PROFITABLE STEWARDSHIP By Pastor E.A ADEBOYE

OPENHEAVENSDAILYDEVOTIONAL, MONDAY 27TH OF JULY, 2020

MEMORISE: 

 "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". Matthew 25:21

READ: Matthew 25:13-34

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [a]in which the Son of Man is coming.

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 

15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 

16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 

17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 

18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 

19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 

21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 

22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 

23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 

27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 

28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 

30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the [b]holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 

32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 

33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

MESSAGE:

“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.” Leviticus 19:13

My God does not use people and dump them. If you work for Him faithfully, you are sure to get a very handsome reward for your efforts. In the above passage, He said that we should never allow any labourer’s wage stay in our hands overnight. If He said this, how then would He not reward you when you labour for Him?

Now, what is the work God wants us to do? In Luke 10:2 He said “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few.” 

The harvest He is talking about is the souls that need to be won to Christ. He needs labourers to go out and win souls. He needs soul-winners. When you win a soul, you make Him happy, but more than that, you secure more benefits for yourself too. In the parable of talents in Matthew 25:21, the Master did not take the extra talents from the servant that multiplied theirs: He left it with them as their reward. 

Even the one talent that the unprofitable servant did not multiply was not kept by the master but rather, given to the person who had ten talents. In John 12:32, He said if He is lifted up, He would draw men to Himself. 

This also implies that He will draw men to the fellow who is lifting Him up. I must tell you that I am really enjoying the benefits of being a soul-winner. Due to the fact that I keep raising my Father for people to accept Him into their lives, He has drawn many men to me. 

Now, I have many children-in-the-Lord all over the world such that there is hardly any city I visit wherein there wouldn’t be someone ready to host me in their home for the duration of my stay.

John 15:2 says that any Christian who does not bear fruit will be separated from Christ. The unprofitable servant decided not to bear fruit and was not only cast away, but sent into outer darkness where he wept and gnashed his teeth forever (Matthew 25:30). 

It pays to be a profitable steward of God. Are you one?

REFLECTION:

How many souls have you won for Christ this year?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalm 46, 80, 135

HYMN 9:

1 Ho, my comrades, see the signal, 

Waving in the sky!

Reinforcements now appearing, 

Victory is nigh.

Chorus:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” 

Jesus signals still;

Wave the answer back to Heaven, 

"By Thy grace we will.”

2 See the mighty host advancing,

 Satan leading on;

Mighty ones around us falling, 

Courage almost gone!

3 See the glorious banner waving! 

Hear the trumpet blow!

In our Leader’s Name we triumph 

Over every foe.

4 Fierce and long the battle rages, 

But our help is near;

Onward comes our great Commander, 

Cheer, my comrades, cheer!