When God was putting in place a transition plan, He told Moses to pick Joshua the son of Nun. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.” Numbers 27:18-19 KJV. Why did God pick Joshua as Moses’ worthy successor? I believe that the answer can be found in the fact that he was “a man in whom is the spirit”. That raises a question: Is there any man living without the spirit? I believe that God was referring to a particular kind of spirit. Queuing back, we saw where Joshua had been protective of Moses’ office regarding Eldad and Medad who were prophesying in the camp. His spirit was in tune with that of the man he was serving.

Those who are ashamed of their masters will make a poor outing of stewardship…those who are quick to claim equality with those who send them cannot be faithful stewards.

In our text, Eliezer began telling his mission with introduction of who he was. “I am Abraham’s servant”, he said. You could hear the pride in his voice as he boldly declared that he was Abraham’s servant. Those who are ashamed of their masters will make a poor outing of stewardship. Again, those who are quick to claim equality with those who send them cannot be faithful stewards. Eliezer’s bold declaration must have been borne out of the fact that the servant of a great man is a great man by extension. Believers should take pride in being servants of Jesus Christ.

When we were growing up, we heard a lot of legends which the elders used to impact practical life lessons. One of such had to do with a wealthy man in a community. He was the only one who had a ceremonial costume, so people often resorted to him to borrow it as occasion demanded. One day, a townsman of his came and met him having a sumptuous meal for lunch. He graciously invited the visitor to join him at table, and the man gleefully joined him. While they were at table, another man came to the rich man’s house. As with the first man, the rich man invited the second visitor to join them. This other man refused, stressing that he had come to borrow his special garment for an important occasion and that he had not come for food. While the rich man was going to give him the garment, the first comer protested that he also had actually come to borrow the same garment. The rich man did not listen to his protest, noting that each had faced what they came for. It was the last man that went with the garment.

More than having a vision, understanding priority plays a pivotal role in determining success in life…Faithful stewards know that it is mission first, leisure and pleasure later. Those who put their personal convenience before mission cannot go far.

More than having a vision, understanding priority plays a pivotal role in determining success in life. There are people with visions and goals, but they are too distracted and so come to nothing. When Eliezer got to Rebekah’s parents’ home, they set table before him but he pledged never to eat until he had declared the mission that brought him. Faithful stewards know that it is mission first, leisure and pleasure later. Those who put their personal convenience before mission cannot go far.

We have taken a number of lesson guides from Eliezer to position us in the direction of faithful  stewardship. We have learned of the importance of getting a good understanding of our mandate. He taught us of the importance of handling every detail of our given task with prayers. Yesterday, we underscored the significance of celebrating small wins before the final victory. In all of these, something else was tucked in-between that we left out; that is, strategic plan and location. When Eliezer got to Mesopotamia, he did not head to the main city. He stopped at the well at the outskirts of the city. In their days, the wells were located at the outskirts of town. Also, it was the customary duty of young maidens to go there and fetch water either for domestic use or to feed their livestocks. If anyone was looking for who to marry, that was the best place to go.

…a steward must be strategic to be successful. Being strategic calls for wisdom.

In Eliezer we understand that a steward must be strategic to be successful. Being strategic calls for wisdom. Through wisdom he was successful at the task given him. In our text, we noticed that Rebekah went home with the ring and bracelets that he had given her. When Laban saw that, he knew that a suitor was waiting in the wing. While executing his assignment, he was not presumptuous neither did he act familiar. With wisdom he tested the waters and came out with excellent result.

An important principle for a progressive life is to celebrate the little, little wins that come along the way in the pursuit of our big goals. Those who wait for the big win before they celebrate may wait for too long, for such wins takes time and effort. The delay in achieving such grand victories can dampen the zeal and kill the goal ultimately. But when you rejoice in the small victory, it is like impetus to take on the next task and the one after that.

when you rejoice in the small victory, it is like impetus to take on the next task and the one after that…Worshipping God for present milestone prepares you for the next.

Similarly, we don’t wait until we see the final victory before we give God the praise. Any initial mark of breakthrough should be an occasion to worship God. This was what Eliezer did as could be seen in our text. He had prayed about his mission, asking God to position a right woman for Isaac. He put out some form of fleece, that God should make the woman who offered to give him and his herd water to be the one ordained. As soon as he finished his prayer, Rebekah showed up. When he knew that she was of the lineage of Abraham, he saw that as an initial sign of God answering his prayer. He did not wait for Rebekah to take him home before he bowed in worship to God. David practiced what might be called “Worship As You Go”. Whenever those who carried the ark moved six spaces, he would pause to offer sacrifice to the Lord. Worshipping God for present milestone prepares you for the next.

The Bible is full of accounts of the awesome power of prayer. Jabez literally had mid-course correction by engaging in prayer. His name meant sorrow! For whatever reason, his mother gave him a bad start with that name choice. But when he had suffered enough drag from it, he turned to God. “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested” (I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV). The effect of his prayer was that he became more honourable than those who did not even have a snag about their lives.

To be a faithful steward, learn to handle every task prayerfully. Prayer will neutralize opposition to your task. It will also give you wisdom to handle people and situations.

In our text, we see another instance of where someone put prayer to good use. After Eliezer got his brief, he went in the direction of Abraham’s native land. As he approached the outskirts of the city where there was a well, he prayed to the Lord God of his master. He sought for success and accuracy. God honoured his prayer and faith when Rebekah showed up. Here is the lesson: To be a faithful steward, learn to handle every task prayerfully. Prayer will neutralize opposition to your task. It will also give you wisdom to handle people and situations.

Apostle Paul dropped an important line about stewardship in 1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (NKJV). If you are looking for a model of stewardship in the Old Testament, Eliezer the servant of Abraham will fit the bill. Today, and the next several days, we will talk about faithful stewardship, drawing lessons from Eliezer. As we broached over it yesterday, Eliezer was the one who Abraham mandated to go and get a wife for Isaac.

The first stewardship lesson is to be clear of one’s assignment…If you are in doubt, ask questions. Seek clarification of task given.

Eliezer had his doubt, that he could get to Mesopotamia and no family was willing to send their daughter to go and be a wife to an unknown groom. He asked Abraham if such played out if he would be at liberty to get a woman from Canaan. The first stewardship lesson is to be clear of one’s assignment. In some sense, a steward is like an athlete. He has no hope of winning unless he knows the exact race that is set before him. If you are in doubt, ask questions. Seek clarification of task given.

I recently came across the comment made by a lady to a post on social media. The original post stated that a man wanted to marry a lady but her family members did not consent to the relationship. He went on to say that he recently saw the woman, now married, but three times her previous size. He felt that was deliverance for him. A lot of comments slammed him for body-shaming the woman and felt that her family saw well by not allowing her to be married to him in the first place. That was when a lady said she was going to cut off any relationship that her parents and siblings have reservations about.

contact should not lead to contamination…we are in the world we are not of the world…we must never forget that evil association will corrupt good morals.

In Bible days and until recent past, marriage was not just between a man and a woman of interest. It was more like the coming together of two families. Again, parents had strong say in who their children could marry. This was what Abraham demonstrated in this place. He put Eliezer under oath not to take a wife for Isaac among the women of Canaan. Here, the patriarch meant contact should not lead to contamination. Beyond the realm of marriage, believers ought to bear this in mind, that though we are in the world we are not of the world. In marriage and other ventures, we must never forget that evil association will corrupt good morals.

In previous meditations, we learned of three different business ethics from Abraham. He taught us to show respect to partners. We also learned of the importance of not taking advantage of anyone. Proverbs 28:8 says, “One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor” (NKJV). Jeremiah 17:11 speaks similarly in this regard – “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool” (NKJV). In addition to these, we learned yesterday of the importance of doing business in their ordered places.

Businesses must be conducted in the presence of witnesses…Be wary of transacting business with anyone who does not want witnesses to be present…tidy up the legal end of your transactions.

There are two more lessons which we will weave into one. Firstly, businesses must be conducted in the presence of witnesses. We made reference yesterday to Boaz who got married to Ruth in the presence of ten men of the city, apart from his kinsman who declined to marry her. As powerful as human brain is, information can fade away over time. If one suffers from memory loss, the witnesses will be able to supply the missing link. Be wary of transacting business with anyone who does not want witnesses to be present. Secondly, tidy up the legal end of your transactions. Abraham did not only have witnesses at the transaction, he had the land deeded to him. The word “deeded” connotes some form of legal documentations. A piece of legal document today can save you or your children from court cases in times to come.

In Bible days, the city gate was significant for several reasons. It was the place for monitoring the security of the city. It was typical for watchmen to stand by the tower to have a far ranging view of the surroundings. If they spotted any danger or invading army, they blew the trumpet to alarm the city and mobilize for defense. In another sense, the city gate was a place for secret service to gather information. It was at the gate that Mordecai gathered the intel that two of the king’s chamberlains were planning to kill him. By relaying the information to appropriate quarters, he secured the life of the king from the hand of the plotters.

One business lesson is this: conduct your affairs in the officially designated place.

Moreover, the city gate was a place for conducting important transactions. “Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.” Ruth 4:1-2 NKJV. In order to facilitate his marriage to Ruth, Boaz brought all the relevant persons to the gate. In this light, we see Abraham tidy the purchase of the land at the gate of the city. One business lesson is this: conduct your affairs in the officially designated place.

Abraham was an amazing personality who is worth studying. When God called and commissioned him in Genesis 12, he took Lot along. Why some may see that as a mistake, we can cast it in a better light. He was a man who was not going to bottle the blessing of God to himself alone. He wanted his brother’s son to be a partaker of the covenant as well. The fact that Lot became prosperous was a proof that the covenant blessing did spillover to him. When trouble was brewing between his herdsmen and those of Lot, he proffered a solution that they should separate amicably. When Lot ran into trouble and was taken captive, he put himself in arms way to deliver him.

These many positive traits of Abraham reflected in his business dealings. He took advantage of no one…the need to be fair in our business dealings.

These many positive traits of Abraham reflected in his business dealings. He took advantage of no one. We first saw this when he helped the king of Sodom recover what he had lost in battle. The king wanted him to have all the goods recovered but he refused. “And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” Genesis 14:21-23 KJV. In our text, Ephron wanted Abraham to have the parcel of land at no cost, but he opted to pay for it. This teaches the need to be fair in our business dealings.

I walked into a fast food joint in Lagos, Nigeria early December last year. One of the staffers put up an attitude that was anything but customer friendly. Though her negative attitude was directed to another staff, she was rather too loud for me to be a person in charge of such service. That brings to memory a similar experience I had in Owerri, Imo State many years ago. I had questioned the steward about the authenticity of our bill when she snapped, “That’s your bill”. I did not hesitate to tell her supervisor that if he had two of such a lady in his employ, they would soon close shop. I think she would have made a better career as a security personnel than a steward at a restaurant. Generally speaking, no field of endeavours can afford lousiness, but some fields are even more sensitive in this regard.

Being old does not negate courtesy. Being a person of great means and authority does not give room for disrespect. Respect is a protocol of the kingdom; and those who want to excel in business must take this to heart.

In Abraham we come across a number of lessons about the way to conduct business; and this will be our focus today and the next couple of days. The first thing we noticed about him was his courteous approach to the other party. He was looking for a parcel of land to buy as a burial ground. When he approached the prospective sellers, he bowed before them. Sarah died at 127 years of age. So it is safe to assume that Abraham was 137 years at that time. Despite his old age, he bowed. Being old does not negate courtesy. Being a person of great means and authority does not give room for disrespect. Respect is a protocol of the kingdom; and those who want to excel in business must take this to heart.

About the most famous aspect of faith that people love to talk about is that which leads to conquest and possession. No doubt, taking the mountains and doing exploits cannot be discounted in the school of faith. However, this is just a part of the picture. In Hebrews 11 where we are introduced to men and women of faith, there are three categories of faith that can be discerned. The first one has already been mentioned – faith for exploits. “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again….” Hebrews 11:32-35 NKJV

Faith does not mean having the full picture of issue at hand; it means obeying God with our little steps within the limits of present light, while trusting Him to fix the rest.

The second aspect of faith covers what we forfeit as opposed to gaining. Moses was an example of this. “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” Hebrews 11:24 NKJV. The third and final aspect of faith is what our text is focusing on – it is obeying God even when we don’t have the full picture. God demanded that Abraham should sacrifice his son. He went out to obey without knowing how things would end. Faith does not mean having the full picture of issue at hand; it means obeying God with our little steps within the limits of present light, while trusting Him to fix the rest.

It is mercy extended whenever God gives us the opportunity to clean up any Augean mess created by omission, commission, or presumption. Abimelech took Sarah with the intention of making her his wife. God stopped him short by telling him that he had in fact taken a man’s wife. He was then instructed to make amends by returning the woman to her lawful husband. It is comforting to know that God does not descend upon us with the sledgehammer for every infraction of His will. In mercy, He gives people several opportunities to make things right.

God can accommodate us in our season of ignorance, but He has no provision for rebellion.

This brings us to the necessity of distinguishing between ignorance and rebellion. On first call, Abimelech acted ignorantly. As we noticed in previous meditation, he acted based on the inaccurate information which he had received. From the moment God gave him the complete picture, it became a different ball game altogether. Had he kept Sarah after God had spoken to him, that would no longer be integrity or ignorance, it would mean rebellion. God can accommodate us in our season of ignorance, but He has no provision for rebellion. David knew the danger of sinning with knowledge, so he prayed: “Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.” Psalms 19:13 NLT. It’s a prayer that each of us must make.

Hannah made her prayer of exaltation after the birth of her son Samuel. The full text of the prayer is in 1 Samuel 2. She said something profound in verse 3 – “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.” I Samuel 2:3 NKJV. Two things are worth noting here. Firstly, God is a God of knowledge. He has comprehensive knowledge of things and beings both past, present, and future. This is why God is often described as the omniscient. Whatever we know is a fraction dished out to us from His fullness. Secondly, God weighs everything that we do. God does not stop at looking at the actions alone, He goes further to check the motive.

…Integrity is acting in conformity to light received at any given moment…if we walk in the light, God can keep us from sinning and falling away.

All these tie up to integrity. In our previous meditation, we observed how Abimelech protested based on integrity. He made move to make Sarah his wife because Abraham had falsely declared her to be his sister, a claim which Sarah herself confirmed. So we concluded that integrity is acting in conformity to light received at any given moment. In our text, God agreed with Abimelech that he truly acted in integrity. He went further to say that it was because of that integrity that He withheld him from sinning. Here we have a consolation that if we walk in the light, God can keep us from sinning and falling away.

Several verses of the scripture point out the blessings of integrity, and we cite a few of them here. Guidance flows from it. “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” Proverbs‬ 11‬:3‬ NKJV‬‬. Hardly can anyone make good their purpose in life without guidance. Yet, this important thing is tied to integrity. Psalm 41:12 shows the correlation between integrity and sustainability. “As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.” The wise man went further to show that integrity has a trans-generational angle to it. “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” Proverbs‬ 20‬:7‬ NKJV‬‬. Finally, integrity was a ground for plea in David’s supplication. “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.” Psalms‬ 25‬:21‬ NKJV‬‬.

Integrity is acting in conformity with light received. We cannot lay claim to integrity if we walk contrary to knowledge.

Our next focus is to get to know the meaning of integrity. Merriam-Webster defines it as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values”, “an unimpaired condition”, and “the quality or state of being complete or undivided”. In our text, Abimelech revealed a more practical definition of integrity when God accosted him concerning Sarah. He excused himself by saying that his action depended on the information given by Abraham which was attested to by Sarah herself. In summary, integrity is acting in conformity with light received. We cannot lay claim to integrity if we walk contrary to knowledge.

Grace and mercy can be described as two sides of the same coin. Both of them have been expressly seen in the course of this month. It was a classic work of grace when God planted a garden, formed man, and put him in it. Man had nothing to do with that largesse, it was all an act of God. We have also seen how the mercy of God came to bear upon Lot before Sodom was destroyed. The grace of God marked him and his family apart from destruction. But when he was asked to hurry up and leave, he was dragging his feet. The angels had to hold him by the hand to pull him out of the accursed city. The Bible explained that as an act of God’s mercy.

If God were to wait for us to qualify for certain things, many issues will remain pending while life lasts…God…being plenteous in mercy, and it is on the basis of that we keep enjoying what we can never merit.

The mercy of God is here proved also in the case of Abraham. After his lie to Abimelech that Sarah was his sister and the king had taken her to his house, God came to fight for Abraham. God didn’t have to do that as Abraham was the one who brought that evil on himself. Abraham did not merit that intervention, but God did intervene anyway. That was mercy speaking for him. If God were to wait for us to qualify for certain things, many issues will remain pending while life lasts. The Bible describes God as being plenteous in mercy, and it is on the basis of that we keep enjoying what we can never merit.

Abraham seemed not to have learned from the experience in Egypt. We observed earlier that while he was approaching Egypt, he made a deal to present his wife as his sister. That didn’t work out well enough as the couple were sent away unceremoniously. The same pattern was repeated here when he met with Abimelech. He presented his wife as his sister. It was clear that Abraham was beset with certain fear that he could not shake off. He believed that his wife’s beauty would be an occasion for his untimely death.

Whenever we are being assaulted by fears and uncertainties, let us draw our strength and support from His oath, covenant, and Blood.

The greater error of Abraham was that he forgot God’s call and covenant. His call as recorded in Genesis 12 was clear. God asked him to leave his country and his people to a land that would be shown to him. God further promised to bless him and make him a blessing. Abraham  should have remembered that premature death did not align with what God had promised him and stayed focus. At the time he lied the second time to Abimelech concerning his wife, God had also struck a covenant with him as recorded in Genesis 15. There is a clause in that covenant that is of particular interest here. “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.” Genesis‬ 15‬:15‬ NKJV‬‬. So the fear that Abraham entertained that he would be killed was unwarranted. Whenever we are being assaulted by fears and uncertainties, let us draw our strength and support from His oath, covenant, and Blood.

The deliverance of Lot and his family came with express instructions as we can see in Genesis 19:17 – “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” There were two clear violations to these instructions. Instead of fleeing to the mountains, Lot chose to go to a city nearby. We made reference to this in our past meditation. Lot’s choice points to a vast majority of people who want a religion of convenience. They only serve God leisurely and detest anything that will place a demand on them. Such people don’t go far with their spiritual journey.

Consistency is the rule in the kingdom.

The second violation had a more profound effect. They were warned not to look back, but Lot’s wife did. She became a pillar of salt immediately. That was going to have other negative consequences later on. The removal of Lot’s wife from the equation laid the groundwork for the incestuous relationship of her two daughters with their father. The shortest verse of the Bible is, “Jesus wept”. That was at Lazarus’ tomb. The next short verse is this, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke‬ 17‬:32‬ NKJV‬‬. Jesus spoke this in connection with the end of time and the coming of the kingdom. The idea is that those who have been delivered from the system of the world should keep their focus on their final destination and never look back like Lot’s wife did. Jesus further taught that those who put their hands on the plough and look back are not worthy of Him. Consistency is the rule in the kingdom.

Lot repeatedly chose the path of least resistance. In recent meditation when we talked about pursuing peace, we made reference to Abram’s initiative. He offered Lot the privilege of choosing any land of his fancy. He chose by sight. “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.” Genesis‬ 13‬:10‬-11‬ NKJV‬‬. Unknown to Lot, the place he chose had already been marked by God for destruction. Natural sight could not have revealed that to him.

What is easy is not always what is safe…Our safety valve is to follow the way of the Spirit.

In our text, we see a similar thing playing out. The angels that worked out his deliverance asked him to escape to the mountain with his family, but he felt that was too much a stress. He opted to go to a city near enough. Reading further, we discovered that things did not pan out well in that place and had to leave for the mountain eventually. What is easy is not always what is safe. Lot realized this rather late. Someone said, “The path of easy resistance will make men and rivers crooked.” Lot followed that path and ended up with checkered history. Our safety valve is to follow the way of the Spirit.