Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Daily Prayer,
Speaker 1: a podcast dedicated to helping you find the words you
Speaker 1: need to connect with your Father in Heaven. No matter
Speaker 1: what is going on in your life today, you can
Speaker 1: trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after
Speaker 1: this short word from our sponsor, you will pray to
Speaker 1: today's prayer to wisely steward our resources. Together. A Prayer
Speaker 1: to wisely Steward Our Resources written by Sophia Briger read
Speaker 1: by Kerrie Eichberger. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and
Speaker 1: do not begin to say to yourselves we have Abraham
Speaker 1: as our father. For I tell you that out of
Speaker 1: these stones God can raise up children. For Abraham, the
Speaker 1: axe is already at the root of the trees, and
Speaker 1: every tree that does not produce good fruit will be
Speaker 1: cut down and thrown into the fire. What should we do, then,
Speaker 1: the crowd asked, John answered, anyone who has two shirts
Speaker 1: should share with the one who has none, and anyone
Speaker 1: who has food should do the same. Look three verses
Speaker 1: eight through eleven. I frowned at the expiration date printed
Speaker 1: on the package. There were only four eggs left, which
Speaker 1: meant my family had eaten most of the dozen, but
Speaker 1: I still looked at the remaining shapes in the package,
Speaker 1: thinking of how they could have been used in a meal.
Speaker 1: Waste not, want not is an old saying that has
Speaker 1: become somewhat of a cliche, but I could not help
Speaker 1: thinking of what my grandmother and mother used to say
Speaker 1: while I tossed the expired eggs into the trash. Usually,
Speaker 1: I make it a habit to utilize what we have,
Speaker 1: knowing how difficult it can be to have enough. This time,
Speaker 1: the date had crept up on me. Images of families
Speaker 1: in my town and around the world flashed in my mind.
Speaker 1: So many people on Earth, individuals who are made in
Speaker 1: God's image, struggled to obtain sufficient food, and yet here
Speaker 1: I was throwing away surplus and had expired guil nagged
Speaker 1: me as I cooked dinner. Scripture tells us that those
Speaker 1: who have more than enough have a responsibility to share
Speaker 1: what they have with those in need. John the Baptist
Speaker 1: included this instruction when he addressed the crowds who came
Speaker 1: to him seeking baptism. True repentance leads to transformation and character,
Speaker 1: and in effect action, the Lord had already revealed this
Speaker 1: principle to his people Israel, such as in the command
Speaker 1: to love one's neighbor, not taking a person since cloak
Speaker 1: as a pledge, or refraining from harvesting a field a
Speaker 1: second time were practical applications of this command. Likewise, in
Speaker 1: the early Church, Christ followers regularly use their resources to
Speaker 1: bless those around them. They shared what they had with
Speaker 1: those in need. Such generosity came from the Holy Spirit's
Speaker 1: work as he produced the spiritual fruit of love and
Speaker 1: kindness in their lives. Since they had been washed and
Speaker 1: made new by the Spirit, the priorities of their lives
Speaker 1: looked different from what they had been before they knew Jesus,
Speaker 1: they had been transformed. For Christ followers today, the same
Speaker 1: call remains. We are to act justly and to love mercy,
Speaker 1: and to walk humbly with your God. Wisely using what
Speaker 1: we have to help others is a natural overflow of
Speaker 1: our relationship with the Lord. We will care for the
Speaker 1: poor and feed the hungry as if we were directly
Speaker 1: caring for ours. So let us give thanks for the
Speaker 1: resources we have, whether great or small, And if we
Speaker 1: already have enough to meet our basic needs, let us
Speaker 1: not waste what we have, but rather find ways to
Speaker 1: share with others. In doing so, we honor the one
Speaker 1: who has given us more than we could ever imagine
Speaker 1: or deserve. Let's pray, Lord, forgive me for the times
Speaker 1: I have wasted my resources. I live in a society
Speaker 1: that values gaining more and often more than I need,
Speaker 1: while at the same time promoting wastefulness. As I lean
Speaker 1: into my relationship with you, help me to reorient my
Speaker 1: priorities around what you care about. Justice, mercy, compassion, love
Speaker 1: and kindness. Produce in me by your Holy Spirit, the
Speaker 1: actions that come from faith. Let me live with contentment,
Speaker 1: being thankful for the necessities you provide. Let me live
Speaker 1: with open hands and an open heart, so that I
Speaker 1: am quick to think of others when I utilize my resources.
Speaker 1: Guide me to how I might give from any area
Speaker 1: of surplus to bless those in need and in every circumstance.
Speaker 1: And I care for others as if I were directly
Speaker 1: serving You, my Savior and your name, Jesus, I pray Amen.
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