Wednesday, 15^th March, 2023

Bible Reading: Proverbs 13:22

Memory Verse:  Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don’t want what you have—I want you. After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children. 2 Corinthians 12:14 (NLT)

Three years after, Elizabeth finished her Masters Degree. She applied for a job and went for an interview in a multinational company. The interview panel had already penciled down a candidate for the highly coveted post but wanted to complete the formality of interviewing all applicants on the list. As soon as Elizabeth sat before the interview panel, the Chairman of the committee looked through her CV, nodded and asked, “Hi, Miss Smith, tell us a bit about yourself”.

Elizabeth replied, “I am Elizabeth Smith. My Dad, the late Tom Smith was the Regional Head accountant of the National Insurance, and also served as Administrator of Public Health for many years….” But the Chairman cuts in, Oh my God, you are the daughter of Mr Tom Smith? I can’t believe it.

He turned to other members and said, “This Smith man was the one that signed my membership form into the Institute of Chartered Administrators when he served in our district in the North and his recommendation earned me where I am today. It was really difficult getting a man in such high office to do that during those years. You needed to be rich to get your form signed but the amazing thing is, he did all these for free. I didn’t even know his address, he never knew me from Adam.

He just did it for me. I returned to his office after a year only to hear he was transferred. That was it and I never heard from him again. He turned to Elizabeth; “I have no question for you, consider yourself as having gotten this job, resume tomorrow, your letter will be waiting for you. For how your dad remained honest and served everyone with diligence, I trust you’ll follow his path in this job.

Elizabeth Smith became the Corporate Affairs Manager of the company with two cars, one official and one for private use, attached to the office, with a duplex and two drivers and a salary of £250,000 per month excluding allowances and other costs when she travels outside the country. After two years of working in the company, the Group Managing Director of the company came from America to announce his intention to resign and needed a replacement.

A personality with high integrity was sought after, again the company’s Consultant nominated Elizabeth Smith. In an interview, she was asked the secret of her success and the sudden sky rocketing profile. And in tears, she replied, my Daddy paved these ways for me. It was after he died that I knew that he was financially poor but fabulously rich in integrity, discipline and honesty. She was asked again, why she is weeping since she is no longer a kid as to miss her dad still after a long time.

She replied, “At the point of death, I insulted my dad for being an honest man of integrity. I just wished he was alive so I could ask for forgiveness. I didn’t work for all these, he did it for me to just walk in. So finally she was asked,” Will you follow your father’s foot steps as he requested? And her simple answer was, “l have already been doing that.

I have met a number of people after his death and I haven’t seen or heard anyone say a word against my dad’s life in public service. I now adore the man, I have a big picture of him in my living room and my office. He deserves whatever I have after God.

Dear Public servant, are you like Tom Smith?  

Prayer Focus

1. Thank you Lord for your grace.

2. Lord, please help me to build my name on righteousness and chastity, in Jesus name.

3. I repent in anyway I have misused my office as a public servant, in Jesus name.

4. Lord, purge the civil service of corruption and abuse of office, in Jesus name.

5. I will not use my today to destroy my children’s tomorrow, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 11-13