Day 1

Philippians 4

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want

I hope you can see the implication of refusing God’s guidance to success will lead to a life of frustration all the days of your life. If you opt to comparison then every time you sit next to somebody doing better than you,you feel frustrated. I started with the example of your own mother’s children. You come for a family meeting, everybody is driving, you are on number eleven, two legs, and you feel like oh, you can’t even talk when they talk. Even if God has given you a message for the family, you can’t give it. When you start to talk your legs are having fellowship.

Now, you need to understand clearly it will destroy your value and your ministry, all because of lack of having this biblical teaching on success. So, contentment, will help you retain you value.
remember success is from our subject of contentment, and it comes out of becoming a steward, making yourself separate from possessions so that you manage it for God rather than for your own. You get children, or you don’t have children, you are just as satisfied. In Africa, for a marriage to last when there is no child becomes very difficult. I think it is true in Kenya and true in Zambia, etc.

Am I right? Why? Because in our culture the value of the woman comes from the value of the children. If she has no children, she is valueless. She can cook as good shima as she wants but I did not look for a shima, I was looking for a child. The man will still go out to look for children. But if you start seeing children as simply a gift from God and God has given you thus responsibility elsewhere not just in children, you will be in love, your marriage will be rich with or without children.
In my in book for youth “Find a Life Partner”, I am trying to help young people to have this concept, that when you marry a girl, don’t marry the outside look because you marry her as a figure eight, after she has three children her size will change to like a drum. It is very important to understand that the body is just the container of your wife. The real person who was in figure eight is the same one in the drum.

If not You cannot be contented in your marriage by the way, it is not just women who change, even men. The other day a sister was overheard telling the husband, all these extra kilos I never married. Because she didn’t understand, you don’t marry the outside, you marry the inside. It is very, very important.

It is a very, very important concept. It can help your marriage to last when you have changes. It is something you will deal with in marriage life.

Number two, when you understand the concept of stewardship and actually practice it, you live a life that honors God. Since you are no longer pursuing possessions, you are left to pursue God. Every time you ask yourself, the critical thing how am I serving the Lord. When I drive a big car or a small one is not an issue, the thing that will be underlying is, is this pleasing the Lord or not pleasing the Lord?

Stewardship allows you to live a life where you are honouring God because He is basically the one you are living to honour. And you need to ask yourself, have you gotten to where Jesus Christ, said…my meat is to do your will. That means even if I have no physical food, like He was telling the people after He talked to the lady, we normally call Samaritan lady, when you get that level, you will be joyful whether you are full of food or no food, whether you eat shima with cabbages or you eat it with fish. It will not quite matter because that’s basically not your issue. You are driven by desire to honor God. What matters to you is how will this honour God. So, you can see if you really understand the concept of stewardship, it dissociates you from things that will divert you from doing God’s will.

And thirdly, when you understand and practice the concept of stewardship you will permanently be in a life of contentment in God. Following from the first two, you have chosen a life of contentment.

Day 2

Proverbs 30:15

“The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

The reason I wrote the book, The Secret of Contentment, was actually an experience I had. I am very busy working for my first employer who was a Development Bank, very, very happy. as a young person in the nineteen seventies, I used to argue the only difference between being in the university and working in the bank is very little, it is only the money. Because as a student I used to write papers and then the teacher would mark and I get a grade but now I was writing papers and the bank would give me money. You know I would write board papers for people to get their financing. So, both tasks were academic. I was giving industrial loans. I am writing one on fruit processing. So, I learn a lot about fruit processing and write a paper for the board. The next time I am dealing with bolts and nuts. You know in the seventies we were newly independent, we were trying to create industries, and ours was a parastatal to finance development. It was called industrial commercial development corporation.

So I really enjoyed my job and I didn’t actually want to move. Then one day I was in a workshop and there were both private sector and government people learning about project appraisal. The day Kenyatta died in 1978 I was in the workshop. Soon after Kenyatta had died and had been buried, I got a call from somebody from Shell and he said, could we talk. I said, what about? Really, we would like you to join us. I said, I am happy where I am. He said, but all the same, why don’t you just come we talk.

I went and he tried to tell me that they need a business analyst and he really thinks I am the one who can help them given what he heard me say in the workshop. He was a manager in charge of the business development department and he felt he really needed somebody like me. I said, I am not quite sure I want to move. I am happy where I am. He said, no, no, no. Just apply. So he gave me a paper and I applied. He gave me a paper and I applied and I left his office. Then now I was called the next interview and another interview. Finally, I went to see the CEO himself since I was joining in as an executive officer.

Once they said they are employing me; I had to meet, those days they were called Personnel Managers. They were not called HR. HR is a new term. I was talking to the Personnel Manager the final thing. He started talking about what they offer like medical cover. but I was healthy so medical cover meant nothing. I was not even married. So, it is not an issue that I cared about. I took my salary in the bank, doubled it and I told him I would like this how much money I need. The guy continued talking about other benefits. we normally help people with housing loan. After sometime I said, sir, did you hear what I am asked for?

I had prayed to God,that I only want to do his will. And I told him as a fleece, if I ask for double the salary, if they don’t give me, I will know you are not in it. It was very important that he hears because it was a prayer item. Then he turned round and said, young man, I can handle that. Of course I was young. You can imagine I was younger almost fifty years ago.
When he finished with me, I left. When I got a letter of offer it literary doubled my salary. I knew I was going to Shell. I thought the people in shell must be very happy given that were earning more than what we were given in the bank yet we can from same university.

When finally, I joined shell what bothered me is, the people I found in Shell we were looking happy. Surely, how can people not be happy? Honestly, I didn’t know people can earn so much money and still not be happy? I was very happy where I was. I didn’t know people can earn double my salary and we just left the university together.

I thought, they must be the happiest people on earth. But I only needed to be there during probation to find complainants. Ooh. I said, what? They are earning so much and they are so unhappy! Aaa, then contentment must be a secret. if they can’t have it, then who can? That’s where my book came, The Secret of Contentment. First, I looked for opportunity to write in our company magazine that used to come every two months, because I thought these people need help to know the secret of contentment. The editor kept thinking that my intention is to preach to them. He refused. One day he ran out of articles. He came to my office. Ng’ang’a, where are those articles you have been talking about? Because he was desperate. They needed to go to print and they have no articles. I didn’t even give him one, I gave him two because I didn’t know he would need them.

The day he let it appear in the company magazine; he got calls from all over. The magazine used to go to the petrol station dealers and to other companies of Shell outside Kenya. He was told, that is the kind of articles we need. And of course they called the section, human interest stories. That is what we want. So, he now came back. Now it is no longer me asking. He said, can you write another one. And then finally he created a column for Ng’ang’a to be appearing in every issue. And for the next eight years I was writing a series on the secret of contentment. When somebody starts reading, by the fourth year they read the tenth secret, they say, can you give me the other back secrets. So, he ran out of magazines. That’s why he told me, you would have to make this a book, because people want all the secrets backwards, but now he has run out of the copies of the magazine.

The feedback from readers was great. People would tell me, you know, I am not taking for myself. I have told my son to read. Every time the magazine comes, I take it home for my son to read. So, I knew it is also a ministry using Shell resources.
When you do not discover your place of work as your parish; you miss many opportunities. Because the reason I got that opportunity is because I am in prayer and I am looking for it. And of course they are not looking for a preacher, they are looking just for human interest. So, you write what they want. But you know it is still preaching? When you read the book, you will understand that it is God’s word that we are talking about which is the secret of contentment.
So, I learnt as I dealt with people, money, even if you double somebody’s salary, it will never ever help him get contentment.

Day 3

Philippians 4

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you

You know a lot of us are fighting corruption in our nations. People think, if only people were educated more, they would stop being corrupt. But when you educate somebody, you make him a clever thief. Now, he doesn’t stop being a thief, he becomes a clever thief once you give him education. Education does not stop corruption, it only makes the person now steal cleverly, so you can’t catch him. And some people think that the way to sort our problem is to have a higher salary. The other day for our anticorruption body, they decided to pay the anticorruption director more than the president so that he cannot be tempted to ever steal. Yet we have had occasion when our anticorruption authority has been suspended. They are claiming that they are involved in corruption. In fact, the newspaper put a headline, the hunters are hunted. And the previous guy who was removed out of the office was a Christian man. He was removed because, earning more than the president, in Kenya shillings he was earning more than two million Kenya shillings yet he wanted more. So it is the kind of money you cannot imagine. But do you know this guy was so naïve, very bright but, he was so naïve. He started a foundation so that people can be donating, so that he can be helping his region develop. Once you have a foundation all the crooks will donate, isn’t it? Because they want to influence you. So, before you start investigating me you have the money. What happened? He tried to follow one crook. As he was trying to follow one crook but the crook had taken a photograph, of him and the director as he was donating. He went to him and the person. And he told him, you follow my case and this picture will go viral. Then he felt intimidated. And he is a very principled person. He decided to go to the press to say there are people threatening him. The other guy also went to the press and showed the picture. I have just been donating to him yet he wants to arrest me?

The national wondered what? The director of anticorruption is receiving money in the name of foundation? And in Kenya the way to collect money is to call it foundation. You know parliament was already unhappy with director because most of the crooks are in parliament. They are the former this, the former that, the former this. They quickly met, changed the law, and my friend was removed. I am telling you getting more money doesn’t stop you from stealing.

I discovered that in Kenya after the coup attempt in 1982. …, because it really shook Moi, all the officers, the army, the police, everybody’s salary was increased. In fact, it was increased to such a level, one of my friends who was a principal of agriculture college said they don’t know how to now encourage their students because the police are going for six months’ training and earning, at the end of six months’ training earning more than the agricultural officer after two years of training. And remember the police had not even passed as well as the agricultural officer. But the idea was to stop corruption in the police force.
What happened? Earlier, when he stopped you on the roadside you could give him ten shillings, now with the new salary he just throws the money back to you. You now must give him a hundred. So, all that changed was the level of how much you are paying him. He now doesn’t accept small money. That’s an insult. I am writing you down.
So, you can see clearly no amount of money will deal with your problem of lack of contentment. So, I hope you can pick the book of The Secret of Contentment and get the rest of the story.

Day 4

Proverbs 6:34,

34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

Another version. For jealousy makes a man curious and he will not spare when he takes a thing. He will accept no compensation nor be appeased though you multiply gifts.

In other word jealousy is materialism, isn’t it? Jealousy is the opposite of contentment because you are never satisfied with what you have. The grass is always greener across the fence. Isn’t that what they say? So, it causes you jealousy for what others have. And when you have jealousy, God can give you things but until you get what the other person wants, you lack contentment.

Remember Naboth in the Bible? His land went to the king who had many plots but he just felt only Naboth plot matters. And our African leaders, are they not like that? Now, it is important to understand the thing you desire most in your life should never be money, what you require is contentment. Please remember that a lot of the things you are looking for are the wrong things to give you contentment.

You know for example, you buy a good house, or you buy a good bed, but what you are after is not the bed, you are after sleep, isn’t it? But you cheat yourself that because now I have a bed, very thick, you think you will sleep. But I hope you do not become like Gleg who went to sleep only to hearing people calling you that they are lost. People being lost and you were waiting here for three hours, when he went to sleep, he would just hear somebody else calling. The bed does not provide sleep. You need to be able to bring yourself to understand contentment is not in the type of bed that you are in. Whatever the location of your house or the size of your bed you will not get sleep.

The Bible says He gives to his beloved sweet sleep. Sleep is a gift from God. And it can be in a hard bed, like the one where I grew up. When I was growing in the nineteen fifties, I mean, I come from where the Maumau fights were around us. So, we were in an emergency situation. We were all gathered together into villages. The johnies, the white solders were shouting to us … and it was a very rough time growing up. Now I know these days we should have been called IDPs, Internally Displaced People. In the fifties nobody knew the term. So, the best you could sleep on, have four sticks then a bag, you know the normal sisal bags, you tie it with strings on both four sticks and you sleep on it, and you are sleeping properly.

I learnt about mattress when I went to high school. I never heard of something called mattress. When I reached high school I wondered, what is this? Why do you have put something else on top of the bed. Then they also gave us e sheets and beds. Now, for us we only knew a blanket. Sheet was unknown, we never heard of a bed sheet. Now they are giving us even a pillow. How do they sleep? But I was sleeping, all my growing years I slept well, I had to be woken up to go to school. You understand sleep has nothing to do with the kind of bed you are sleeping on.

When you become a steward and God has given you a bed of four sticks you will sleep because you understand God is taking you through an experience. And you will accept it so you will be able to sleep. And of course, when they give you a bed like the one you are sleeping on in a lodge, again you will sleep, isn’t it? Because your sleep is not related to the type of bed or even the estate you are in.

Thus, if you run short of money you will have no difficulty changing houses to the other cheaper one because you know you will still sleep. Your sleep has nothing to do with the location you are in. Houses do not give sleep; sleep comes from the Lord.
You know, if I owned some piece of land and I am managing it, I am a steward. If I am managing a piece of land and it is mine, then I am the owner, isn’t it? Let me tell you that changes. You can be on a piece of land and you are managing it then there is drought. Do you know you as a manager suffers nothing? Your employer cannot say that money ran out. He has now to use his salary in Nairobi to pay you. And I know many of you, you are doing like Kenya where you run a small farm somewhere and you are living in Lusaka, you continue paying the worker by your salary. The guy doesn’t want to know that the cow died. You have to pay him. All those, just like the other way round, you know earlier we were talking about the management, if he does good management there may be more profit but your salary remains the same. Am I right?

In the same way when the farm becomes bankrupt your salary is still intact. Am I right? And if he tries to fire you, you could take him to labour office. Your salary has no relationship to whether the farm makes money or does not make money. So, it is you to make up your mind. Do you want to be a farm manager or a farm owner?

A steward is not an owner. And when you are not the owner then it means whatever happens to the farm, it doesn’t affect your salary.

God owns what you have. God will look after you after the business has collapsed. Because it was not your business, it was God’s business. So, you will be surprised the business has collapsed and you are still eating.

Day 5

1 Timothy 6:8

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Remember the verse was, if you have clothing and food what is your problem? And you will be ok. Your business has gone bankrupt and you will still get food. You know, when I reached my forties, since we were going to retire at fifty-five, you know a few people started giving me some counseling. Ng’ang’a you cannot run around the way you are running around preaching. Because you reach forties and in addition to your job you should start side business, you start something, so that you plan for your retirement, isn’t it? And I actually tried. I still remember buying a piece of land and I even took my family to work it., we started planting potatoes, but just the next Saturday I am trying to go I am invited in Kenyatta University. I had to make up my mind, do I plant potatoes or do I go to Kenyatta University and preach? The idea of telling the students I couldn’t come because I was planting potatoes, proved difficult. The problem is not the students, how do I tell the Lord who opened that opportunity? Many people cannot enter universities. The only reason why they are calling me is because the Lord has opened the door. And I realized I would have to give up on my potatoes.

So, people said, surely, don’t you understand you are getting old? You are reaching retirement. And I was also bothered but I realized the more I tried to move out the more invitations came. And when you combine my job in Shell and my invitations, I simply had no extra time to invest elsewhere. So, I told God, I am your steward. What you want to deal with me in retirement is your business. I will serve you. You know, it is now almost 20 years of being a pensioner, and the Lord has been providing.

That time I was talking, in my forties I was talking by faith, in my seventies I can use both faith and sight. I have seen God providing to my needs. So that it is important to come to where you understand that idea, it is better to be a farm manager than a farm owner because if you are the farm manager you retire, shauri yako. We say in Swahili, it is your own problem how you live in retirement. You belong to God, your retirement is God’s business. Because in his own terms He doesn’t know the word retirement. He only knows change of job. So, He will give you something to do after the other one. When the employer says you are old God knows you are still fresh to do other things and God will open doors, isn’t it?

Let me tell you another one, I assumed, retirement meant stop flirting. Since I used to do an international job and travelling, you had gold, and going to platinum royalty miles in Kenya Airways. I retired and I went, pa pa pa pa towards zero points. You know you just appear at the lounge and they say, bring that card. Aaa, no, no, no, you can’t enter. But for many years I have going to the Kenya Airways lounges with it. And I said, aaaaa kweli ..for sure I am retired.

Then I realized it not true that I am retired I have not been travelling. One day I found myself giving the stewardship message near River Kabwe in Itezhi-Tezhi Dam 300 km from Lusaka. Would I have ever thought about it happening before I retired? Not in my plan. I am retired. I look forward to writing books and staying in Kenya.
Now, what I want you to see is the difference between being a farm manager and a farm owner. That if you choose to be a farm owner, you must be ready for the consequences that follow. Contentment comes when you learn to trust God as you manage his property, He will also look after you whatever comes your way.

A lot of times when I teach this, the normal question during question time, is, isn’t this message dangerous? It is likely to make people very lazy. Because if God is looking after you, you become like communism like Nyerere’s ujamaa because we are ok whether we work hard or not?

Now, I reply you have missed God’s word. Are you aware there are more verses in the Bible against laziness than against drunkenness? Just go through the scriptures. There are more verses against laziness than against drunkenness. If the New Testament it is rough. It says, if you don’t work don’t eat. That’s rough. Very rough aganst lazinenss. So that the idea of becoming a steward has nothing to do with laziness.

Becoming a steward is changing the motivation for working hard. You now go like a boy sent by the father. Remember?

Because God is the one who has given you this job. You can’t play around with it. And he is omnipresent and omniscience. You know if it is an earthly boss, you can cheat him, isn’t it? Or may be you are working in Zesco or in MTN, you do not work there because of MTN, you see it as God’s gift, as stewardship issue. So, you will work, sometimes they don’t promote you, they promote other people, but that does not reduce your activity. So that if you truly understand the principles of stewardship there is no fear of laziness.

Some people think Oh, you know, since you know God can provide for you, you will become lazy. Not possible. Because when you become lazy it tells you, you are not even a steward. At least you are not God’s steward. So that fear that you will be less serious with your work is not true.

Or for parents you think, these children now that they are not mine they are God’s, then I will not care about them. Remember now earlier you could ignore them because after all they have annoyed you, they didn’t do as well in school as you want. Now, even if they become number one from the back, you know God will hold you accountable how you treat them. So, you will look after your children better than when they were yours.

Are you getting the difference? So that you need to understand the principles you are teaching make you more productive than you can ever be. So, it is in principle better. You know I told you, I was sent to Kisumu because they didn’t want me to reach top management. But you know they couldn’t fire me either. Shell, every four years they did something called BPR, Business Process Re-engineering. I am sure those of you who work for corporations are used to it. All it means is that they try to see whether they can reorganize to improve productivity by firing people every four years. They re-organize and say, this business can be reorganized differently. And everybody loses jobs, they reorganize and then they start picking from the bag, oh this one can fit here, this one can fit here, then all the people left in the bag, they are given redundancy terms. Because it is not that they have done badly, it is only they cannot fit in the new organization. If I worked for Shell for thirty years, it meant I had five or six different redundancy possibilities. So, since they didn’t like my Christianity and it was clear, the only thing that made me last in Shell is because they valued my input. They want to fire me, and they, aaaai we are going to lose.
In fact when they sent me to Kisumu, three years later I was called by the CEO to Nairobi. I tried to tell him I am having something in the process, he said, no, no, no. It is urgent. Take the next flight on Sunday evening I want to see you on Monday morning in Nairobi. So, I took the flight. When I went there, he told me, John I know we have forgotten you in Kisumu, because originally, they had told me I am going for eighteen months. Three years later I was still in Kisumu. I was dumped.

He went on, I know we have forgotten you, I want to start with an apology. But we are having a real crisis in the company with integrity issues. And after top management team considering we realized you are the only one who can rescue our company. We want you to come back to Nairobi to be a departmental manager, and we have selected the places where corruption and integrity issues are many like procurement, distribution management, those are the areas. John, the choice is yours. You want to be Purchasing Manager? Procurement those days was called purchasing, take the job. You want Distribution Manager; the choice is yours. I am the one who chose to be Distribution Manager. He said, Tomorrow morning the circular is going out. And sure enough by the time I reached Kisumu there was a circular, John Ng’ang’a the new Distribution Manager. And I was on my way to handover and go Nairobi. The same people who threw me to the end of the lake are the same ones when they looked around, they realized my gifts and my talents is what can help them. And of course, I later got promotion and retired in top management. The places they were refusing me to enter middle management, by the time I retired I was in top management of the biggest oil company in Kenya.

Day 6

Philippians 4

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

So do not stand there thinking that when you become a steward that there is any fear of productivity. You will become better at your professional life or your ministry than ever before because now you have one who sees you in secret, who understands exactly what you do. You cannot dodge him. And the truth, when you are lazy you and him know you are lazy. Others may even say, oh he was tired, whatever, but He knows you were just simply lazy and He can handle you.

So, it is important to understand that this concept of stewardship as a way to success. This concept always worries people that when you talk about God taking care of you, people become lazy. Isn’t that what we heard of a Christian being frightened not to do since Christians don’t do science? You are frightened if you become a Christian, you may never do science. It is a misunderstanding. The scriptures, if you are studying as a student as a steward, you will study night and day, isn’t it? Because God knows the truth. Your parents you can cheat them; you can’t cheat God. So, becoming, getting this concept will make you a better worker.

You are given a ministry, now you no longer bother about the bishop, the bishop may be there seeing you or not seeing you, but now, you are a steward of the ministry. Will you work the same way like when the bishop is the one supervising you? No. Because now even where he cannot see you will be doing your very, very best.

So, it is an important thing to understand that when you give yourself to God, it helps you to actually do better. Remember to be born again is to surrender all you own, hand it over to God, and so hand over both your assets and your liabilities. Remember our topic is contentment out of stewardship. Sometimes you feel like you are just handing over assets, but you are also handing liabilities. Philippians 4:11-12 says, not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learnt in whatever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Who has the other version?

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

You know when I first learnt that verse, and it actually appears in my book, The Secret of Contentment, I said, what? Does Paul mean it? Is it so difficult to not be rich? Have you noticed he is saying, I have had to learn how to be content when I have much? I thought it is obvious if you have much you will be content. Paul says, no. It is not even a gift.

When you speak in tongues you don’t learn tongues, it is just a gift. Am I right? And Paul is saying, contentment is not a gift, it is a process to be learnt. And it is so hard to be contented when rich that you need to go through a process of learning just like to be content when you are poor is also a process of learning. But I can tell you I thought at least when you are poor you need a process. When you are rich, I thought it is obvious, but now I know enough to know that Paul is right.

Day 7

Philippians 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

So, please remember when you give yourself to God, you give yourself both the assets and liabilities. And liabilities are the things that cause you fear,now understand they belong to God. Just like the assets are not yours, you have given them to God, the liabilities are also his. Your children may be a wonderful asset but be aware also their school fees, which is a liability, also belongs to God. So that you understand God gives the children, these are his children, at no time will they become mine. So, they are not my headache, they are God’s headache. So that that’s what gives you joy when you understand that.
You even understand there is joy even for a loss. You can lose your job and you will enjoy. Because you will say, God I have no idea where to move next but I do know you have promised me food and clothing, that’s what it means to learn the process of being joyful. So, you meet somebody and he has just been fired, heee, I lost my work. You say, and you are laughing, what is wrong with you? I am laughing because I am eagerly waiting to see what God will do. You know, I wanted to get a first division, I only got third. What are you laughing about? Because I … for sure I will get a first division. I worked very hard but God saw it fit to give me a third division. I am waiting to see what God intends to do with my third division. So, you start understanding God takes the assets and liabilities.

God will give you joy in every circumstance as the verse is saying. I finish with this story, a woman in Kenya is said to have been in an area where there are no vehicles. A vehicle would come once in a week after a long time. So, people were used to walking long distances. Then somebody passed in a bus and saw the woman, and the women in my area carry huge loads at the back, not at the head but at the back. You put a strap on your head then you carry a big luggage at the back. The person sympathized and told the lady, come in. The lady was so happy because now she will reach home faster and be able to cook for her children. She entered the bus but continued carrying the luggage. Her argument is, that man is so good. How can he carry me and I become so rude as to make him also carry my luggage? Are you getting the picture? What she is not aware is, the weight of the luggage is on her back, so when she stands the bus is carrying her weight and the luggage. But she is now saying to be reasonable, how can you carry me and I still insist on you carrying my luggage? So, she could not put the luggage down. So, she continued being tired.

That is, you and me when we refuse to be stewards. We have gotten born again and we are so excited about going to heaven but somehow it doesn’t bother us, we feel like God has already promised you heaven and help o earth. Even if here on earth I can’t understand things, it doesn’t matter to me. God wants to give you heaven and to be able to carry you on earth. You will have joy in heaven,but you will have also joy on earth. Contentment in every situation means you will enjoy earth and enjoy heaven.

That does not mean there will be no problems, but it means you will have problems but the situation is under control. You know if you have ever heard of anybody who committed suicide or attempted to because the one who commits you may never talk to him, but if you are talking to a person who did not succeed in committing suicide, ask them why they were trying to commit suicide. It is never lack, never the current problem, the problem is not only are they having a problem now, but they cannot see a solution to the problem in future. What makes somebody commit suicide is not the immediate problem but the fact that they cannot see any hope in the future. Lack of hope is the biggest killer. Now, when you come to God you can never lack hope because your hope is in him. Isn’t it? And it does not depend on your resources; it depends on his. And He cannot run out of resources.

So, you need to come to where you not only are born again but your day-to-day living is lived with the knowledge He is in control. You know the condition of the situation does not matter, what matters is the situation is under his control. It is a very dangerous thing for the control to be under the situation. But once the control is outside the situation, then you know you can be in a bad situation but he will help you since he remains in control.

When we were young we were making, mud houses. And you know you normally dig an area, remove all bad things and you leave the smooth soil, put water then young boys will be the ones jumping. You jump, you jump, by the time the mud is good you actually can’t come out. Those of you who grew in the rural area, you know how to make mud for the wall of the house? Now, at that point, if you want to come out somebody must be on the dry ground to pull you out. Am I right? Because you pull this leg, this one is getting deeper, you try the other one, you can’t come out. You need somebody to pull you out. Similarly, Jesus is always on dry ground, whatever the mud you are in situation is not hopeless. He will pull you out.

Lord Jesus how we pray that in your wisdom you will teach us to take all the responsibilities you give us, all the assets you give us, all the challenges you give us, all the opportunities you give us, as your gift for us to manage, to be stewards of. Help us to know what that means in our day to day living so that we will not be in doubt that our lives are supposed to be lives of contentment irrespective of what you will take us through and our lives are supposed to be productive lives, and that our lives will not depend on output. Help us to concentrate on being faithful in doing what you have sent us to do. …as your good stewards all our lives .