TOPIC: Faithfulness [Wednesday October 8, 2014]
MEMORISE: 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. Matthew 25:23
READ: Matthew 25:22-30
22 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.
23 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.
24 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:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the
earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 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:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him
which hath ten talents.
29 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.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
MESSAGE:
Unfaithfulness or disloyalty is a challenge facing Christian
leadership today. Inability to be faithful, loyal, stable and consistent is the
greatest killer of ministries and businesses. The feeling that there is a
shorter and quicker way to achieve goals is present in all men. Satan
capitalises on this tendency and many people, including Christians, are tricked
into following rebels and dissident visionaries.
Many people are unfaithful to their superiors out of
ignorance. The problem of unfaithfulness is not limited to the world; it is
also seen in the church. The devil uses the example of tyrannical church
leaders to create a culture of rebellion and disloyalty within the church. 1
Corinthians 4:2 says:
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful.”
Christians are to be faithful to God and to their leaders –
both spiritual and secular. Leaders also are expected to be faithful to their
followers and subordinates. Are you a church leader? You have to be careful in
your utterances and actions, so as not to cause rebellion and disloyalty within
your ranks.
Without knowing it, many church leaders are essentially
rebellious and disloyal. They teach their followers rebellion by the things
they say and do; yet they do not understand why anyone is unfaithful or
disloyal to them. There are at least three common causes of disloyalty in
people. First, there are some people whose personality can best be described as
erratic. These are people who have a disposition to making sudden decisions.
They can alter the plan of their life within minutes. They can change their
entire course within seconds. This is a very dangerous trait. The ministry of
our Lord Jesus Christ is not safe in the hands of erratic leaders. Today, they
are ministers of the gospel, tomorrow they become social activists. Some switch
suddenly from being full time ministers of Christ to becoming full time
politicians. One day, they are faith preachers; the next day, they are against
the faith movement. The second cause of disloyalty is financial considerations.
The third common cause of disloyalty is a deviation from God’s direction for
your life. Many people miss God’s direction for their lives and because of
this, they end up in complicated situations. Such people are often forced into
disloyalty by their own mistakes. God expects that you should be faithful to
Him. You should also be faithful to your leaders and your subordinates.
Finally, be faithful to your calling and be responsible in financial matters.
ACTION POINT: Resolve to be faithful to your leaders and
subordinates today.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: 1 Samuel 26-28
- See more at:
http://www.brimtime.com/2014/10/open-heavens-2014-wednesday-october-8-daily-devotion-pastor-adeboye.html#more
Comments
Post a Comment