Stewards of God's Resources

Thursday 10 August
READ: Matt. 14: 14 – 20
MORE LESSON: 2 Cor. 9: 10

All the resources we have are given to us by God, ...A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven: John 3:27. We are actually not owners of riches or blessings but stewards to whom God has committed them. The earth with its fullness is owned by God (Psa 24: 1) and all that we have are what He has given us to hold in trust for Him. According to Jam 1: 17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We will give an account of how we use God's resources that He has committed to our care.
God gives us money to keep for Him and then He demands for it when His work on earth needs it. One notable thing about God's resources in our care is that while He gives us money to keep for Him, He allows us to enjoy the interest that accrues on the money. So God's money is in our hands for His use, however the money yields interest for our use. God does not wish that you give to His work without a return, ...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:
Mal 3:10. He desires that you give to Him and He multiplies the resources in your hands so that you have more than enough to meet your needs.
In Matt. 14, Jesus collected five loaves of bread and two fish from a young lad so that it could be used for His work. We must not forget that the bread and fish was created by the Master and was His in the first place; the boy realised that he was a steward of the Master's belongings. So after the boy handed it over to the Lord, the Lord used it but it yielded an interest. The bread and fish multiplied and there were 12 baskets leftover. That interest belonged by right to the boy who gave up his lunch pack.
This shows that even though God puts resources in our hands and will make demands on them, He will always leave us with the interest so that we also have more than enough for ourselves. God is gracious. He gives His resources to us, asks us to give to Him out of His resources that He has given us, multiplies our gift when we give to Him out of His resources and gives us the multiplied interest so that we have more than sufficient for our needs and more to give to Him, which He will multiply again when we give.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to make you a channel through which His resources will flow to the world at large, in Jesus’ mighty name.
* Pray that you will be a faithful steward of God’s resources, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today I shut the door of August against every force of sorrow, misfortune and sad news, in the mighty name of Jesus.