SAVE FOR RAINY DAYS

TEXT: PROVERBS 21:20

There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise (who prepares for the future), but a short sighted and foolish man swallows it all and wastes it. (Amplified Version).

God our maker created the heaven, the earth and everything in them out of His resources without having to borrow from anyone. Our God is an ALL-sufficient God. The almighty God told us in Psalm 50 verse 9 and 10 that “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” He continued in verse 12^b “for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”

The book of Haggai also testifies of the riches of our Lord, “the silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the lord almighty. (Haggai 2: 8). Despite God’s riches and wealth, He does not squander or waste resources- He is a prudent God. As God’s children, we must emulate the prudence of God. To be prudent is to be careful, prudence is the ability to be disciplined in management, to have good management in the use of resources. To be successful in life, you need to have good understanding or knowledge of financial management.

If your business, job or whatever generates income for you is buoyant and is generating bountiful income for you, do not use them all- do not spend, lavish, or squander all the resources. Remember, the Sun does not shine for 24 hours, there are days of “cloudy or dark weather.” This means that there are times that you may experience a downturn in your earnings or income. If that happens and you have no saving, living may be difficult. "Money speaks only one language: "If you save me today, I will save you tomorrow."

Develop a very good and strong spending and saving plan. Have budget for your money and spend sensibly. Make sure you save for the days that things may not go well. We cannot say because we are believers, we want to receive everything by faith. The scripture says that in this world we will have tribulation… Being financially unstable is part of tribulation.

Our text says the wise will have treasures in his house because he saved for the future. However, the foolish man does not have plan for his future- he spent all he had. I do not want us to act like the fool but the wise that saved for his future. Plan and set goals for the unknown future. Do not be an impulsive spender or buyer, hence you may become broke and have nothing to fall back on later. When Jesus fed the multitude in John chapter 6, there were twelve baskets of leftover food. He instructed the disciples to gather all the leftovers so that nothing will be wasted- that is prudence! The lesson here is, even during your years of overflowing success, do not waste resources! Jesus has the power to multiply and create things. Yet, he did not allow things to be wasted. In the same vein, do not waste resources, do not buy what you do not need, do not deplete all your resources over items that are not assets. Look for any financial investment you can engage in. search for suitable pension plan to help you in your old age. Save for old and rainy days. Shalom!

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BE COMPASSIONATE

 

TEXT: PROVERBS 21: 13

“If a man shuts his hears to the cry of the poor, He too will cry and not to be answered.”

There is a saying that “One good turn deserves another. Another says, what goes round comes round.” This means, whatever you do to others will come back to you in full measure. This is what is referred to as the law of KARMA.

Karma means, that whatever we do; be it in words, thoughts, or actions either positive or negative will have corresponding effect on us- it will come back to us either directly or indirectly.

The scripture emphasises this with the principle of sowing and reaping. In Galatians 6: 7 it says, “Be not be deceived, God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” We are in the end time where OPPRESSION has replaced COMPASSION. The wealthy are not bothered about the needy around them, all they want to do is to oppress them with their wealth and looking forward to being worshipped by the less privileged. This is what the Social Scientists called “Social Inequality.” Gone are the days of empathy and selfless services to humanity.

The days where believers used to “break bread” with other less privileged believers had long gone. What is seen in churches and the society at large these days is “survival of the fittest” in which no one cares about the poor, the needy or the less privileged amongst us,

In the days of Jesus Christ, he had feeling and compassion for the sick, the oppressed and the poor. He did not only lead them to God, but he ministered to their physical needs.

The “god” of these age has blindfolded some believers to the point of not having human feeling anymore. They preach the word to win people to the kingdom of God, but they cannot minister to the physical needs of their converts.

“suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food, if one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (James 2: 15- 16). Your act of welldoing and benevolence would go a long way in winning souls for Christ than your empty word without corresponding action.

Our text says, if you refused to listen to the cry of the poor, that you also will not be heard on the day of trials. As believers, we should let our light shine in every dimension. As believers, we should be agent of positive change. If the world is oppressing the poor and the less privileged, they should be able to come to the midst of believers to find comfort and solace. Let us be our brother’s keeper, let us not be weary in doing good, for in proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

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