Proverbs 10:4
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
INSIGHT
-The Bible is a manual that touches on every aspect of our lives including business and economy. The first business principle is that we need to be diligent in our work and desist from laziness. Diligence by definition means to have or show care, and conscientiousness in one’s assignment, work or duties. Proverbs 24:33-34 discloses that laziness is a root cause of poverty. It sates that, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” God is calling each one of us to be diligent in our work and ensure that we work hard towards our vision and purposes for the glory of His name. The virtuous woman as revealed in Proverbs 31:27 was a diligent worker who did not eat the bread of idleness. Unfortunately today, some young men and women in our society are lazy and do not desire to work. Others rely fully on their parents and do not take time and effort to look for informal opportunities or even formal jobs; but keep giving excuses. Some rely on ‘sugar mammies’ or ‘sugar daddies’’, and remain at home with the hope that their bills will be settled. Some Christians pray and do not take the required actions to actualize their God given talents, not knowing that faith without work is dead. God is calling us today to wake up from our sleep and work hard, as if we are working for Him.
PRAYER
Dear Almighty Father we come before You today with thanksgiving in our hearts. We appreciate You for You have been our good Father. We love You dear Jesus, thank You for loving us first. May You forgive us all our sins dear Jesus and wash us with Your precious blood. May You cover all You have given us with Your hedge of fire. We come to Your throne of grace with boldness that we may obtain grace and mercy to help us during our time of need. We are nothing without You dear Jesus, may You increase as we decrease. You are the Vine and we the branches, may You help us to bear much fruit for the glory and honor of Your name. We surrender our hearts to You Holy Spirit, may You take over and guide us throughout the week. May You go before us and level the mountains. May You provide for us fresh opportunities that we may blossom and excel in all our work, purposes, vision and mission. May You teach us to work as if we are working for You merciful Savior. May our lives always be a reflection of Your love in all aspects. May we imitate You dear Jesus as Your ambassadors. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 12:24, Colossians 3:23-24
Proverbs 13:11
“Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”
INSIGHT
-Some individuals and organizations create projects to scam and swindle money from people pockets in diverse areas including; real estate industry, precious metals etc. Some create ways to increase financially through dishonest gains. Others develop and resell products, and weigh them through dishonest scales. The Lord says that, dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight (Proverbs 11:1). We are called to trust that if we continue to remain faithful through our business practices God provides for us. God is reminding us that it is better to have a small successful business, but remain faithful to Him the whole time, than to have a big business made out of dishonesty for He does not bless such and they dwindle away. God tell us that is better to have a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. All these are the plans created in the hearts of men, but it is God who directs our steps (Proverbs 16:8-9).
PRAYER
Dear God Almighty Father we appreciate You for You are good and mercies endures to all generations. Only You are good Father we praise Your holy name. We rely on Your righteousness, righteous Judge and depend on Your holiness Everlasting King. There is none but You, only You deserve to be worshipped. May You heal our nation dear Jesus from corruption, and give us leaders who will hearken to Your voice. May You forgive us for any time we have increased financially through dishonest gains and protect us from anyone whose intention could be to swindle us. We humbly ask You to lead us in the way of righteousness and blessings the works of our hands. Only You give the ability to make wealth, may You bless us and increase us. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 8:18
Luke 14:28-30
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”
INSIGHT
-Have a budget out of your income. A budget by definition is an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time and is usually compiled and re-evaluated on a periodic basis.
Budgeting is a critical step of financial planning which many people miss. A significant chunk of one’s income may be diverted to other needs. Moral hazard is one of the common problems that lenders face when issuing loans. The resources they lend do not often accomplish the desired purpose. Financial projections should also be well calculated and the right capital injections released towards a particular project, even if it is done periodically. Some people give excuses that budget preparation is not doable when they are faced by difficult financial times. Budgeting is also vital to ensure that there is reduction in wastages and ensures accountability in the resources that God entrusts us with. Budgeting is also paramount to foresee proper planning and project completion lest one is ridiculed or becomes demotivated while investing. Jesus reminds us that it is vital to have a budget lest the resources one has do not accomplish the intended purpose.
PRAYER
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Who pardons all your iniquities. Who heals all your diseases. Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed. Save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise. May You heal all those who are sick and suffering among us Jesus our Healer. May Your healing power be upon us to heal, transform and encourage us in Your wisdom Abba Father. Teach us how to handle finances and to make feasible budgets; that we may utilize our resources wisely for the glory and honor of Your name. May You provide for all those lack and uplift the broken hearted. May You deliver all the children living in the streets and give them safe homes dear Jesus. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 24:3-5
Proverbs 21:20
“The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.”
INSIGHT
-Save money for the unforeseeable future. Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. The first one was about seven fat cows grazing by a river and got swallowed up by seven skinny cows. The other was about seven heads of grain that came up on one stalk, plump and good, and were swallowed by seven thin heads blighted by the east wind (Genesis 41:2-7). According to his interpretation, Joseph concluded that the seven fat cows and good stalk in the dream represent seven years of prosperity for Egypt, which would be followed by seven years of famine. To plan ahead for this disaster, Joseph advised the Pharaoh of the time to store up grain during the seven good years and use that stored grain to get the country through the seven hard years to follow as the prime minister. He was able to control the whole economy of Egypt and many people from other nations fed from his stores including his own family. The main scripture reveals that the wise store up choice food and oil but fools gulp theirs down. Joseph was able to save resources that caused economic growth in the nation of Egypt. From this story we are encouraged to save resources today and it will save us tomorrow.
PRAYER
Abba Father You are our God and worthy to be praised and adored. Your thoughts are not our thoughts nor Your ways are not our ways. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to You Abba Father. May You give us wisdom in all spheres of life dear Jesus. May You increase our faith dear Jesus that we may always seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and all other things You will add unto us. Teach us to do Your will. Teach us to work hard, plan well, give, invest and to save what You give us. May You open the eyes of our hearts that we may see You for who You are. All our hope and trust is in You dear Jesus. Your promises unto us are yes and amen, may they come to light at the appointed time. May You dear Jesus secure us in Your arms and remove any accusation against us, our families and nation. No evil fashioned against us shall prosper and no tongue raised against us shall prevail in Your mighty name Jesus Christ. We love You Lord and exult Your holy name. May You forgive us all our trespasses and wash us with Your precious blood. May You hide our stars and those of our children within Yourself so that we may achieve everything that You have promised us. May You open many doors of prosperity unto us and increase us. May Your favor and blessings be with us in all our going out and coming in. May the light of Your salvation always be the touch that guides our steps. You are the Door dear Jesus, may Your salvation reach the unreached among us. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 30:24-25, 1 Corinthians 16:2
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
“Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.”
INSIGHT
-Invest part of your income. The author of this text may have derived his thoughts from the analogy of a farmer, who sows seed upon the waters or fertile ground. He expressly speaks of sowing seed in Ecclesiastes 11:6 saying, “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.” In verse 2, he enhances the thought of investment and diversification of one’s portfolio. He encourages us to invest and take risks as we place our trust in God for a better return in the future. Also, to invest in a diversified portfolio. He uses the number seven; probably to mean a complete assortment and, eight to encourage us to go the extra mile, for we do not know what evil may come upon the land. When we make such investments, then we need not to worry about uncertain times like the upcoming general elections, drought, locusts invasions, COVID-19 etc, which might discourage us. Like we reviewed yesterday, Joseph invested and saved grain for seven years, and during the years of drought he had enough for his nation Egypt, and their neighboring countries. We do not need to fear while making Investments but to trust in God, who did not give us the spirit of fear but sound mind, love and power (2 Timothy 1:7).
PRAYER
Lord we come before You today with thanksgiving in our hearts. We thank You and exult Your holy name for Your faithfulness and love. We thank You for You are always faithful unto us even when we become faithless. We thank You Father for enabling us to see this day and for the gift of life. We appreciate You dear Jesus for giving us the spirit of sound mind, love and power. May You train us on how to invest well and help us to reap a hundred fold according to Your good pleasures. May You expose our minds to greater possibilities and expand our vision to see and do more. May You lead us into new and better opportunities, and may You bless the work of our hands. May You give us the grace of increase and grant us favor before You and among men. We humbly ask You dear Jesus to deliver us and our nation from pride, fraud and corruption, and wash us with Your precious blood. Prosper us dear Jesus in all our ways. Thank You Abba Father for loving us and for this far that You have brought us. You are worthy and able dear Jesus. All glory, honor, power, praise, riches, wealth and blessings belong to You dear Jesus now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6
2 Corinthians 9:6-9
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
INSIGHT
-God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is one of foundational business principles present in the Bible. Giving can be classified in many ways but the basic principles are two, giving and God and giving to the poor. The Bible actually classifies it into one, giving to God, since when we give to the poor, we give to God and lend to Him, and He will repay (Proverbs 19:17). We have witnessed that most of the most successful organizations are engaged in CRS activities, and give to the poor. In Malachi 3:10 we are commanded to give our whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in God’s house. He will open windows of heaven and pour out for us blessings until it overflows. But when we do not honor God with our tithes and offerings, we steal from Him and bear a curse (Malachi 3:8-9). God is reminding us to give to the poor and to the church, and He will release unto us blessings until we have no more space for storage. By giving, we also store us our treasures in heaven, where there is no moth, no rust, and thieves cannot break in and steal. God Himself is a giver. He gave us His only begotten Son by whom we have the gift of salvation.
PRAYER
You are our Shepherd and Shield Lord Jesus. Our Lord and King. None can be compared to You. You are Yahweh. You deserve to be worshipped and adored. Thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for loving us and for this far that You have brought us. We commit this day and the entire month unto Your able hands dear Jesus, may You direct us and lead us in the way that we should go. May You bless all our going out and coming in. May You be the Light in us that shines so that may many may us as the reflection of Your image and likeness, and glorify Your name. May You give us hearts and compassion that we may freely give to the needy. Help us also dear Jesus that we may willingly offer our gifts, tithes and offerings to You. May You bless all the children living in the streets and deliver them from their troubles. May You strengthen all those who are homeless and provide for all their needs. We humbly ask You dear Jesus to bless the love of Christ foundation and all the other groups that help the needy so that we may reach our objectives according to Your good plans. May You bless us Lord as You have promised us. We will lend to many nations, but borrow from none. We will rule over many nations and none over us dear Jesus for Your promises are true and right. May Your name be praised in all the nations of the earth. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ You are Lord to the glory of God the Father. We worship You and give You praise now and forever. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 15:6, Psalms 112:3
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
INSIGHT
-Give thanks to God in all circumstances. Expressing gratitude to God is a powerful tool that releases blessings upon our lives and our businesses. Thanksgiving provokes the blessings of God upon our life. In 2 Chronicles 1:6-15, Solomon offered unto God a thousand burnt offering and went to bed. He got divine visitation; and was given blank cheque from God to choose what he desired. God released a divine overflow, more than he asked for and he got overwhelming prosperity. Thanksgiving also causes incredible multiplication upon us, our businesses and ministries. In John 6:5-13, we see Jesus giving thanks for five loaves of bread and two fishes, which multiplied and He was able to feed five thousand people. Further, thanksgiving brings down the glory of God. In 2 Chronicles 5:13-14, when high praises and thanksgiving was rendered to God, His glory filled His house and the priests could not stand. Sickness, disease, sorrow and demons cannot stand, as we give thanks in Jesus mighty name. Thanksgiving offerings also qualifies us for another act of favor from God (Proverbs 3:9-10).
PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord our God, for You are good and Your mercies endures forever. We give thanks to You dear Jesus for You are good and Your love endures forever. We give thanks to You most Precious Holy Spirit for You are good for Your grace is everlasting. Thank You for Your provision, protection, guidance, sustenance, care, love, joy, grace, favor, gifts and fruit. Thank You for the gift of salvation unto us and all our descendants. May You open the door of salvation dear Jesus for all those who do not know You. May You save us Lord our God of our salvation. May You gather us together and deliver us, our families and nation, from the snares of the evil one. May You protect us from all corners with Your hedge of fire and Your precious blood dear Jesus. Thank You for redeeming us from the hand of the enemy dear Jesus. May You remove any accusation against us in the courts of heaven. Thank You for this far that You have brought us and the far that You taking us. May You teach us to give thanks to You in all circumstances Abba Father. May You teach us to do Your will. May You bless us, our children, businesses and take us to the next level. May You bless the work of our hands dear Jesus and grant us breakthroughs in all areas of our lives. May You remember all whose who are unemployed that You may give them opportunities to prosper. May You bless our land and restore our economy. All glory, honor, power, wealth, riches and blessings belong to You Lord, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”
INSIGHT
-Bad company corrupts good morals. The moral conduct of an entrepreneur should be governed by the regulations of God as recorded in the Bible. Sometimes we encounter people in our businesses who do not profess the same faith and draw us into doing evil things like corruption, forgery, bribery, time wastage etc. God reminds us to awake to righteousness if in any case we have slumbered. Also, to be alert and sober minded for the enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Since God has a good plan for us, He brings forth destiny connectors to guide us into new business frontiers, and some people mentor us into righteous living.
PRAYER
Your kingdom Lord is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You are Righteous Lord and upright in all Your judgements. You are Rock, Your works are perfect and Your ways are just. Your right hand is full of righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own Abba Father, have mercy on us. We cannot be holy on our own, may Your grace and peace always comfort us. May You send us our destiny connectors to open up new frontiers of opportunities for us. May You reveal to us mentors who govern their conduct by righteousness and truth. May You grant us favor before men and women, and before You Lord. Only You are faithful dear Jesus, teach us to be faithful to You. Increase our faith in You so that it may be accounted to us for righteousness just like Abraham. We love You Lord and bless Your holy name. Thank You for loving us first. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Romans 14:17, Genesis 15:6
Matthew 25:14-18
“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. 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. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his Lord’s money.”
INSIGHT
–God has given us special gifts and talents to enable us succeed in business. In Exodus 31:2-5, we find Bezalel son of Uri who was filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and with all kinds of skills and was talented in making artistic designs for work in gold, silver, bronze, stones, wood, and in all kinds of crafts. If we look at the parable of the talents from a business perspective, we see various individuals who God entrusted specific and diverse gifts, according to their ability. The one who was given five talents can be classified as a high risk taker, and with his abilities, he invested his resources and doubled his return. As we know the rule of thumb in investment is that the higher the risk, the higher the expected return, and the reverse is true. A similar occurrence happened to the one who was entrusted two talents, who can be classified as a moderate risk taker. Unfortunately, the last person was risk averse. He got one talent and buried it in the ground, and did not produce anything. The first two were elevated to take on other cities and opportunities, but the last person was condemned and his talent given to another. We are God’s handiwork, created to do good works which God prepared for us in advance (Ephesians 2:10). Some of us have been given diverse talents, which unfortunately we know about but do not exercise them. Sometimes we procrastinate and do not bear fruit. Partly it is because of fear, and other personal reasons. God is calling us to have faith in Him and do that which He has called us and enabled us to do. But faith without works is dead.
PRAYER
God You have commanded us to be fruitful, to multiply, subdue and fill the earth. You have called us to have dominion over the fish, birds and animals, we praise Your name dear Jesus. You have given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall harm us. We plead Your precious blood Jesus on our lives, families, businesses, careers, education, nation and all the nations of the world. Nothing shall indeed harm us merciful Savior. Thank You for the authority that You have given us to become kings and priests to You, we shall overcome every obstacle in Your name dear Jesus. May You increase our faith and teach us to work well with our hands. Thank You for the gifts, talents and abilities that You have given unto us, may You give us wisdom, knowledge and understanding Holy Spirit, that we may exercise them and bear much fruit for the glory of Your name Jesus. You are the Vine dear Jesus and we are the branches, may You help us to bear fruit; a hundred fold for the glory of Your name. May You prepare our hearts to receive Your word and radiate Your light in the market place, so that many may see and glorify Your holy name. May You open the eyes the our hearts so that we may see You and experience diverse opportunities, awesome Father. Thank You dear Jesus for loving us and choosing us. We adore You and praise Your holy name, now and forever. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Genesis 1:28, Luke 10:19
Hebrews 11:1-2
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”
INSIGHT
-Have faith in God. Substance in Greek is written as hupostasis which means assurance, conviction, courage, steadfastness of mind, and firmness. In business we need to apply faith in God’s promises even in what seems unachievable. God reminds us that nothing is impossible with Him. He makes a way where there seems to be no way and brings to completion that which He has promised. As He said to Joshua; be strong and of good courage (Joshua 1:9), let us have courage and boldness in the Lord, and we will conquer all mountains including business; in His mighty name.
SUMMARY
The word of God is a manual that guides us in all things that pertains to life including; how to conduct business. It stipulates certain fundamental principles that we have reviewed over the past fortnight. In an art shell, the kingdom business principles are:- work hard; for the lazy will come to poverty (Proverbs 10:4), have integrity; for money gained by unjust means will diminish (Proverbs 13:11), surround yourself with people with good conduct; for bad company corrupts good morals ( 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 ), have a budget; for your income (Luke 14:28-30), save some money for the unforeseeable future (Proverbs 21:20), invest and don’t fear to take risks; especially on a diversified portfolio ( Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 ), exercise your gifts and talents and don’t let them lie waste; lest you become unfruitful (Matthew 25:14-18), be generous to God and to the needy in society; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ), and last but not least; give thanks to God in all circumstances; and keep praying for your businesses and economy (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
PRAYER
We fix our eyes on You dear Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, for the joy set before You, You endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We worship You Holy One of God. May You forgive us all our trespasses, sins of our families, nation and the entire world. May You go before us and level the mountains. May You break down the gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. May You make every crooked path straight in our lives, families, businesses, careers, education and nation. May You make all our plans succeed according to Your will. Thank You for making us more that conquerors in You Christ Jesus. May You give us strength, faith, wisdom and good courage to take on every opportunity that comes before us, whether big or small. Thank You Jesus for the plans You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Thank You for the good plans You have for our businesses and economy, we worship You. All our hope is in You precious Holy Spirit. Lord You make one rich and add no sorrow to it. May You bless the work of our hands dear Jesus. May You bless us and keep us. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Mark 11:22-24, 1 Thessalonians 1:3