STEWARDS OF GOD’S GIFTS AND BLESSINGS

‘My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19)

Introduction

Let this most valuable thought engage our attention daily: God is enough not only in the realm of creation and providence, but also in the realm of grace. He is  the Author and Creator of life. He loves us intently and has blessed us with superabundance of natural and material resources. Each of us must be in debt to Him for the air we  breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the world we live in. Every moment of our lives is totally dependent on His benevolence and providence. God loves us so dearly that He has furnished us with an abundant supply of natural endowments to enjoy, bless others and glorify Him. Just take a moment and look at the marvels of the universe – the sweeping landscape, the majestic mountains, the loveliness of hills and valleys, the beauty of trees and flowers, and the beautiful oceans. All these soothes,  pacifies, comfort and consoles the troubled sorrows of life.

A deep desire to be loved and cared for                             

In fact, there is in every human heart a deep desire to be loved and cared for; to be cherished and protected; and to be valued and treasured; to be accepted and appreciated. How reassuring it is to know that we are loved with  a love that will never be taken away. Apparently, we are made, built and designed to be loved by the Divine Lover. God loves us and will keep loving us no matter what. His love surpasses the highest of human love. Indeed, we are a people full of promise, but have become a disappointment because of our misuse of God’s gift and blessings. It seems that the more we prosper physically and materially the more we decline spiritually.

George Carlin, a comedian of the 70’s and 80’s beautifully captures the confusion of our age and the paradox of our times when he states: ‘The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things’. Oh what a pity!

Stewards of God’s resources

As Christians, we are stewards of God’s resources and we have a choice in sowing seeds and maximizing His gifts or hoarding and locking it away out of fear. St. Paul affirms: ‘My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19). God is who He says He is and we have no reason to fear but have faith. He is the God of creation and universe. When we truly understand His power and presence, we cannot help but trust him to meet and supply all our needs. He promises to meet all our needs as believers, we are called to walk by faith in Him, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). So, let us step out in faith, put aside fear and worry, and start living in confidence, trusting in God’s promise to provide. For it is said that it is by living that we discover our talents, and it is by using them that we grow and become fulfilled. Because we have been blessed by God, we would be questioned on how we have used His gifts and talents. Have we misused, buried, allowed our talents go to waste, or have we use them wisely, creatively and productively for the common good and to the glory of God? We have seen in the world today where brilliant sportsmen turn to drinking and waste away, young and wonderful students turn to gangsterism and hooliganism and are trapped forever, dynamic unemployed graduates turn to kidnapping and armed robbery, talented and  excellent singers turn to drugs, bright and vibrant politicians disappears into the corrupt system and perhaps their talents are unfortunately lost forever. Let us not give in to carelessness, laziness and recklessness and so fail to make use of our talents and blessings.

Temptations of the growing pressure and the reality of our times

We notice that under the global socio-economic crisis and the growing pressure to make ends meet in the modern world, we are becoming individualistic, selfish, and irrational in our thinking, mentality, orientation, attitude and lifestyle; we are tempted to completely lock God the giver out in our roles as stewards of His gifts and blessings in the world. Hypocrisy, dishonesty, falsehood, deceit and fraud are the rage of our day, the great plague of our world. All around us are swindlers and fraudsters masquerading in different forms. The prevailing atmosphere is unfortunately that of deceptiveness, fraudulent impressiveness and the apparent false pretensions and counterfeit appearances. In fact, the story is the same everywhere. Corruption and dishonesty, oppression and exploitation of the poor has continued to be part of everyday life in many countries. Daily, we hear stories of managers, government officials, religious leaders and top politicians who embezzle and squander the money entrusted to them and are subsequently dismissed. We hear of accounts of falsified documents, examination mal-practice, misuse of funds, bribery and corruption, money laundering, forgery and counterfeiting, corrupt governments brought about by dishonorable politicians and office holders. These unholy ambitions and activities which account for many of our problems in the world leaves us completely disillusioned tormented and unfulfilled. It seems the world has abandoned all principles of morality, integrity and honesty.

Our shallow and limited vision

Apparently, we see that the world’s current problems are fundamentally a spiritual crisis, created by our limited vision as human beings. Mere human political and economic discourse and solutions, without the help and guidance of God would never be sufficient in themselves to alleviate sufferings, indignities and human brutalities in the world. In our world assailed by doubts and weighed down by uncertainties, let us turn towards God with hope and live by His gospel values and principles. Yet, the hard fact is that, in the midst of this world that is often cruel, grasping, skeptical, hostile, deceptive and materialistic, Christians are called to give courageous public and private witness to Christ’s love, truth and justice. We are challenged to work for the common good by using our God given gifts and talents not to oppress and exploit people but to bless, empower  and uplift them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all these should cause us to pause and ponder the meaning and purpose of life and examine ourselves in the way we use or misuse God’s gifts and blessings. Although God has given us a promise to provide all things in abundance, the question still remains on how we can reconcile the Lord’s promise with our unmet needs and unanswered requests – when difficulty, pains and suffering continues; when oppression and exploitation continues; when hearts are broken; dreams shattered; hope lost with lingering unemployment and prolong ill-health cases; and with needs so painfully unmet that we may experience immense disappointment that can lead us to doubt God’s promises. Even then, we must remember that God the giver of all things is faithful and His love never fails. So, are you facing a crisis in your life at this moment? A financial collapse, a broken relationship, a marriage difficulty, divorced, separated, lost a spouse through death, a business challenge, a career problem, a life threatening illness and set of circumstances that threaten to engulf you? Don’t give up because His grace is enough and can become so active in your life to help you come through every challenge you face victoriously. I am deeply convinced that there is no limit to what God will do for you as His servant because you are unique and special to Him. So, be God’s responsible steward and gratefully thank Him for His numerous blessings in life.

Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director, Media Service Centre, Kaduna Nigeria, 2011

THE DILEMMAS OF MODERN SOCIETY

‘No one, regardless of how shrewd or well-advised he is, can stand against the Lord.’ (Proverbs 21:30).

Yes, we have woken up to the possibility and reality that change is certain because life is dynamic. Tremendous changes (negative and positive) are taking place as the society is evolving. Today we are seeing immense pressures on our treasured African traditional values and beliefs. In fact, everywhere these revolutionary social reforms and heightening pressures are generating discontent, a scrambling of values, social disarray and are placing governments of the world under conflicting pressures of rival claim for attention. Such conditions for sociologists point the way to priorities that are likely to govern life and progress now and in years to come. Speaking about the dilemmas of the modern man, the onetime French President, Gisard d’Estaing publicly stated: ‘The world is unhappy. It is unhappy because it doesn’t know where it is going and because it senses that if it knew, it would discover that it is heading for disaster… The crisis the world knows today will be a long one. It is not a passing difficulty. It is actually the recognition of permanent change’.[1] Yes, change is sure. `However, orderly, positive, constructive and innovative changes can take place if certain godly principles are applied and not compromised.

We dear to assert even in this turbulent, confused and restless age that God is the almighty Creator and knows the very best for humankind. The sooner we accept Him as the final authority and begin to structure our lives, business, family and country after His laws and principles, the better off we will be. Manipulating the truth or being clever or shrewd in the eyes of the world will eventually destroy us. Indeed life is a precious gift. It is a process of growth. If we want the good life, we must continue to strive to grow in the knowledge of God and His Laws, and the principles He designed for humanity. Though we are daily getting sophisticated in our world and considering ourselves shrewd , smart and wise, we cannot function properly without godly principles.

John E. Schrock, a businessman in His article on The Self government Principle of Motive notes that ‘to reject God and His ideas is like cutting off the hand that feeds us, for God and truth are synonymous’. Though we write thousands of laws to interpret the Ten Commandments (Moral Codes for proper functioning). God’s Law still remain same. That is why our constitution and system of laws are structured around God’s commandments. It creates a moral society. The fundamental question then is, how well are we as a people currently applying the godly principles in our life and nation? Just because we have been given the ability to reason and choose does not license us to break the moral standard for which we were created. Let us not digress and loss our morality as a nation. Speaking on the idea of sex morality Sigmund Freud, the renowned psychologist stated: ‘Present day civilization gives us plainly to understand that sexual relations are permitted only on the basis of a final, indissoluble bond between man and woman; that sexuality, as a source of enjoyment -  for its own sake is unacceptable to it; and that its intention is to tolerate it – only as the hitherto irreplaceable means of multiplying the human race’.[2]

Furthermore, Schrock states that ‘Man was created after his kind to live by two codes – a conscience (a sense of right and wrong) and Commandments. Our conscience is not a true guide, unless it is governed by the Commandments. God made man and beast as male and female for reproductive purposes. It is only the human that practices homosexuality. Only human beings become addicted to drugs, and alcohol and plan abortions. It may be legal or politically correct, but these things are still morally wrong. We must remember that we are responsible before God and mankind to follow a moral code of ethics based upon truth from God and creation. We will do ourselves favor by living and structuring ourselves and societies upon God’s principles.

The challenge before us amidst this sweeping changes is to keep in harmony with the fundamental laws of our being, whenever we depart from the principle of our being, our whole nature becomes discordant. Our conscience will confront us as our accusers. Our decision to be discordant and rebellious will mark the beginning of our disaster and defeat as a people and a nation.

The sexual revolution, now impregnate in the fabric of Western Societies are on course to becoming a global culture. Having overcome most bastions of political resistance, it continues to spread its effects without meeting any cultural resistance… In less than a century, the ideas of revolutionary minorities have deeply transformed the mentalities and mores of the majority in the West. The new culture not only accepts, permits and tolerates, but also ‘celebrate’ the sexual experimentation of young people, the succession and multiplicity of partners, the diversity of ‘sexual orientations’, and cohabitation outside marriage.[3] Today the continent of Africa is facing a serious moral revolution with a consequent threatening disaster so immanent if not managed and properly controlled. The crazy agitation of same sex marriage, Homosexual proselytizing in schools and other social institutions and homosexual parenting which before now were viewed as aberrations that shock our mentalities, are now publicly becoming citizens right issues challenging the moral competence of our political leaders.

The latest case in point is the recent protest by a group of Nigerians to the National Assembly asking that their fundamental human rights be respected by legalizing same sex marriage. The boldness and sagacity exhibited by these agitators who appeared to make their submission during the Senate hearing on the bill shocked the mentalities of many Nigerians. During the public hearing, the Senate Committee Chairman on Judiciary and Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Umaru Dahiru, explained that the reason for the public hearing was to aggregate public opinions that would inform the Senate’s decision on the bill. Since then notable Christian and Islamic and opinion leaders have reacted to this paradoxical development, saying that the same sex marriage is strange, sinful and unacceptable.

George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - writing so eloquently on the paradox of our time in history so appropriately states: These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete... We really seem to be some stumbling idiots who have shamelessly taken the path of madness and self-destruction, deliberately making many mistakes and producing many errors in our  major choices and decisions. Let us stop running down ourselves and work with godly values even in the midst of misery, uncertainty, anxiety and perpetual restlessness in the modern world.

In his opinion, the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said: ‘Same sex marriage cannot be legalized in Nigeria. It is against the Bible which more than half of the population of Nigeria believes in… if same sex marriage runs against the Bible, the Qu’ran, our Culture and Constitution, why should the National Assembly waste its precious time to give it a public hearing in the first place. The National Assembly should not waste its time listening to such evil agitation, rather it should channel it energy in fighting the terrible monster called corruption. However, we do not hate homosexuals or lesbians as individuals, but we hate what they practice, because it is unnatural and against God. So we should continue to pray for them and not hate them.’[4]

The Chief Imam, Amuwo Odofin Muslim Community, Khalifah Sheik Solu Yusuf Mayaki said: ‘Same sex marriage is not allowed in Islam. During the time of Prophet lot, he condemned it and warn those who practiced homo-sexualism and lesbianism, because it is against the injunction of Allah . Qur’an Chapter 27 verses 54-55 condemn it. But they failed to heed the warning and Allah visited them with strange fire that destroyed all of them. Also, when Prophet Mohammed came, he warned his followers not to indulge in such acts. Members of the National Assembly and indeed all Nigerians should vehemently oppose same sex marriage; otherwise what happened to the people during the time of Lot could as well befall Nigeria – total destruction. … it is painful that our Christian and Muslim leaders would see acts contrary to the teachings of both the Bible and Qur’an and still pay lip service to them, instead of speaking out’.[5]

The Catholic Church has always proclaim through her Social Teachings that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. So, how we organize our society - in economics and politics, in law and policy, directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. It stressed that Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be rightly supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. The Catholic tradition upholds that every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. [6] Whenever we talk about sexuality, the Church always insists on the natural and loving way. The Church see sexuality not so much as the product of biology, but the product of an act of love.

As I conclude this reflection on the dilemmas of the modern society, I do so, very much aware of the deep pains, shame, guilt, stigma and discrimination many suffer in the society because of their free choice of their ‘sexual orientations’. I affirm that God’s children were never intended to become slaves to anyone or anything, yet we find that millions today are addicted to some form of slavery – slaves to recklessness, promiscuous tendencies, irresponsible freedom, false standards, wrong sense of values, slaves to fear, frustration and worry. All these harmful influences stifles our growth and destroys our will to live victorious Christian life.

We should remember that God has conferred on us the very duty of protecting and safeguarding life with the greatest care; the very duty of accepting and respecting the gift of our sexuality in its deeper nature as intelligent free beings. Let us listen to the voice of conscience and humanity will have a better future. For disharmony, wherever it is found is disastrous and causes fire of negativism to burn brightly; but harmony is peace, unity, consonance, and consistency wherever it is found.

Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director, Media Service Centre, Kaduna Nigeria, 2011

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[1] Michael R. Tucker, The Church: Change or Decay? Tyndale House Publishers, United State of America, 1978, pp. 16-17

[2] Robert Maynard Hutchins ed; The Major Works of Sigmund Freud in Great Books of the Western World, William Benton Publisher, 1952

[3] Marguerite A. Peeters, The Globalization of the Western Cultural Revolution, Institute for Intercultural Dialogue Dynamics, 2007

[4] Sunday Sun Newspaper November 6, 2011, p.10

[5] Sunday Sun Newspaper November 6, 2011, p.10

[6] Text is drawn from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (Washington, DC: USCCB, 1998)