Friday, 16th February
WHY LAZARUS DIED POOR
(Luke 16:19-22 KJV)
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”
There are two people in the bible by that went by the name Lazarus. One died poor and the other was so rich. The rich Lazarus even fell six at one time and came back to life. He was so favoured work his two sisters, Mary and Martha, to the point where Jesus would eat and lodge in their house from time to time. He was described by his sister as the one whom Jesus loved. Jesus, speaking of him to His disciples, called him “Lazarus our friend”.
But the other Lazarus died very poor. And the following the reasons for his predicament.
i. He had a poverty mentality.
It was obvious that Lazarus knew God, because he ended up in heaven. But Lazarus’ knowledge of God did not translate into prosperity due to his unwillingness to read the word of God and renew his mind. Proverbs 23:7 our lives are a products of thoughts. He opted to eat from the crumbs of the table of the rich man. God had said He would supply all our needs according to his riches in glory, besides all our patriarchs were all blessed with riches. So where did he get this example from?
ii. He did not just beg, he was called a beggar.
There is no way where it is written in the scriptures that if you beg it will be given to you; no. Begging and borrowing are not a principles of prosperity, they will only deny you of dignity and future. I have never seen a beggar proper anywhere. I realize that begging is a product of limited knowledge and personal choices. All he needed to do was to cast one of his meals into the water like Ecclesiastes 11:1. No one has ever become poor or remained poor by giving. Giving is the surest way to break the back bone of poverty, even it meant giving your last meal like the widow of Zeraphet; (1Kings 17).
The choice is yours, you can die like Poor Lazarus or like rich Lazarus, or even better still like father Abraham, in whose bosom Lazarus was received.
Receive grace to choose well in Jesus Name.
Action Points
i. Vow to begin the principle of giving from today.
ii. Bow never to beg another day in your life. Determine to prove God’s word in your life.
iii. Ask the Lord to expose all wrong mentality you have carried in your life, and ask for the grace to expunge them from your life forever.
Prayer
-Lord I repent of all negative dehumanizing mentalities that I have carried and operated all this while.
-I promise to search the scriptures to know what you have said concerning my finances.
-I thank you for the future, I know it is bright in Jesus Name.
Nugget
No one has ever become poor or remained poor by giving.