By Arun Sahayadas.
A wealthy man saw a beggar on the streets. He walked to him and kindly asks him, "How did you become a beggar?" The beggar replied, "Sir, I lost my job a year ago and nobody is willing to give me a job. If you can give me any job, I would be indebted to you forever.
The rich man said, "I will give you something better than a job. You can start a company and I will be your partner. I will provide the funding, the necessary contacts for business and you can upskill yourself from the best in the field.”
The beggar was shell shocked. He asked the wealthy man what his salary would be. The rich man laughed and told him that he can take 100% of the profits and invest wisely and be generous. The only condition he has to remember is that he shouldn't do any business with alcohol companies.
The beggar couldn't believe his ears. He thanked the wealthy man and he started his company and with his upskilling and contacts, his company became a Fortune 500 company. An opportunity came for him to partner with the leading alcohol company.
He said to himself, the wealthy man is nowhere to be seen. Let me go ahead and try if this partnership works. To his surprise, it was amazing and his income grew exponentially and his company was listed in the Fortune 100 companies. On seeing this, he partnered with other alcohol companies too. What do you think would be the response of the wealthy man?
King Solomon realises that he won’t be able to govern God’s people and so he asks God for wisdom. God grants his wish by making him the wisest man. As a bonus, God bestows upon him much wealth and honor. The only response that God expects of Solomon is that he would walk in the ways of Yahweh which includes not having any ungodly alliances which would lead him to idolatry. He and his descendants can enjoy all the blessings of God by being faithful to Yahweh.
In both the cases of the beggar and Solomon, there is only one clause which has to be followed to continually enjoy the best possible life. Both of them fail by breaking the one clause that really mattered.
Friends, God expects total allegiance towards Him in our lives too. The blessings God has bestowed upon us may become a snare if we are not a faithful steward of His purposes. Do we wholeheartedly follow him or do we allow the good things that He has granted for us to enjoy our lives become a stumbling block?