by Adeshola Komolafe | |
Published on: Apr 16, 2007 | |
Topic: | |
Type: Opinions | |
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=12505 | |
A preacher once drove by a farm, and was deeply impressed with its beauty – the shaded lawns, well- cultivated crops, a beautiful home, the barns were clean, and it had a well-built fence. Just as the preacher was admiring the farm, the farmer came by .The preacher said to him excitedly; "God has blessed you with a beautiful farm. My man "The farmer replied; "yeah, and I am very grateful for that. But you should have seen it when he had it all to himself". The message is, a beautiful farm does not drop from heaven .God gives the land, the seeds, the rain and the sunshine. But someone must cultivate the farm. Sowing must precede reaping, that is one of the most powerful laws of nature. It is also called the law of cause and effect. Even Newton discovered in physics that we can only get a reaction where there is first an action. One of the most powerful truths we will learn in life is this; "You can’t get something for nothing". Success is never an accident. What you sow will determine what you harvest. Your input determines your output. Your investment determines your achievement. Life will only return to you what you give to it. All attempts to sidestep this universal law will ultimately result in frustration. What do we have to invest? Heaven has put some powerful seeds at our disposal. For example, our minds. Thoughts are seeds. The thoughts of today are the realities of tomorrow. They may seem intangible for today. But they have a way of multiplying into our future. The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life. Time spent sharpening our minds is time well invested. It is good to educate the mind. To glean thoughts from geniuses through their books and tapes.; to discuss with those who have achieved what we seek to achieve. And most of all, to sharpen our minds with the distilled wisdom of the ages, the Bible. Friend, invest in your mind the quality of ideas that reflect the kind of future you desire. Also our abilities and talents should be cultivated and invested in the service of others. Proverbs 18:16 says; "A man’s gift will make room for him and bring him before great men". Joseph in the Bible developed his abilities in administration and the interpretation of dreams as a slave and as a prisoner. He made an investment the day he interpreted dreams for Pharaoh‘s chief butler in prison. Then harvest time came when the chief butler recommended Joseph to Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and became Prime Minister of Egypt . Joseph‘s investment was the key to his achievement. Let me ask, how many people are you touching with your abilities and talents today? Now, time is a very valuable resource that God has given all of us in equal measure. It must be wisely invested. Invest it in acquiring wisdom. Invest it in the service of humanity. Invest it in your family. What you do with what you have today will determine what you will have tomorrow. The size of the achievement we desire should determine the size of investment we make today. To desire achievement without investment is like sitting in-front of the fire place and saying; "give me more fire and I will give you more wood". Of course it works the other way round. When we put in more wood, we will get more fire. We can’t get great fire out of small wood. It is important that you invest in your destiny everyday. Acquire knowledge. Take that course. Read books. Associate with those who have results. Work hard for your company, be a blessing to your employer. It’s an investment. Nurture your relationships with your family, your friends. Someone you know may become president tomorrow. More importantly, invest in your relationship with God. Pray, Study the Bible. Serve God with your talents. Finally, invest in the success of our nation. Help build this nation. Obey the rules, pay taxes due to you, and say no to corruption. Whatever is in your hand to do for this nation, do it diligently. Your seed may leave your hand today, but it will never leave your life. It will multiply into your future for a harvest. You will succeed! « return. |