceive themselves to the point of exterminating an unwanted reality from their consciousness—this they do to their own peril. If only one of them called out and challenged them to think: What about the owner of the vineyard, what will he do with us after we have killed the son? It couldn't have needed deep thoughts to figure out the folly of what they were planning to do. Even after they started executing their evil plans, they never woke up to the reality of the futility of their depravity.

It doesn't matter how long it takes, and how much we possess what is in our custody, a time will come for us to give an account.

Greedy at the Top, Generous at the Bottom

The idea of greedy at the top is such that people who are rich—they are at the top—are not generous to share. On the contrary, people who are poor—they are at the bottom—are generous enough to share with each other.

The curse of greed is in its lack of contentment. There is always something to crave for regardless of how much a greedy person already has. For example, a person who is already doing well may set his eyes on buying a car, or build a house, or any other big project. He may realize that he is falling short of what he wanted. Instead of waiting until he gets the needed funds, he may retain part of the wages of his struggling employees in order to meet his goal. This perversity should not be named among believers.

People who are poor tend to be more interdependent than those who are rich who feel like they don't need much from others. The latter are therefore wont to close other people out of their territory.

"Discontentment makes rich people poor, while contentment makes poor people rich."

—Mart De Haan.

There tends to be a positive correlation between greed and wealth. Back and forth, we can easily trace and justify one in the other. What this means is that there are people who are greedy because they are rich, and there people who are rich because they are greedy. Those who are greedy because they are rich are the ones who overprotect their wealth. They think that anyone coming close to them are after their wealth—and more often, rightly so. Those who are rich because they are greedy are the ones that have been able to accumulate the wealth because they shunned their responsibilities to people around them. They accumulate everything including things they were supposed to distribute.

A story is told of a very wealthy man who had never been known to be generous to his local church. The church was in some financial need. A committee assigned the responsibility of raising the funds decided to make a personal appeal to him. When the committee met him one afternoon, they shared with him the church's need. They told him that in view of his vast resources, they were certain that it wouldn't be a problem for him to make some substantial contribution. The conversation that ensued went something like the following:

Rich Man (RM): Well! So you have it all figured out, haven't you? In the course of your investigation did you find out that I have a widowed mother who has no other means of support but me?"

Church Committee (CC): No, we didn't know that!

RM: Did you know that I have a jobless sister who was left by a drunken husband with five children and no means to provide for them?

CC: No, we didn't know that either!

RM: Well, good people, did you know also that I have a brother who is crippled due to an automobile accident and can never work another day to support his wife and family?

CC: (Embarrassed) No sir, we did not know that either.

RM: (feeling triumphant) Well, I've never given any of them a cent so why should I give anything to you?

Towards the end of the catalogue of excuses, the church committee might have felt that the man had enough reasons not to be expected to contribute anything substantial. But look at it again. We may not know how rich this man was, what we can bet is that there are so many people out there who may not be as rich, yet they have responsibilities and at the same time, they would participate in giving for the church financial needs.

The story above tells us that there are people who are rich, but this is not because wealth is overtaking them as they pursue the purposes of God. Rather, they are rich because of greed and selfishness. This story almost re-enacts Jesus' parable of the rich young ruler.

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

—Luke 18:18-25.

The Good Samaritan: An Exception or a Rule?

Consider this paradox: If we are not generous poor, we will never be generous rich. There are many people who think that they cannot share what they have because they don't have enough. They convince themselves that they will start sharing when they have enough or when they become rich. The reality however is different. As we have seen above, the rich people are more likely to close the needy out of their life. That brings me to consider the story of the Good Samaritan which was prompted by a lawyer asking Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

—Luke 10:30-37.

The man must have been extremely rich and exceptionally generous. After paying the host of the inn, note what he told him in vs. 35b "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee". You don't tell a businessman to determine how much to sell to you, for you can be sure he will lavish you with way more than you need.

Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, captured the essence of the importance of money when she rightly observed that the story of the Good Samaritan could not have been told if he was poor.

There are people who are greedy because they are rich, and there those who are rich because they are greedy.

When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, He didn't create an impression he was spiritually inspired to prompt him to have he compassion he had on the injured man. This points to the fact that it is natural and human to be compassionate. This is why the Bible says,

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

—Ephesians 2:10.

We were predestined to do good works. That is one of the things that define our 'humanity.' Isn't it paradoxical therefore that religious people—people who have been reconciled to God's original purpose, can pass by a person in need and not show compassion?

In the story of the Good Samaritan, we find both an exception and a rule, depending on one's perspective. Our original disposition was preordained to be that of compassion. To exude this, the Good Samaritan way should therefore be a rule. On the other hand, because the devil contaminated our original disposition, it has become 'normal' for the rich to hold so tight to their wealth. There is just too many needy in the world that if the rich were to be compulsively generous, they may not have their riches.

Like the Good Samaritan, our possession should help us put our compassion into practice. In a religious context, we readily understand that we are responsible for the welfare of our neighbour but it is a pity that what we readily understand we are reluctant to undertake. Is it any wonder that Jesus used a story of a "non-believer" to emphasise the seriousness of our reluctance?

We must not forget that the story of the Good Samaritan was told in the context of bad members of the society—thieves. Too bad for people who have decided to rob and steal. If people who didn't help the robbed man were castigated, what will become of the robbers themselves? It may help to know that robbery is not confined to people who take away other people's possessions. Robbers include people who take away or block other people's opportunities to make a living. This means that there are poor people who are struggling because the ruling elite and the corporate world have made policies that are meant to keep the poor poor.

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."—Dom Hélder Câmara.

Our stewardship is not just to provide for the needs of the poor. It also involves asking why they are poor.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important lesson you have learnt from this chapter?

2. How do you test yourself against the vice of greed and selfishness?

3. I made a statement above that a nation that allows corruption to flourish will never develop, it doesn't matter how much resources they have.

a) There is a country that is arguably the richest in the world in terms of resources. Because of greed, corruption and political instability, this country is not developed. Do you know what country it is?

b) What other countries can you group under "rich" yet "poor"? What is the cause of their 'poverty'?

c) In what ways can we also say that a person is "rich" yet "poor" because of corruption?

4. People who are greedy may not readily accept that they are greedy. What are some of the characteristics of greed that can help you steer clear from unwittingly entering its territories?

5. Greed doesn't pay, it costs! In what ways will greed cost?

6. It is common for people to perceive that what Jesus is teaching is relevant to others more than it is to them. What re the dangers of doing this?

7. A young man had left the dining table to answer the telephone in the sitting room. When he came back, his brother had eaten all the food. In a struggling family without enough food, he had nothing to turn to. Annoyed, he roared: "And which dog gulped all the food?" "Who are you calling me a dog?" The brother responded. The result was that they fought viciously.

a) Who was to blame and why?

b) What would you have done if you were either of the two?

c) What was the root problem here: Lack or greed?

8. If someone asked you: "Are you greedy? What would you answer? If a greedy person is asked: "Are you greedy?" What do you think he will answer? Supposing that you anticipate that he will deny that he is greedy, what does this tell you about your own answer when the same question was put to you?

—Chapter 15—

CONSUMER CULTURE:

Buying Habits in Conformity With Social and Psychological Dictates

"When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?"

—Ecclesiastes 5:11.

The mass production and aggressive advertisement in our times have resulted in an onslaught on the consumers, couching them into a more selfish and insatiable relationship with the material goods.

Mass Production and Mass Consumption

The concept of consumer culture may be technical for some people. Simply put, consumer culture describes how our economy is influenced by our buying habits and the pleasure we derive from owning things. Market dynamics, advertisements, social dynamics and purchasing power all contribute to our buying habits. It is also important to mention that there is a two-way traffic here, that is to say, our economy affects our buying habits and our buying habits affect our economy.

Because of mass production of industrial products, there is a need for a mass consumption. All spanners must be thrown into the works to create the needed market. The producers do not produce necessarily because there is demand for their product, rather, they produce because they know they will make people want, if not crave for, their products. Because of this, there has been remarkable attention to advertising. Most of these ads engage psychological mind games, entertainment, sponsorship of social activities, etc. The focus has changed from presenting information about a product to attracting the attention of the consumer; from introducing a product to seducing the potential customer. In some of them, there is a hybrid of information and entertainment, giving rise to the coinage, "infotainment." You are entertained with the aim to arrest your attention and in the process, inform or be reminded you about a product.

The financial fraternity has joined in to lubricate the wheels of consumption. Credit facilities, usually in form of credit cards, are available just for shopping. These have enabled people to keep pace with the trends in the consumer world. Because of all these, a good steward needs to be disciplined. He must cultivate a strong personality to resist being 'hypnotized.' He must have clear guiding principles to help him manage his relationship with the material world vis-à-vis the trending consumer products.

A good steward must also resist the lure of using the credit facilities without certainty of paying back at the right time.

Though there are people who are impulsive in buying things, some are structured and predictable. Basically, there are five factors that influence our buying habits:

i) Buying things because they are on sale;

ii) Buying things because they are trending;

iii) Buying things because of status and image;

iv) Buying things because of their utility and necessity;

v) Buying things because of their aesthetic value.

We will look at each one of them in turn and see how they influence our relationship with the material world. We will notice that first we need to be conscious about something and then, we need to work out means of managing it. Usually, we get so used to the culture around us that we may fail to scrutinize it to see if it might have elements that breach our commitment to the pursuit of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

It is important to mention upfront that not everything about consumer culture is wrong, but like any other culture, there tends to be popular mentality that drives it, hence pop culture. Stewardship needs discipline and discipline is not popular. Any believer who follows the popular way of living his life is certain to get it wrong in spiritual matters.

Buying Things Because They Are On Sale

If we don't have all the money we need, our buying habit may primarily be influenced by the price of what we are buying. It is a good financial management to save money by making purchases when things are on sale. Nevertheless, there is always a lure to buy things we don't need when they are on sale.

If a discount is as big as 70%, for example, chances are that some people will either buy something they don't need or if they do need it, they may buy too much of it. At one time, my wife came home with some products which I thought were not necessary. I asked her: "Why did you buy these?" She answered excitedly, "They were on sale!"

Strict financial managerial discipline means that we have to resist the temptation of "sales." But let this not be misunderstood: may I re-emphasize that it is indeed prudent to buy things when they are on sale, but there is no point buying things we don't need just because they were on sale.

Buying Things Because They Are Trending

There are people whose buying habits are influenced by the talk of the times. It can be a new product in the market or a fashion. The trending things can be very expensive. If we are not endowed, it is advisable to tame the taste we have for fashions.

Sometimes we may own something that is "outdated" but still works well. I remember we had a television set that we felt was becoming more of a relic than something to display on our living room. It was still working well, but we felt embarrassed because people had moved on to smart television sets. We were so conscious that whenever somebody came to visit us, they might have been wondering why we kept a relic for a TV. Even our children had asked us a number of times why we didn't have the kind of TV others were having.

The focus of advertisements have changed from presenting the information about a product to attracting the attention of a consumer; from introducing a product to seducing the potential customer.

Good stewardship means that we don't allow the ever updating products destabilize us to the extent that we don't appreciate and settle with what we have. We may not strive to keep the pace with the trend because, take for example the technological rapidity in improving products, we may buy something this week and not so long afterwards, they may introduce a very attractive and improved version of what we recently bought. If we don't strictly put our taste for new things under control, we may be forced to discard things that still work just fine.

The apostle Paul exhorts us to be content with what we have. Sometimes we may have only the basics for subsistence (Philipp. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6,8; Heb. 13:5).

Buying Things Because of Status and Image

Sometimes we buy things to identify with our position in the society. This can be a result of being malleable by public opinion on how our lifestyle ought to reflect on the things we buy. It can also be a voluntary practice where it is not the public opinion driving us but that we find it natural to 'live up to our status.'

I once talked to a friend who had joined politics. As a public figure, and one who had been elected to be the regional chairman of the main political party in a country, he told me that his lifestyle had to reflect his new position. In a country where Mercedes is celebrated as a car for people with power and wealth, he maintained that he had to acquire one in order to portray the right image.

The man was an upcoming businessman cum politician. He didn't have so much wealth at the time. It must have been a struggle for him to buy the car. And it didn't stop there. The kind of house he lived in had also to be compatible with his image.

The consumer culture masquerades among believers in another terminology. Many believers chase after wealth and image. These reflect in the material goods they gather around themselves. For believers, the idea is to portray themselves as blessed. The amount, glamour and magnificence of things they own are used as the yardstick to measure how blessed they are. This is a very dangerous attitude. If we don't stay alert, we can easily go overboard, falling for some of the characteristics of consumer culture which are not healthy for believers.

When we refuse to bow either to public expectations or natural affinity to identify with our high positions overtime, people will appreciate the virtue of humility in us, especially if we use what we could have used for luxuries to help the disadvantaged.

Buying Things Because of Their Utility and Necessity

If something is very useful, we may buy it even if the price is high. This is more so if it is something for everyday use. The only way to be good stewards over such things is to take good care of them so that they can serve us for a long time.

Necessities include those things that we need for the sustenance of life. In these circle of things, there are variations of pricings. We are advised to find and fit our consumption within our means.

In the introductory part of what he entitled Lessons From Royalty, Ravi Zaccharias of RZIM tells of a financial consultant by the name Ron Blue. He says that Ron is a very simple guy dealing with very complex issues. Some years ago, Ravi asked him, "What is it you have learned over all these years of giving people financial counsel and helping them to manage?" Ron answered, "One very simple principle is not to spend more than what you have." Just that! Sounds to me more of a common sense than a complex matter. But, as it is said, common sense is not always as common. Ron commented that people pay him a lot of money to tell them just that—don't spend more than you have.

Ravi must have been as impressed as he was surprised at the simplicity of the advice when he commented: "Just think of how different our economic climate would be today if people had obeyed that simple rule."

What Ron was saying, in other words, is that we have to make sure we don't spend what we don't have. We live in a generation of credit cards where there are large amounts of money at our disposal. This means that some can spend money they don't even have while others spend their money in advance. For those who cannot control their appetite for things and their urge to swipe the credit card, it is advisable not to secure one.

We must avoid, by all means, spending money faster than we receive it. We must remember the common sense captured by the saying: Cut your coat according to your size. This axiom ought to be an obvious counsel.

We must discipline ourselves to live within our means. If we can't afford it, we must forget it; we must not even think about it.

Buying Things Because of Their Aesthetic Value

There are things we buy because of their decorative characteristics and attractive disposition. These things may range from the pictures we hang on the wall to the design of our wall unit. They also include the packaging. I have found myself on many occasions buying something because I like the way it is packaged.

I was once visiting a friend when he showed me a framed painting on his wall. He was very proud of the painting. I asked him at how much he bought the painting and the answer shocked me—it was unbelievably expensive. It would have been an insult and insensitive to tell him that I would be reluctant to accept the painting as a gift. In other words, I wouldn't have spent any money on the painting.

Though we may love some work of art, it is impossible to resist the feeling that sometimes we may pour money on something that is ridiculously expensive. It is equally impossible to demarcate the boundary of what is reasonable and what is not. But it is possible to tell when one has trespassed deep into the unacceptable territory. May the Lord help us so that our discretion maybe influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Untamed consumerism stems from a spirit of covetousness. You want every good thing on display in the shops and those people have around you. Covetousness is like hypocrisy, there is always an element of it in the majority of people. There is always a thin boundary between appreciating the beauty of something and wishing in our heart that it was ours. Like I had already noted, there may not be a problem to be prompted to go buy something after seeing it with someone if we have both the money and the need for it. There is however a problem if we run after every good thing we see around.

Other Small Scale Influencers

Buying Things Because of Addiction

I have been involved in some part time job as a consultant for job seekers. Without jobs, our clients didn't have solid financial standing in which case, every cent counts. One of the areas we used to counsel them on is about financial management. We would compute and run a budget of both the essentials and 'non essentials.' It was amazing to see what people spend over time in things like cigarettes.

It doesn't matter how essential something is, addiction to anything is not healthy. Smokers may consider cigarettes as essential, but it is an 'essential' resulting from addiction—and it is something one can live without. There may be other addictions that rob people of lots of money. In the biblical language, addiction is identified with being overcome by or in bondage of something. Consider what the apostle Peter says:

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

—2 Peter 2:19-20.

We should stay alert against addiction even if it is about a certain kind of food or drink. Addiction brings with it some unreasonable consumption and indulgences. That means we shouldn't allow ourselves to be addicted to anything, even if it is food.

Buying Things Because of Association

Celebrity worshippers are the culprits in this case. When I invoke the term 'celebrity worship,' many believers immediately count themselves out. But I have noted enough imitation and tendency of some believers to identify with some celebrities to make me conclude that celebrity worship is not confined to people who do not know God only. And one may not need to call it 'worship' for it to be one. The way we exalt some people and desire to identify with them in their lifestyle, is all it takes to make one become a 'celebrity worshipper.'

Avoid spending money faster than you receive it. Remember the common sense captured by the saying: Cut your coat according to your size.

There are many people who buy things because they see it with a celebrity. This is why the advertising companies like to feature celebrities. Most companies in this respect would create the impression that the celebrity uses their product. The fans would troop the product enthusiastically.

I know of a case where a minister called upon his admirers to pay $50 for a signed copy of a book that otherwise retailed at $17. I wouldn't ask anyone to pay me more than double the price of my book simply because of my signature. I wouldn't pay that amount for a signature either.

We should buy things because we need them not because a celebrity uses them.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt from this chapter?

2. What is it that influences your buying habits?

3. How do you test to find out whether you are addicted to something or not? Is it a big deal that one is addicted to something?

4. How has mass production and aggressive advertisement promoted materialism? Do you sometimes ignore the advertisements and the products being dangled on your face?

5. How do you relate with celebrities? It may not be sin to allow yourself be exploited by celebrities but it is a sign that one is gullible and can fall for heavier frauds that may lure one into 'bigger' sins. What are the dangers of 'celebrity worship'?

6. What are some of the scriptures that can help us resist the waves of the pop culture of materialism and consumerism?

—Chapter 16—

PROBLEMS OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND WASTAGE:

Missing God's Intention of the Interdependence of Humanity

"When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."

—John 6:12.

"None of us can ever save himself; we are the instruments of one another's salvation, and only by the hope that we give to others do we lift ourselves out of the darkness into light."

―Dean Koontz.

Earth Can Feed Her Inhabitants

There are voices from some quarters bemoaning the overpopulation of the earth. Some influential personalities even push for government policy to control population growth. At first it may look like their concern is that the earth may not be able to sustain its population, but closer scrutiny reveals that there are other hidden agenda. I may not go into speculations and conspiracy theories in this respect, for that is not the purpose of this book, but suffice it to say that there are some people in cahoot with the archenemy of man who are out to diminish human race.

What I need to underline however, is that the earth is by no means overwhelmed by her population. There could be enough to feed every soul on the planet if humanity does the right thing. God purposed for humans to help one another. If people die of famine in one part of the world, the problem is with man.

The problem could be one or a combination of the following:

i) Those who have do not care enough to share;

ii) Underproduction where resources are available and conditions of production favourable;

iii) Poor distribution of either the ready products or the resources for production;

iv) Wastage by those who have more than enough.

We will look briefly into each of the above.

i) Those who have do not care enough to share

Some people blame the starving people for lack of planning or the government for lack of policy to feed its people. They don't feel responsible in any way to help. Others also blame God for not bringing rain. Most of the places with famine outbreak are victims of bad weather, especially drought.

I once talked to a lady who was upset with God for allowing famine to ravage some parts of the world. She concluded that God doesn't exist because if He does, He wouldn't allow calamity to devastate mankind. I told her: "the reason you have more than enough is because God wanted you to share with those people who are dying of hunger." He who blames God for not giving food to the starving, God is blaming the same for not sharing what He gave him to share. It is not a matter of conjecture to name who will end up at the dock.

There is no need wrestling with God over the way He does His things. He says in His word that His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways (Is. 55:8). He decided to make human beings care for one another. John Wesley captured this when he said:

"When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy and prosperous. Now, if that man when he gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!"

Although Wesley was emphasizing the unnegotiable responsibility "when a man becomes a Christian," we saw above that unreligious man, the Good Samaritan, cared for his neighbour—a stranger—in the vacuum of religious motives. The apostle Paul emphasizing the same when he told the Ephesians that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which He (God) preordained that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10). Ideally, it doesn't need one to be a Christian in order to help his neighbour, he only needs to be 'human.'

Egypt was a land that God chose to be a refuge for His people. The Children of Israel sojourned there during famine (Gen. 46). It doesn't help to argue that why didn't God just provide food for His people in the safety of their territory than making them migrate into Egypt where they were later made into slaves.

We have to be rest assured that if God has blessed our country in one way or another, He will bring people from different parts of the world to partake of 'our blessings'. Mistreating the people God has sent to our land for a refuge may turn a country that God meant for a refuge to be a symbol of backsliding. Is it difficult to understand that the reason God blesses is that the blessed may be a blessing to others?

ii) Underproduction where resources are available and conditions of production favourable

When resources are available and conditions favourable for production, man is guilty of negligence if he doesn't produce or let those who would produce do so. Because of greed, there are big chunks of arable land that are hoarded away by people who don't put them to use. Because of poor government food policy, some countries experience food shortages when they have resources that could be used to produce a lot of food.

With competent and honest resource management, even places with drought spells can be irrigated so that people don't have to starve in an event of rain failing.

He who blames God for not giving food to the starving, God is blaming the same for not sharing what He gave him to share.

There are also cases where people are just lazy. The Bible says "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster" (Prov. 18:9). These are the same people being advised to take a lesson from insects.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

—Proverbs 6:6-11.

The apostle Paul also exhorted Thessalonians saying,

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

—2 Thessalonians 3:10-12.

iii) Poor distribution of either the ready products or the resources for production

George Washington had a man in his cabinet who was totally bald. No hair on his head. But he had a very long beard flowing down to his knees. To illustrate a point, Washington brought him up in a meeting. He pointed to him and said, "this man has a problem: overproduction and poor distribution."

One time I watched over television when crops were being dumped in one of the European countries because there was overproduction. Meanwhile, people were starving to death in some parts of Africa. The reason it is called overproduction is because the producer doesn't have place or immediate use for the produce.

The so-called overproduced crops, for example, can be distributed to those who need it. It is never too expensive to save lives. Jesus paid with His blood to save lives from spiritual death—the price was infinitely high but He paid it. Mankind can pay with his material resources to save lives from physical death—the price can be materially high but he can pay it. A good steward must find the worth of life and use whatever is at his disposal to save and preserve life and prepare it for eternity.

iv) Wastage by those who have more than enough

One of the most lamentable problems of stewardship is wastage. There are lots of foods being thrown. I have seen people throwing food in a way that I would conservatively estimate that ten percent of their food budget ends up in the dustbin. It is not biblical to waste. If even Christ, who could multiply food, once commanded that the residues, yes, residues, be collected, how much more should we be careful not to waste.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

—John 6:11-13 (note the italics).

The fragments were gathered up not just to clean up the place but so that there was no wastage—think about it! Isn't it a big deal that the owner of the universe discourages wastage of even the fragment? So the prophet Ezekiel asks: "Is it a small thing for you to tread upon the residue?" (Ezek. 34:18). We had seen earlier that: "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster" (Prov. 18:9). The idea is that a wasteful person and a lazy person are of the same thread.

It is a paradox that even people who don't have enough would still waste the little they have. It may surprise many if the cumulative value of the things they waste were computed.

The following are some of the common areas where a lot of wastages are experienced:

• Leaving the lights on in rooms where nobody is using the light;

• Leaving the security light on during the day when there is enough natural light;

• Frequently throwing small amounts of food into the dustbin—sometimes this happens because of over-serving;

• Letting the tap water run freely while one brushes teeth;

• Leaving the electric iron box on as one is distracted by other things, for instance, talking over the phone, or holding out a conversation with those in the room.

• Indulgence—for example, overeating, addiction, etc.

There is a Kiswahili saying that goes: bandu bandu huisha gogo (constant chipping of a log depletes it). What bandu bandu huisha gogo does to the one who will not spare, haba na haba hujaza kibaba does to the one who will spare little by little. It doesn't matter how big a reserve is, little by little chipping aways without replenishing will deplete it. The small take-aways are more dangerous because they are taken for granted while their cumulative impact is destined to build into something big.

It is also important to mention that wastage is not only by throwing. It can also be through misuse and misuse include indulgence. We have to be strict in the way we utilize what God gives us for our consumption. Even when we perceive that something is for our personal utilization, we must be careful not to indulge because there is actually a thin line between the different departments of stewardship. What this means is that the moment we realise that we still have more after we have utilized what is reasonable, it may be a time to think sharing, investing, saving, etc.

A proverb counsels: There's no such thing as a free lunch. Generally, this proverb calls attention to the fact that everything costs something. It is a warning to people who might jump into something without considering that there might be a hidden cost. It is in the same league with, think twice when the deal is too good.

While the above caution is profitable for a good steward, I want to point out that it is also good to always remember that there's no such thing as free lunch to make us sensitive. We may indeed get something for free sometimes, but it is important to remember that somebody paid for it. It is bad manners to waste something because somebody else will pay. We can be sure that most of the things given freely will soon be charged if people misuse them.

Murmuring About Strangers?

We can almost hear ubiquitous murmurs in the air: Our territory is being invaded! No, the invaders are not people invading militarily! They are people running away either from war or poverty (or both). The invaded murmur because foreigners are coming to reap where they didn't sow. So, who is to blame—the 'invaders' for invading or the 'invaded' for murmuring? It is important to remember that it is as natural to run away from war and poverty as it is to complain when people come to our territory to reap where they did not sow. For believers however, murmur is not acceptable.

If we have peace in a world of turmoil, people running away from war will come; if we have food in a world of famine, those ravaged by famine will come to us, if we have a house in a world of vagabonds, the latter will always come to ask for a room to put their head. So, as we murmur about the 'invasion,' it helps to remember that we could most likely have done the same if we were in the same situation. Through history, human beings have always moved from one place to another.

Those who are materially affluent are likely to be spiritually deficient. Those who are spiritually affluent are likely to be materially deficient.

There is an inborn virtue for humanity to take care of one another. That is why, despite the strict immigration laws in some countries, there are provisions allowing people from troubled areas to enter. Remember that the nations of the world are not Christocratic. This means that the governments' virtuous policies that extend help to foreigners within and without the country are not informed by Christ's sermon on the plain. If the secular governments can show goodwill, believers must get their acts together. We understand the universal purpose of God. When God chose Abraham and blessed him, He stated that through Abraham all the nations of the world would bel blessed. Any individual or nation that is blessed is equally assigned the responsibility to be a conduit for that blessing to reach others. We must therefore resist questioning God why He didn't simplify everything by providing security and resources to everyone in an equal measure. God has told us that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. We can as well braze ourselves to obey and take care of our neighbours.

Jesus story about the Good Samaritan was prophetic in the way He redefined a 'neighbour.' From that story, we can see that a neighbour is not just the person with whom we share a locality. Today, the world has become a global village where everybody is a neighbour.

With the proliferation of technological breakthroughs and faster means of transport, people interact across the globe like never before. Whether this interaction is virtual or actual, dealings and feelings are shared across national borders. It is a perfect period in the human history to understand God's purpose for interaction and interdependence.

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

—Luke 16:19-24.

Those who are materially affluent are likely to be spiritually deficient. Those who are spiritually affluent are likely to be materially deficient. God allows it to be affluent in one place and deficient in another in order to encourage complementarity and interdependence. In the same way, God allows one person to be rich and another to be poor. The interdependence between the two is such that the rich materially share his riches with the materially poor. In the same way, the rich spiritually must share the riches with the spiritually poor. This is what the rich man in the story above missed. The rich man had not for a moment thought that the poor Lazarus had some hidden riches.

If God hasn't given your neighbour what He has given you, be careful for He might have given you your neighbour's to pass to him. John Wesley captures this essence by asking the questions:

"Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and, indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other purpose?"

Global Trends

Judging from the global military budgetary priorities, it is clear that the world is more prepared to kill than they are to save lives. The drive to kill the enemy is stronger than urge to feed the starving friend. The insecurity and military conflicts around the world and the resources used to dispel and quell the conflicts show the paranoia that has robbed humankind of sanity. This is an evidence that the god of this world is working hard to destroy humankind.

Based on prices for 2012, the global military expenditure stood at over $1.7 trillion in annual expenditure. This corresponds to 2.5% of world gross domestic product (GDP), or approximately $249 for each person in the world (1).

If we consider the disparity in defining 'basic needs' and the inequality of consumption of both the necessities and the luxuries, we see a well-off part of the world that cares little about equity. It is also confounding how destructive addictive behaviours take huge budgetary chunk, second only to the military expenditure.

Consider the following 1995 figures of expenditure (in US $ Billions): (2)

Now consider the priorities by comparing the above with the expenditures for the essentials below:

Think what the world would be like if there was no military violence; think of what will happen if people were not greedy enough to peddle drugs; think if the world was corruption free. Some of the so-called poor countries are not poor due to lack of resources but because of corruption and mismanagement.

I wish the United Nations Human Development Report also computed and juxtaposed the figures for wastage in terms of food thrown into dustbins. I wouldn't be surprised if the figure ran into billions.

And before I finish this chapter, may I emphasize that what I was talking about here in terms of interdependence must not be mistaken for an unnecessary dependence. Idleness and waiting for handouts must not be encouraged. I believe that with good will and generosity coupled with integrity, the poor can be empowered to set off to own their fishing nets instead of being given fish once in a while. The good thing is that most of the poor people are not poor because they are lazy.

If we consider the global trends we have seen above, it is clear that we may not expect things to change any time soon for the better. National policies, based on political and administrative expediencies, must continue to dominate the trends. It is also important to note that the governments are secular and are not bound to follow the radical virtues of Christ. That leaves the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Christians. The question is, how do we, as believers, set the trend and influence global resource management?

In what he entitled Causes of Poverty, posted at Global Issues website, (3) Anup Shah maintained that the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world's 7 richest people combined. He further explained that less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen.

Reflections and Questions to Ponder

1. What is the most important thing you have learnt from this chapter?

2. Do you sometimes throw food?

a) What are your reasons for doing this?

b) Do you sometimes serve more food on your plate than you need?

c) In what ways can self-service become selfish service?

3. The Egyptians could as well have asked the Children of Israel: 'If you are a chosen people and blessed for that matter, why didn't God provide for you in your own country instead of letting you come to our country because of famine?'

a) How can you explain such a paradox?

b) In what ways are we as a country and as individuals prone to turn people God has sent to us into slaves?

4. I asked this question above. Let me bring it up again that we may ponder it a bit more: How do we, as believers, set the trend and influence global resource management as individuals and as congregations? Do we even make an attempt?

5. In your observation, what is the cause of the problem of underdevelopment in some parts of the World? How can such regions be helped even if the rich governments don't have a policy for it?

NOTES

Ref. Chapter 4: For You To Share Or Distribute: Things For You to Pass Along:

(1) See chapter 2 in Virtue That Counts: Pursuing That Which Touches the Heart of God (by the same author).

Ref. Chapter 8: For You To Lose: Things That Will Be Stolen From You:

(1) See chapter 17 in Virtue That Counts: Pursuing That Which Touches the Heart of God.

Ref. Chapter 9: For You To...

(1) I have discussed the issue of the 'room' of the law in the 'house of the grace' in a pending title: Grace: An Ocean or a Swimming Pool?

(2) George A. E. Salstrand (1963): The Tithe—The Minimum Standard for Christian Giving. Baker Book House. pg.51. (My source:

http://www.tonycooke.org/free_resources/articles_leadership/pastoral_helps/quotes_thoughts.html).

Ref. Chapter 11: Temptations, Extortions And Hoarding

(1) See chapter 11 in When God Did Not Fulfil His Word: A Flash of a Thought, a Lingering Paradox or a Permanent Verdict? (by the same author).

Ref. Chapter 14: Greed And Selfishness.

(1) My source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/catarina-migliorini-brazilian-model-auction-2816285.

Ref. Chapter 16: Problems Of Production, Distribution And Wastage

(1) My source: http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending.

(2) Source: The State of Human Development, United Nations Human Development Report 1998, (Chpt. 1, p.37).

(3) My source: http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty
EPILOGUE

Over to You!

Dear reader, if you have read up to this point, I would like to congratulate and thank you for taking your time to read through this book. I believe the Holy Spirit has spoken to you, either directly from what is written in this book or indirectly through prompting you to think about other important spiritual matters. It is my prayer that you have been inspired, informed, transformed, challenged and equipped for good works of stewardship.

One of my burning desire in my writings is to narrow, if not bridge, the gap between theology and practice. That is the reason I always appeal to my readers to strive to get the practical angle of what they have read. It is good to be informed, but the goal of information is transformation. The way we live will show whether we have been transformed or not. My aim has been to get my readers to be good stewards practically out there in the field and not just theoretically in their head. It is one thing to know, it is another to do according to the knowledge. In other words, what you know does not matter as much as what you do with what you know.

One of the things I like about Christianity is that it calls us to personal responsibility and accountability. In this sense, the Bible cautions us to be watchful because everyone will give his personal account before God (Rom. 14:12). It is true that there is deception in the world, but again the Bible warns us to watch so that we are not deceived (Lk. 21:8). If we allow ourselves to be deceived, the deceiver will be guilty, but we have to understand that it will not take away our personal responsibility. When we watch all around us, we see, or are part of, some popular trends that arise to bolster certain ways of doing things. If we are not watchful, we can easily deviate from the course of the cross without even being aware of it.

Sound doctrine gives healthy relationship with God. It is when we understand the purpose of our existence, the meaning and the working of faith then we will be positioned to manage the natural whims and ignore distractions that may compromise our steadfastness as stewards.

Once more may I sincerely thank you for entrusting me with your time that you may listen to what God laid in my heart for His people. I trust that you have been blessed.

Before you put this book down, I don't want to assume that everyone who will read this book is already saved. Maybe you read this book after it was recommended or given to you by a friend or a relative but you personally are not so 'excited' about a relationship with the Saviour. Or perhaps you have been generally religious but cannot be sure about where you belong—whether in or out of the 'flock.' I would like to make an altar call—calling you to the platform of decision, if you had never made the decision before. This is nothing more than giving you an opportunity to give a careful thought about eternity. This is to provoke a reflective consideration of the destiny that faces every soul. At the end of our life here on earth, we will give an answer of our life as the starting point of accounting about our stewardship.

If you had made a decision to follow Jesus before but for some reason you let go of your relationship with Him, you can make a renewed decision today to come back to Him.

Jesus' hand is outstretched towards you. He is willing to take your hand in His hand and guide you through life. It is only if you accept Him into your life that He will, by His Holy Spirit, give you instructions and guidance on how to be a good steward over your life and over the resources He has endowed you with. It is embarrassing to be asked to give an account when you didn't even know what you were supposed to do with what God gave you.

If you don't have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, this call is for you. If you have known and followed religion more than you have known and followed Jesus, this call is for you as well. If you have paid your allegiance to the pop culture more than you have to the Scripture, this call is for you.

If you want to make a commitment to give your life to the Lord Jesus, you are welcome to do so in your own way. Nevertheless, I know from experience that there are some people who sometimes have the desire to start a walk with God but they don't know how to begin, or what kind of prayer to make. The following prayer is meant to help such people. If you desire to call on the Lord Jesus Christ for the eternal redemption of your soul, then the prayer below is in line with this kind of desire. Pray the words from your heart, knowing that you are committing yourself to what the words are beseeching for you before the throne of grace and mercy.

The essence of the prayer below must not be construed to be the only way you can make your prayer. That means, if you can get your own words, even if they are mumbled with incoherent words, God will decipher it from your heart. You are free to express yourself to God in the way you feel reflects what is in your heart. God will definitely respond to your prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, I accept that I am a sinner and that I can't be reconciled to You through any other way except through the atoning Blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Neither good works nor religion can save me.

I accept that the death and the resurrection of Jesus were meant for me—to pay for my sins and to give me the hope of everlasting life.

Today, I call You, Jesus, into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. I give You my will to have the ultimate say in my life. I pray that You fill me with the Holy Spirit so that He may become my Guide, Comforter, Teacher and Reminder of the things of life. Open Your Scripture for me that I may be instructed in Your ways.

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that You, Jesus, rose from the dead and that You are the Son of God who came to redeem me from the bondage and deception of sin. I am now saved and restored unto my Heavenly Father. I am now a new creation. My past is blotted out and I am given a second chance to reflect the image of my Father.

Thank You Lord Jesus for saving me. Thank You for accepting me. Thank You for promising that You'll never leave nor forsake those who come to You.

Thank You for writing my name in the Book of Life.

I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen!

If you have prayed that prayer from your heart, you are now saved—your debt of sin is settled. It is that simple. What you need to do to feed your spirit and secure yourself in the faith are the following—to start with:

• Communicate with your Father as often as possible. In other words, let prayer be part of your daily life.

• Make a daily schedule for reading and studying the Word of God. However busy you are, make time for this. It is important—more important than bread.

• Share your new life. Don't hide the fact that you have become a born-again believer. Share your testimony. Witness to your friends and relatives—to start with. Salvation is personal but not private.

• Get yourself into a local church—a Bible-believing church. Remember: Not every congregation that invokes the name of God necessarily comprises genuine faith. There are many false religions out there. Get yourself into a Bible-believing and preaching church. Seek to team up with other believers who confess salvation and their life is consistent with the teachings of the Bible.

• And, be cautious with relationships, transactions and acts that may quench your passion for the things of God. The way to begin is quitting anything that you know is outrightly wrong. Make friends with people who will help you grow in your faith. This, however, doesn't mean that you disown your former friends, but that you need to draw a line of how to relate to them and what not to be drawn into. Should you find that they are a stumbling block on the way of your spiritual growth, you can 'retreat' and get back to them later when you have 'matured' enough to spiritedly shine the light of Christ in the dark corners of their life.

God bless you!

If you can, please do share your experience with us. If you have any questions concerning what you have read in this book or a general question about faith in Christ, feel free to contact us. The e-mail contact is Daniel.ogweno@gmail.com.

If you will, you can also visit us at www.cilmin.com and see if there is any part you'd wish to play in our ministry.

May the grace of God be multiplied in your life as His grace helps you be a good steward. If we don't meet here on earth, I hope to meet you in Glory Land.

Amen!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Appendix:

Note to the reader:

After watching on TV the teaching referred to in chapter 11, and because the author was disturbed by the monetary appeal at the end of the teaching, he went to YouTube and made a search for the video with the said teachings. He found the clip and that explains why he was able to do the transcription below.

The following is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6VnRXPPrLE

Disclaimer:

The author does not guarantee the continued availability of the video clip at the above link. It is important to note the video clip maybe removed by the owner at will and the author has no control over this.

Transcript of part of the video clip entitled

Jesus Christ Revealed in the Tabernacle,
Part 2, May 1, 2015.

The host introduces the guest:

He is a mighty man of God with a great church outside Chicago.

The guest begins his appeal:

Right now you are watching me and this program has been going on and this rises up in my spirit, just for you, only for you!

You've got to watch me, just for you! Something have been stolen from you! I mean something has been ripped off; your children! Maybe on drugs; maybe have been separated; a breakdown in your marriage; or your job; or something that you had. There is loss. I just hear the word "Loss!" I hear the word loss. You remember this time when Samuel [Samuel] when he was gonna prophesy over Saul, but Saul went out to find his daddy's donkeys and his servant was with him and they finally gave up we cannot find our loss and the servant said, 'there is a seer, we go see the seer; we go see the prophet; if we turn on the ministry, maybe he can give us a word". The Bible says that Saul said that we don't have any offering to give him and the servant said that 'Oh yeah, I've got a shekel here. If we give it to the seer or the prophet, he will then know that we have respect and honour, and what we honour will come to us" And the Bible said, they discovered their loss. The Prophet Samuel spoke to them in prophecy and said you will find what you lost because you honoured a man of God.

The Bible says that Job lost everything. I am talking to someone and I want to say this real quick, just for a moment because the Spirit of the Lord is about to do something. You are about to recover; you are about to get back what the enemy has stolen from you. The Bible says that Job lost everything that he had and he lost it probably in three to ten minutes and this is only a minute and a half that I'm gonna give you because I believe this is just for you. The Bible says that he lost everything: he lost his children, they died; he lost everything. And maybe you haven't lost as much as Job have but you have lost something and God connected with Pastor Hinn today. And I wanna tell you that I sense in my spirit that God is gonna give you back what you lost and can I use my faith with Pastor together? We gonna believe in just a moment, you gonna get back double. The Bible says that Job put seven rams and put seven bullocks on the altar. When he put that offering on the altar, God stood up, pointed His finger at the devil and said, 'you give him double everything you've stolen from him'.

I sense something rising up right now! I sense you going to your phone at this very moment and saying, 'I'm going to put 77 dollars offering upon the altar. The moment you put that offering through the phone line or through the computer or however you can get it in the next few moments, I believe in my spirit, God's gonna rise up and say, 'Satan, what you have stolen from him: their children; their health; their money, you gonna have to give it back'. I want you to go to the phone and even after we've gone off the air, I want you to get on the phone and say: 'You know what? I'm gonna find my loss; I'm gonna get back what the devil has stolen from me.' And I'm gonna tell you right now, I've got five seconds, and I'm gonna tell you what the devil is saying. Whatever you do, don't listen to him, turn your television, turn another channel quickly, because Satan knows that when you give the offering, it gives God the right to put a weapon in His hand to destroy and rebuke he devourer that has come against you. In the Name of Jesus, I declare it; I feel it; I sense it! You've watched me, you are the person and in Jesus Name, go to the phone now! As we go off the air get to that phone because you are about to get back what you lost. Seventy seven dollars, go to the phone now!

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Author's remarks

There is a dangerous tendency catching pace by the day. The work of God is increasingly being supported by "selfish givers." These are people who give basically because they want something back—they give with conditions attached. And why not? Preachers emphasize this. The success of an appeal to give depends on how much a preacher convinces people that they will be blessed when they give—and blessed big. This has created room for robbers to put on robes and defraud unsuspecting believers.

We must understand that whether we are in need or not, giving to support the work of God must be as natural as breathing.

About The Author

Ogweno is the founder of Christ is Lord Ministries—Worldwide (Cilmin—Worldwide). He is not only a gifted writer but also an anointed speaker.

He maintains that he does not count on his training as a teacher or his studies in communication to do what God has called him to do, but on the divine favour and inspiration.

His burning desire is to see a steady narrowing of the gap between theology and practice. His writings and teachings focus on practical Christianity in everyday life. God has given him unique insights in areas like: leadership; communication; marriage and courtship; conflict resolution; worship; commitment; Stewardship, apologetics, etc.

He is married to Laura Caroline Ogweno. They have three children—two boys: Victor Ogweno and Jim-Jif Ogweno (deceased) and a girl: Baraka Norine Awuor Ogweno.

Ogweno and his family live in Skien, Norway.

Other Books By The Same Author

Ogweno's books are down to earth, written 'with a human face'. That is, Ogweno relates the Scripture with people: their struggles; mistakes; successes; fears; questions; answers; relationships and their environments, etc. He tells stories and relates them to the Bible. In this way, God is using him to help people make not only social but also spiritual sense of their everyday life and experiences.

Justifying what God has given him, Ogweno maintains, "We reflect the true nature of the Word of God when we relate it to our 'world'." He also maintains, "The Word of God is more meaningful and practical when we give it a 'human face' and plot it in a familiar environment. The reason for this is that God's Word is basically about people and their environment. The way we relate with one another and the way we relate with our environment help us understand our relationship with God."

Ogweno holds that what constitute the teachings of Christ are parables, miracles and sermons, etc. plotted in the familiar physical, social, religious and economic environments of the people He was addressing.

1. VIRTUE THAT COUNTS:

Pursuing That Which Touches The Heart Of God

(Published by Strategic Book Group, November, 2010).

With a chilling message, an angel comes to announce that the end is imminent:

Only ONE person world-wide sought God's heart enough to find His pleasure. 'This person' alone would enter His rest in heaven.

WOW! Who could he/she be? You wonder as you begin compiling a list of possible candidates. As the list approaches 100 mark, you suddenly realize that something is seriously wrong—your name hasn't featured. It would be self-flattery to include it this early.

This book challenges you to be 'that person'. It shows you how to "make your calling and election sure." It doesn't however do this as a systematic method-sounding 'seven-steps-to-heaven' approach—God's ways are not tied down to 'methods'.

A situation where an angel comes to announce that only one person 'qualifies' to enter God's presence may not be likely. Nevertheless, entering God's rest is personal. If it's not going to be you, it wouldn't matter even if everyone else makes it.

This book highlights some taken-for-granted 'trivial matters'. By so doing, it shows that what counts is not religion with its magnificent outward rituals but relationship with its bona fide responsibility for the people and over the things God has assigned us.

2. A LIFE OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC WORSHIP

Secrets of Worshipping God in and out of Season

(Xulon Press, March, 2005).

With a starting point that we were created to fellowship with God, this book shows how this fellowship is about worship. It reveals practical 'secrets' of relating with God in ways that facilitate worshipping. It maintains that if we embrace the heavenly instructions, we would embarrass earthly distractions, thereby guarding against shallow fellowship and fallow relationships.

With illustrations from personal and general life experiences, Ogweno uniquely uses captivating inspirational moments that clarify the intention of 'true' worship and render the attention it deserves. The book aims at making worshipping an everyday affair—something defining the essence of your being; something you do out of pleasure, not pressure—something you can't reserve only for congregational gatherings.

This book will challenge, inspire, equip and get you focused to nurture an intimate fellowship with God. It will also show you how God's signature in nature is meant to capture your attention and motivate you to venture into a worshipping adventure.

3. LESSONS FROM THE ROAD:

Understanding God's Ways Through Traffic Experience

(Xulon Press, November, 2005)

This book is about seeing and hearing God in everyday experiences—in this case, traffic environment. It tells stories from the road and relates them to what they teach in our spiritual journey.

Many people yearn to hear from God but aren't willing to listen to Him, yet, we can't hear God if we can't listen to Him and we can't listen to Him if we can't hear Him.

This book is written in the belief that it is from the daily common experiences that Jesus Himself drew many teachings. Just as it was then, so it is today—our surroundings are rich with insights into the spiritual matters.

This book amplifies what God has been speaking to us through the traffic and by so doing, 'gives a second chance' to those of us who might not have listened or might have not heard Him in the traffic.

If Christ was to physically give sermons, perform miracles and tell parables in our contemporary world, He would most likely derive and plot quite a number of them in the context of our traffic environment. Short or long distance, we use the road more than ever before. This means that any teaching plotted in the traffic environment concerns virtually everyone.

Lessons From The Road uniquely captures and amplifies the 'persistent voice' of God in the traffic. It takes a starting point from the traffic setting, illustrates and then builds from there to highlight how our daily traffic exposure is an opportunity to understand God's ways.

Find out what God has been speaking to you on the road. You don't have to be avowed Christian to benefit from this book.

4. SECRET WEAPON AGAINST TERRORISM:

The Only Way of Capturing 'The Most Wanted'

(Xulon Press, 2007)

When God sent Jesus to save mankind, He did something that He could do only because He is God. One mystery of Christ is that He came not only to identify with us but also to reveal God as a Father. For those who would accept Jesus, they would acquire the right to be called the children of God (John 1:12).

The fact that God revealed Himself as a Father bothered the devil so much. He made it the basis of his war against Christ and what He represented. Jesus was accused of calling God His Father. Because He identified with us, His Father would also become our Father. The understanding of this act of grace or lack of it, will determine what becomes of terrorism and counterterrorism.

If God is the Father, and He surely is, He cannot sit back and watch His children confrontationally sorting it out with one another, leave alone asking a section of His children to 'punish' the errand children. As far as I know, an ideal father doesn't delegate matters of discipline to his children.

As we search for solution, we wonder where the security haven is in our world today. International terrorism doesn't spare any part of the world. No-one knows where the suicide bomber is going to hit next.

The questions that are in the mind of people who are conscious of the dangers of terrorism are: 'Is it is going to decrease or increase? Can we trust the security arrangements and government policy to provide impeccable security?

Suppose there is a way to contain terrorism, how much can you invest in it? Suppose you are told that there is a sure secret that would take the wind out of the terrorist's sail, would you care to listen?

If you are one of those who don't consider it an act of terrorism to fight for your rights, suppose you are told that you don't have to lose your life but that there is a solution—a deep secret that will crown you with victory, will you consider it?

Whether it is an attitude to or an action against your perceived enemy, stop for a moment and consider the secrets shared in this book.

5. THE PURSUIT OF COMMITMENT:

Principles of Commitment for a Functional Life in Christ

(Xulon Press, 2008)

I thought I was awake. I couldn't afford to sleep-drive, but I slept—behind the steering wheel.

A watchman, doing a night shift, walks to his boss and asks for permission to travel home. He had dreamt the previous night that his mother was seriously ill. The watchman was supposed to be 'watching' but he slept. He never realized that by telling his boss that he dreamt, he equally informed him that he was sleeping on duty.

One unique thing about sleeping is that we can't tell we are asleep until we wake up. This means we may be deep asleep in the wrong place and time without even knowing it.

This book will test your condition. If you have been spiritually sleeping, it will tap you on the shoulder and wake you up. If you are awake, it will cheer you on to a more passionate vitality and prevent you from spiritual drowsiness.

The principles and insights shared in this book will help you gauge your spiritual vigilance and relevance.

6. WHEN GOD DID NOT FULFIL HIS WORD:

A Flash of a Thought, a Lingering Paradox or a Permanent Verdict?

I knew death was a reality but when my father died when I was 12 and my mother had abandoned us 6 years earlier, it was one of the cruellest things I have experienced on this side of life. Although Sunday school had not yet entrenched the teachings about resurrection into my heart, but when I saw my father lying there lifeless, I waited eagerly that the old man would arise from the dead—for sure. I waited and waited until 3 days later, he was buried. I would be an orphan all the same—in a very cruel environment. Why did God allow my father—an extremely good man—to die at that inappropriate time? I have struggled with this question—to be honest—until today!

For me, that God exists has always been intuitive—I am not a good pretender, hence, I have always conceded this truth even when God 'fails to godly' assert Himself.

I have 'known' God from childhood although I never lived for Him at one point of time. I have always known that God can do everything, which brings me to the reason for writing this book. If God is powerful and loving; merciful and gracious, why does He allow things that make us get tempted to think that we, human beings, could have done better? This may be age old question but the author gives another perspective in line with unique experiences he has experienced personally and observed in the lives of people around him.

The writing of this book was prompted by 'untimely deaths' that ought not to have been. We prayed and believed that God not only heard our prayers but also spoke back to confirm that our prayers would be answered. When death defied our prayers, it was time to ask some questions.

Have you ever prayed about something and believed that your prayers would be answered positively only to get a rude shock when the opposite happens? This book asks some of the toughest questions anyone can ever ask. It shows that we can ask God tough questions without questioning Him.

OTHERS:

1. Faith, Mountain and the Seven Options

2. Fundamentals Of Balanced Christianity

3. Mistake God Never Made

4. Swimming With Crocodiles (coming soon)

For more Information go to Daniel Ogweno's Books

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