PRAYER PRACTICE
Breath Prayer –
Take 2-3 minutes today to pray a simple breath prayer. Get somewhere quiet and
relaxing. Breathe in deeply, and then breathe out fully. As you breathe in, ask
God to fill you with His presence, grace, love, peace, etc. Consider using the
list of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. As you breathe out, offer to God
the things you need Him to take from you – sin, doubt, shame, anxiety, fear,
etc. Pray this way for just a few minutes, trusting God to work, and then begin
reading today’s Scripture.
DAILY READING
DEVOTION / REFLECTION
The Stewardship Test
by Judy Webb
The reading for today is another
one I have read numerous times before, but never read it like I did today.
Perhaps it is because as I write these devotions I always pray that God would
show up, that He would lead me to share something all who read this, can pull
into their hearts and benefit from.
“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master
is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to
beg—" (Luke 16:4)
Not strong enough to dig and ashamed to beg. This is the
phrase that stopped me. Knowing so many have lost their jobs recently I wonder
how many have similar feelings. I know that at my age, there are many jobs I
could not do because of physical limitations. The line, and ashamed to
beg is also where I would also falter. My pride would not allow me to
ask for help.
But the man in this story is
ingenious. At first read, I felt he was dishonest and underhanded, (and that
may be true), but his master saw his actions as shrewd. Shrewd, according to
the dictionary is: astute or sharp in practical matters. I understand he can be
commended for his foresight, not his crooked method of doing it.
The shrewd manager decided that
by forgiving some of the debts owed by his master's debtors, he could
ingratiate himself to them. They would in turn remember his actions when at a
later date the manager needed help.
Many times, I have read or heard
of a brilliant con someone has pulled off on an unsuspecting victim and
wondered to myself why they don't put their gifts and cunning talents to better
use. If they can come up with these ingenious ideas, they could also create
honest and legitimate work. Imagine how successful they could be.
There are many different take-aways from these verses in Luke. One
of them brought back a memory of years ago, following my husband's death, when
money was tighter than I ever imagined. I would not reach out for help, but a
few folks must have been prompted by God to help (not knowing how much it was
needed), and in at least 4 instances funds appeared in my mailbox. Sometimes
with an anonymous note, other times with no words at all.
The rich man questioned his manager's handling of his possessions. Will God also question our handling of His possessions? "For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it." 1 Timothy 6:7.
1 comment:
Good morning, Judy.
I too would find it hard to be one who would beg for help. At my age the best I could hope for would likely be to be a greeter at Walmart. What would people think--Robin greeting people at WM???? I would have to pray and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and strength to accept my plight and actually seek the opportunity for work. However, I do believe that, in the end, I would gladly accept the fact that I have to take such a step in humility and express deep gratitude were I given the chance of employment.
The verse that stuck out to me was, "9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." My reading of the commmetaries on this verse helped me better understand the term "friends". The idea is to use our worldly goods to help others in need, the poor, the lonely, the prisoner, the widow and in so doing you will make friends. Use your wealth to share the Good News of Jesus and invite the poor into your homes and feed them making them your friends. My understanding of this verse is much improved since I was looking at friends such as some of my wealthier companions.
One of my best friends is a man I met in Marion Correctional over 20 years ago. I have seen him regularly as part of my prison ministry and now am blessed to enjoy our friendship on the "outside" since his release in October. We have been using our "riches" to help him get on his feet and bring the gospel to many others. He has made more disciples while in prison than anyone I know. He is doing the same on the outside. Friday, my wife and I, are taking him and his wife to Amish Country for an entire day. We are so blessed to have "friends" like them.
God bless you, Judy.
Robin
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