STOLEN BREAD?

 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man;
but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with
gravel. PROVERBS 20 : 17.
READ : EPHESIANS 4 : 28.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let
him labour, working with his hands the thing
which is good, that he may have to give to him
that needeth.
MESSAGE :
We live in a time when the nature of man is so
selfish that all he does is think about himself
continually. How much can I get? What will I
gain? What do I have at stake? Of what interest
will this be to me? This is why you see people
transferring the resources meant for an entire
nation into their private coffers. They are happy
to collect the contract amount given for the
construction of public roads only to complete
such roads on paper alone. The better ones
among them do a bad job and pocket the rest
despite inflating the cost of completion. After all,
they will not drive on such roads. When the
judgment of God comes upon those who do this,
their ends are always terrible. Some of them use
such monies to train their children in the best
schools available and such children end up killing
them. Some of them use such money to build
estates and such estates become desolate in the
future.
Lazy people look for any excuse not to work.
They want cheap money. They want to live in
luxury without paying the price. This is why you
see a lot of value being eroded in the social
system today. People are no longer ready to task
their minds. Some people sit with their computers
the whole day, looking for people to defraud. How
do you think you can have an enduring blessing
through such means? There are some market
women who use unequal weights in the scale to
measure what they sell to unsuspecting
customers. If you do this, it is to your own peril.
Such people will never be blessed by God. Some
are involved in fraudulent business practices,
exploiting others for their own gain. They think
they are making it at the moment, but the truth is
that such gains bring much sorrow. Lazy people
who do not work will end in poverty because they
lack understanding. Those who are sleeping when
they should be working will end up serving those
who are industrious.
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap." Galatians 6 : 7.
As long as you choose to remain lazy, you will
never encounter a divine touch, because God
Himself is hard working. One of the great virtues
that fathers can leave for their children is a
heritage of integrity. There is only one path to
true increase and that is gathering wealth by
honest means. It may take a longer time than you
expected, but you can be sure that at the end,
you will have peace of mind. There are things
money cannot buy. Money cannot buy happiness
and joy and this is why you need to understand
that there is no need to play smart. The little you
earn from what you do legitimately will attract
the blessing of God, as opposed to those who
earn millions by fraudulent means. The scripture ;
"Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness,
than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be
rich." Proverbs 28 : 6.
Don't envy sinners who are prosperous. It is
foolishness to do so because you can easily tell
what their end will be.
"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but
he that gathereth by labour shall increase."
Proverbs 13 : 11.
Those who gather wealth unjustly are doing so in
readiness for devourers. They will never be able
to explain how they spend such money.
KEY POINT : Whatever you get non-legitimately
cannot last.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 PETER 1 - 4 AND PSALMS
28.
AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.
HYMN 4 : TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
1. Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2. Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.