The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Three to Thirty" for Friday, 3 February 2017 with Scripture Luke 16:1-13

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Three to Thirty" for Friday, 3 February 2017 with Scripture Luke 16:1 Speaking to the talmidim, Yeshua said: “There was a wealthy man who employed a general manager. Charges were brought to him that his manager was squandering his resources. 2 So he summoned him and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in your accounts, for you can no longer be manager.’
3 “‘What am I to do?’ said the manager to himself. ‘My boss is firing me, I’m not strong enough to dig ditches, and I’m ashamed to go begging. 4 Aha! I know what I’ll do — something that will make people welcome me into their homes after I’ve lost my job here!’
5 “So, after making appointments with each of his employer’s debtors, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my boss?’ 6 ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. ‘Take your note back,’ he told him. ‘Now, quickly! Sit down and write one for four hundred!’ 7 To the next he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your note back and write one for eight hundred.’
8 “And the employer of this dishonest manager applauded him for acting so shrewdly! For the worldly have more sekhel than those who have received the light — in dealing with their own kind of people!
9 “Now what I say to you is this: use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it gives out, you may be welcomed into the eternal home. 10 Someone who is trustworthy in a small matter is also trustworthy in large ones, and someone who is dishonest in a small matter is also dishonest in large ones. 11 So if you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who is going to trust you with the real thing? 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what ought to belong to you? 13 No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.”
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Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.[Luke 16:10 (NRSV)]
A school nurse approached our church about providing backpacks filled with food items for a few local schools to send home each Friday with students who would likely have nothing to eat on the weekend. After a few weeks, more schools were calling and asking for backpacks. What began with three schools had grown to 30 — seemingly overnight. Each time we said yes without hesitation; but we began to wonder if our small church could actually maintain the increase.
The congregation continued to donate money and food items to fill the backpacks each week. No money from the church’s budget went to this particular program since the budget was already committed to other ministries. Amazingly, we always had enough to fill the backpacks.
Through this ministry we saw scripture being fulfilled. Jesus said that those who are faithful in the little things will also be faithful in the big things, and scripture reassures us that God will provide. When we respond each time God calls us, we learn that a little faith can open the door for God to show awesome power.
See a picture of the backpack ministry, here.
"Link2Life for February 3, 2017"

Front (L-R): Leslie Vuncannon, Polly Gardner, Andy Clapp

Back (L-R): Rebecca Ingle, Dan Ingle, Judy Greeson

The Author: Andy Clapp (North Carolina, USA)

Thought for the Day: God magnifies my faithful giving.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be faithful in all things, especially in the little things. Help us to have the faith that you will provide as we seek to minister to others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: Children without enough to eat

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