LABOUR OF THE WISE
The
first year of their marriage was rosy. They were never short
of money because Ben was
comfortable in his workplace. Although Mary was not working,
his income was more than enough to
sustain both of them. Then children started arriving. Sam
was born in the second year of the marriage, followed in quick succession by
two girls. And suddenly, Ben
‘s salary could no longer meet
the catalogue of financial
obligation such as providing the family
daily needs, buying baby things,
paying all sorts of utility bills
and shelling out some good cash for
unplanned expenses like
paying hospital bills of a sick
member of the family and fixing his car.
It became difficult for the couple to make ends meets.
With
sadness , Mary noticed that Ben ‘s clothes and hers were faded, and
he was very worried about their predicament. Twice, she saw him brooding with his head bowed sitting alone in the balcony, and every
night when he returned from work, he was always surfing the internet in search
of a higher/paying job than the present one.
She also noticed that she’d been snapping children unnecessarily herself. She
knew these occurrences were signs of unhealthy family relationship, which could
degenerate into a serious problem like the one next door, were having. They
were always bickering over money,
waking up neighbours every time
with angry outbursts and
deafening sound of objects
smashed on the wall. The
recollection of that daily quarrel next door jolted her into action. She sat down
and prayerfully thought of what she
could do to augment her husband’s income. Having the knowledge of making
confectioneries, she brushed up her and started selling snacks in fronts her of house. Her products were so good and tasty that she
got a contract through one of her customers to provide snacks and tea
every morning to the headquarters of a reputable bank in town. With God’s help and some financial support from Ben , she purchased a tea set, employed the services of few caters, and took her confectionery to the bank.
The contracts turns
out to be a huge success as her
business developed into a
big fast-food restaurant with branches
in many places. Through the work was tedious, she kept at it
until the tension at home eased. Now,
the couple is buoyant enough to provide the pressing needs of the family, as
well as support their aged parent and the
projects of their local
church. Working as the means of obtaining the
necessities of life
is a universal law [genesis
3:19]. In fact, there is a maxim in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that ‘’if any
would not work, neither should he eat. If you don’t work , you should not be
supported or maintained
by anybody. You cannot stay idle and expect manna from heaven or
someone else to put food on your table. God created you to work and sustain yourself.
You work to live, you live to work.
Working has a lots of benefits
aside from providing you with money to support yourself and explore your
interests. Whether paid or unpaid,
working is good for health and well-being. It contributes to your happiness; helps you to build confidence and self esteem; keeps you
busy; and gives you the means to
develop yourself. It also enables you
to socialize, build contracts and find
supports; gives you sense of pride, identity and personal
achievement; as well as helps
you contribute to development that benefits
your community and society.
However,
in spite of it’s spiritual, economical,
physical and health benefits and the
facts that it’s an imperative for everyone, not
all so-called work , job or employment is good. That means you have to
be discreet in your choice of
work. Aside from the legitimacy and
decency of work you do, you should look at
productivity; that is, what you can
and must do to be
efficient and get
the best out of your
work. Lastly, ensure your work
is yielding good and
expected results, benefits and
profits. The bottom line is, you should work hard or labour with wisdom. Be purposeful, productive
and profitable in
your work.
Working purposefully
Sometimes,
most people question their sense
of fulfillment with
work. Uncertainty about their deeper
purpose. Often leaves them feeling unsure about their job or vocation. You
can consider purpose
more deeply by asking questions about
your role and sense
of fulfillment or lack of it
at work. These questions arise
not necessarily because you don’t
know who you
are and what you
should be doing, but
because you want to contribute to life in a meaningful way.
What defines purpose? We may ask. Everyone has a different way of measuring
this in their life. But it is
acting with intention
to achieve an outcome. When
spiritually driven, it
is no longer
just about aiming
for your own
gain or personal
benefits, but rather
serving in a way
that brings benefits
to others, and
ultimately glorifying God.
As Christian, answering
some simple questions
about your purpose
of working may
help you know
and choose the
kind of work
you ought to
do, set goals and
target for yourself,
or move towards the work that is
more fulfilling and
purposeful.
Start
with some basic
questions such as: does
this work glorify
God, or will
it damn my soul?
Do I experience joy and fulfillment in my work? Can I support
myself with this
work or vacation? Do others
benefits as a
result of my work what
are the direct
and indirect benefits?
Is my work
an avenue to
serve God and
influence others for Christ? Does
it give me time
to go to
church, develop and
grow spiritually? Does it
help me contribute to development
that benefit my
community? These questions and more
will help not
just to work
for the paycheck
or to gratify self, but also
to benefit others
and glorify God.
The scriptures admonish
in Colossians 3:17, ‘’whatsoever ye do
in word or deed,
do all in the name of
the lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and
the father by
him.” Can you honestly
give thanks to God if
you’re in a job
where you defraud
people, work in a brothel
as a prostitute
or produce liquor,
tobacco, cosmetics or
other products that
destroy people’s health
and make them
sin against God?
Legitimate, honest, productive
and God-honouring work
is what God
seeks from everyone
(Ephesians 4:28).
so be
wise! Do the work that
has eternal value,
promotes the kingdom
of God, positively
impacts the lives of
people and shun
work that is illegal,
dishonest, shady, and
unholy. As a business
owner or employer,
hold honesty, integrity and
excellence as your
guiding principles. Don’t
cheat trick, rip off
your customers or
give them low
priority compared to
the high priority
of making profits
and don’t be
dishonest and disingenuous
with employees. Don’t
make promises through
adverts, promos and
offers you don’t
intend to keep.
Always walk your
talk and deliver
goods and services
that are of high quality.
Tell your customers
about all the
warts on your
products, and don’t
sell fake and
contaminated goods. Don’t
be too desperate
to make money,
because your desire
to acquire wealth
and get rich
quick can drive
you in joining
cult or an evil
association.
If you’re
an employee, don’t falsify your documents; don’t defraud
your company or
employer; don’t steal
your employer time
to attend to
personal business; don’t
spend an illegitimate
expense on a
trip; devote enough
billable time to
a client; be
honest when giving
feedback to your
boss; and be
faithful in your work.
If you find
yourself in an organization
where your values
and that of your
colleagues and employer
clash, stand up for what is right,
honest and godly,
and don’t compromise
your integrity and
righteous stand. Moreover,
don’t make your
career an idol
or the number
one priority in
your life. Love God above your
work, and serve
him wholeheartedly. Make
preaching the gospel
your number one
priority, because only
the work you
do for the Lord now
will last forever.
In summary, don’t damn your
soul with the work you do.
Be faithful to
your boss, and
whatever you do
for Jesus and
not yourself, your
employer, immediate boss,
pastor or any
other person. Work
to contribute meaningfully
to life; work
to support yourself,
family, and others;
work to exalt Jesus
and expand his
kingdom; do the
work that counts
for both time
and eternity.
Working productively
Being productive
means doing or achieving
a lots; working
hard and getting
good results. Whether
you’re a business
owner or an employee, there’s a good chance
that you’re concerned
about improving productivity
at work. Productivity tends to improve business operation, increase profits, and
boost employee morale. It is very
closely linked to efficiency. There’re
various ways to
be productive at
work, and being
organized is one of
them. From the
papers on your
desk to the
files on your
computer, being organized
is a very
important skill to
learn. If you maintain
an organized environment,
not only will
you be better able to
locate important information
within a tight
time frame, but
you’ll also feel
more motivated. Because
cleanliness and organization
are mood boosters
at their core,
they help to
encourage calm, promote
concentration and foster
motivation , in turn, is
a direct precursor
of productivity.
One
way of being organized is assigning tasks to specific times. First, determine
what time of day you’re usually more motivated and productive, and schedule
your most important task to be completed during that time block. By assigning tasks to specific times, you
help to keep your procrastination under control. Anticipate minimal
distractions, and build those into your daily schedule. In order to keep yourself
on track, give yourself small rewards in exchange for reaching certain
milestones. For example, if you stick to your plan for a specified amount of
time, reward yourself by taking a 10 minute break to engage in making phone
calls or social networking. Just make sure you’ll be able to get back to work
promptly after your break.
Closely
linked with organization is minimizing or avoiding distractions. The term
“multitasking” is used very frequently in today’s busy society, but the truth
is, very few people are even remotely skilled multitaskers. With very rare
exception, human beings are capable of competently performing only one mindful
task at a time. So multitasking is clearly one distraction you should avoid
while working. Unless one of the tasks you’re attempting to perform is
completely mindless, by trying two tasks at once, you will inevitably be
neglecting both. Therefore, in order to promote efficiency and productivity in
the workplace, you should minimize distractions around you to help sharpen your
focus. Whenever possible, cell phones should be switched to vibrate, email
notifications should be turned off, email checks should be scheduled to occur
within specific time frames, and social sites should be avoided especially when
they don’t contribute to your work so that you can accomplish much. If the
thought of cutting yourself off from technology throws you into a panic, take
heart and remember that there was a time not too long ago when society
functioned perfectly well without email, cell phones and social media. So try
finishing a task before embarking on another one. Concentrate on one thing at a time and do it
well.
Prioritizing
is another way of becoming productive in your work. If you’re not adept at
prioritizing, then some of your most important assignments could go unfinished,
or your workload could start to become overwhelming. A great way to prioritize
is to make to-do lists. Break tasks down into specific instructions, and then
rank them according to their importance (based on size, time – sensitivity,
personal gratification, etc.) when tackling your to-do lists, be sure you are
not simply performing the easiest tasks first in an effort to make yourself
feel productive. After you’ve ranked the tasks according to importance, it’s
crucial that you actually complete them in that order.
Diligence
in your work will also make you a productive person. Laziness is not neutral;
ultimately, it is destructive. It wastes time, money, and other valuable
resources. Proverbs 18:9 says, “He also that is slothful in his work is
brother to him that is a great waster.” So avoid laziness, lethargy,
indecision, carelessness and much sleep. Be determined, disciplined,
industrious and prayerful, and you will excel in your work.
Working Profitably
This
year, you must learn to transfer your “working hard” into “working
profitably.” One way to achieve this is by being creative and
innovative. Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into
reality. It is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways,
find hidden patterns, make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena,
and generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then
producing. If you have ideas but don’t act on them, you’re imaginative but not
creative. Innovation on the other hand is the implementation of a new or
significantly improved product, service or process that creates value for
business, government or society. Creativity and innovation work together. There
is no innovation without creativity; creativity leads so innovation.
How
do you generate creative or innovative ideas? First, identify and pursue a
niche that is either underserved or an emerging trend, or observe and
scrutinize the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify
new ways of doing things. You may get an idea about how to do something better,
faster, cheaper or at a higher quality, or you may get a new service idea.
Second, network-meet people with different ideas and perspectives. Finally,
devise a strategy that will help you stand out from the crowd and get noticed
like developing, promoting, and leading a website or blog, and putting your
product online. When you’re creative and innovative, your business will thrive;
you will become a business tycoon; you will make more money, and you will be
fulfilled in your work.
Work
is biblical, sweet, rewarding, and dignifying, but you must work with wisdom.
The Scriptures say in Ecclesiastes 10:15, “The labour of the foolish wearieth
every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Repent of
your dubious, shady, dishonesty work and surrender your life to Jesus. Do
legitimate, honest, God-honouring work. Work with eternity in view. Be
productive, creative and innovative in your work as Mary was in our
introductory story, and your labour will never weary but give you pleasure at
all times.
----------------------------------------------------------
Add VALUE to Your LIFE
The
story of the talents in Matthew 25 arouses niggling questions about the actual offense of the man who had only one talent. Was he duly punished for his
refusal to invest the talent given to him, or was the Lord of this servant
unnecessarily hard on him? Come to think of it, he didn’t spend or waste the
talent on himself; he even kept it in a safe place – hid it in the earth – so
as to preserve it.
Shouldn’t
his lord have been pleased with him for preserving the talent by hiding it?
Some may wonder. The truth of the matter is, he was expected to be productive
by investing the talent as other servants did. He was supposed to use it to add
value to his life and the lives of other people around him. But he chose rather
to bury it, with the excuse that his lord was a cruel and inconsiderate person.
Many
people today are just like this unfaithful and unproductive servant. Though God
has blessed them with personal potentials to add value to their lives and those
of other people in their sphere of influence, they under-utilize or waste their
natural abilities due to laziness and lack of imagination and drive. They “hide
or bury their talents” under the guises of poor economic condition, no more
opportunities anywhere, ill health, lack of formal education, past failures and
a host of other excuses. Whatever your excuses or reasons for being
unproductive are, God’s judgment axe is dangling on you if you’re not
positively impacting the lives of people and adding value to your life with
your God-given endowments.
From
the very beginning, God created human beings to live a productive life,
contrary to the belief that work is a consequence of the fall. The Bible tells
us that prior to the fall, God caused a mist to go up from the earth and water
the whole face of the ground before He made the rains and humans to till the
ground (Genesis 2:5,6). And after the fall, He told Adam, “In the sweat of thy
face shall thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). It’s God’s original plan, therefore,
for human beings to work with their hands and imagination in order to add value
to their lives. So to fit into God’s plan and fulfill His will, you need to
engage yourself in a productive venture that will improve your life and the
lives of others.
The Principles of Living a Valuable
Life
Adding
value to your life entails improving every area of your life and making
relevant and meaningful contributions that improve the quality of other
people’s lives. It means maximizing your potentials and engaging in gainful
activities that will cater for the spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual
and physical well-being of people. Before Moses’ revelation in Exodus 35:30, no
Israelite would have thought that Bezaleel was specially endowed by God, and
that his artisan talent would benefit the nation Israel immensely. Not even
Bazaleel himself could have dreamt of it. But his gift added value to the lives
of the Israelites. You too have great potentials. Develop those potentials and
use them to the good of humanity. In other words, benefit your community with
your God-given endowments by maximizing their use.
Below
are some of the ways you can add value to your personal life as a Christian
woman.
(1)
Step up your spiritual life. In Jude 1:20,
Christians are admonished to build up their Christian faith and prayer life. To
be fulfilled in life, you need to build up your spiritual life. Since you’ve
had the New Birth, have you added another Christian experience? Are you
sanctified and living a consistent holy life? If your answers are in the
affirmative, then are you baptized with the Holy Spirit? Paul asked some
Ephesian believers in Acts 19:2, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye
believed?” He knew that without this experience, they cannot be effective and
fruitful in ministry. They cannot manifest the gifts of the Spirit which are
given to every Christian “to profit withal” – benefit oneself, the local church
and others (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Besides
Christian experiences, you must “grown in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) by diligently and conscientiously
developing the Christian graces and virtues of courage or fortitude, knowledge
or true wisdom, self-control, patience, godliness or piety towards God, and
love for Christians and non-Christians alike (2 Peter 1:5-8). You must also
study God’s word regularly, devotionally and systematically, as well as build
up your prayer life. Studying the Scriptures helps you to cultivate and improve
your heart and mind so that you would not be a reproach to God whom you profess
to serve.
(2)
Cultivate a godly, healthy relationship
with people. The kind of relationship you keep also adds value to your life.
The New Birth, of course, brings you into a relationship with God, and this
relationship gives you the confidence to tackle every problem that comes your
way. Moreover, the kind of interpersonal relationships you have with people can
add value to your life. You should have intimate relationship with people of
life – precious faith because “evil communications [relationship] corrupt good
manners,” and people who are like minded for as “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man
sharpeneth the countenance of his friend,” says the Holy Scriptures (1
Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 27:17). Establish relationships with people who can
add value to your life, and vice versa.
(3)
Live purposefully. What’s your purpose for
living? Well, the true purpose of living is to accept Jesus as Lord and
Saviour, to fear and serve God, and to improve the spiritual, emotional,
physical, intellectual and social life of people through your God-given
potentials. The Bible says, “Look not every man on his own things, but every
man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). You shouldn’t live to
yourself, but rather live to impact the lives of people around you. Someone remarked,
“Intelligence is a privilege, a gift meant to be used for the good of mankind.”
Don’t bury, waste or boast about your God-given gifts and abilities, but use
them to improve the quality of people’s lives because the secret of happiness
and self-fulfillment is in making others happy and fulfilled. So make others
happy and you’ll be a happy person in life. That’s purposeful living.
(4)
Improve yourself. There is no advantage
associated with stagnancy! Whatever level you might have attained in your
spiritual life, career, and in the domestic front, you can do better. Learn new
ways of doing things. For instance, you can learn the art of public speaking to
be a better preacher or teacher. You can also learn new strategies for your
career development. Ask questions, read profitable books and publications,
attend workshops and seminars that are relevant to you. In a nutshell, be
informed and up-to-date. Improve yourself by investing in your knowledge and
experience.
Priceless Nuggets on
Living a Valuable Life
Bearing
the above principles in mind, here are some tips you will find useful as you
seek to add value to your life and the lives of other people.
i.
Do service for God. Your life cannot have
meaning and satisfaction unless you’re engaged in the service of the Lord. A song
writer expressed his joy in serving the Lord this way, “The longer I serve Him,
the sweeter He grows, the more that I love Him, more love He bestows, each day
is like heaven my heart overflows, the longer I serve Him the sweeter he grows.”
Serving the Lord is obviously the pathway to living an invaluable life.
ii.
Live a life of faith and obedience. Abraham’s
implicit obedience and faith in God earned him the title “Friend of God.” Even God
testified that he couldn’t hide anything from him (Genesis 18:17). Faith in God
and obedience to His Word greatly adds value to a person’s life.
iii.
Be an intercessor. Praying for others is
one invaluable way of adding value to your life. Scriptures say that “he that
watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25). As your prayer for
others (your husband, children, in-laws, extended family members, church
members and leaders, neighbors, colleagues, sinners, the nation) rise to the
heavens, God will open the windows of heaven, rain blessings on those you pray
for, and always remember your labor of love. It is said that “the LORD turned
the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job
twice as much as had before” (Job 42:10).
iv.
Be benevolent. In the Bible, Tabitha, also
known as Dorcas, lived an invaluable life through her selfless giving to the
widows and the needy around her. The Bible eulogized her as being “full of good
works and alms-deeds” (Acts 9:36). When she died, the widows she had helped
could not imagine a world without her. Also in our contemporary time, Mother
Teresa devoted her life to serving the poor and destitute around the world. History
had it that she spent many years in Calcutta, India, where she founded the
Missionaries of Charity, a mission home devoted to helping those in great need.
Currently, there are about 700 of such missions operating in 130 countries
across the globe. When you give sacrificially and selflessly to people as
Tabitha did, God will give back to you in hundredfold, because “The liberal
soul shall made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself”
(Proverbs 11:25). And when you devoted your life to humanitarian service that
improves the quality of people’s lives as Mother Teresa did, your meritorious
service will not go unnoticed and unrewarded. So, as John Wesley said, “Do all
the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the
places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as
ever you can.
v.
Use your time wisely. Show me a woman who
seeks to add value to her life, and I will show you a woman maximizes her time.
More lives have been wasted, great potentials buried and innate talents hidden
all because of the misuse of time. Do you want to add value to your life? Then be
wise in the use of your time. Spend your time on profitable ventures, rather
than fritter it away on trifles. If you make conscious effort to observe all
that has been said in this discussion, you’ll be a beacon of light in your
community and the world!
-----------------------------------------------------
Scores of references are recorded of those who
exercised this right consequences, would always follow defining what would be
their plight.
Abraham and Lot were free to choose the city or open
plains Lot chose glamour and bright lights there, immorality brought him pain.
The people were admonished in Joshua twenty four,
fifteen to choose whom they would serve between good or evil, they could lean.
Ruth chose to glean in the fields for that which
reapers left behind her humble gestures merited grace rewarding her with peace
of mind.
Today, Jesus still stands at the door “come unto me” is
his plea The destiny of all is determined choosing him, - can set us free.-Choices
by Colan L Hiatt
Our achievement in life
depends on the proper use of our mind and God-given potentials. Humans
generally have three kinds of mind: Satan-influenced mine, the sinful
society-influenced mind, and the Spirit-controlled mind. All these different
minds have the capacity to be creative and productive. Sinners’ minds are
blind, carnal, sinful, and influenced by either Satan or the society (2
Corinthians 4:4, Romans 8:7, Acts 14:2) while minds of Christians are
influenced, controlled, and transformed by the Spirit of God (2 Timothy 1:7).
SPIRITUAL
PRINCIPLES OF CREATIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY
The words “Creativity” and “Productivity” can be used interchangeably because they connote the
same thing. While creativity is the ability to bring into being or cause to
become what otherwise had not been or would not have been, productivity is the
ability to produce (manufacture or create something from materials already in
existence. Creativity and productivity are traced to God, who at the very
beginning created the heavens, the cosmos and all living creatures out of
nothing, and labored for six days to perfect the creative work (Genesis 1:1-31;
Hebrews 11:3).
Made after His similitude
(James 3:9), God implanted in all humans His attribute of creativity and
productivity. He gave us a mind that has great and vast potentials to create
and produce things. The mind makes it possible for us to Meditate on things
that we can do; how we can do them, and where and when we can do them. It also
helps us to imagine and paint the picture of what we want to produce or
achieve; nurture, feed and water those ideas and concepts, as well as develop a
plan of action which will lead us to bringing into reality what’s on our mind.
It’s sad, however, that majority of people do not maximize the use of their
mind. A writer once remarked, “In a whole lifetime, the average person uses
only a small part of his mind, possibilities, inner potentials and powers”. We
all have great innate abilities, but allow them to lie dormant, undeveloped,
and unexplored.
Of the different kinds of
mind, however, only the creativity and productivity of the Spirit-controlled
mind have positive impacts on people’s lives. We must give ourselves to God
because when He has control of our lives, our minds will be renewed and
regenerated (Ephesians 4:23, Romans 12:2), and we’ll become positively creative
and productive.
PROVEN PRINCIPLES OF
ACHIEVEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
As new creatures, we have
the nature and righteousness of Christ. He has quickened and made us alive, and
given us wisdom to bring something out from what he has created already. Many
Bible characters, among them Bezaleel, Aholiab (Exodus 36:1) and Joseph
(Genesis 41:33-44) did great and tangible things in their lifetime, using their
God-given potentials, skills, and wisdom. We have all it takes to be producers
and achievers if we apply ourselves to what we do. The following discussion
centres on some proven scriptural principles of achievement and productivity.
(1)
Identification of a need. Before we can
create, produce or achieve anything, we must first identify the need of people
around us (Genesis 2:18). We must do a small survey of what is lacking in our
community with the aim of providing them. People are constantly in need of
shelter, food, good healthcare, happiness, holiness and the hope of heaven.
These needs have led to the emergence of building engineers, surveyors,
architects, estate managers, hospitality managers, doctors, nurses,
pharmacists, musicians, preachers, etc. so identify the needs of your
community.
(2)
Innovation of strategic methods. After
identifying the needs of people, we should create ways to meet those needs. We
should put the MIND to work – meditate, imagine, nurture and develop a plan of
action. At this point, we should forget about profit and concentrate on how to
render selfless, sacrificial, sincere and supportive service to the people.
It’s after we’ve rendered services that the reward will come. When we satisfy
our customers, they will pay any price to get what we’re offering.
(3)
Implicit faith in God. We must believe
without a shadow of doubt that God will help us succeed in any business we
venture into.
(4)
Industry and hard work. Expecting success
without hard work is like expecting to reap without sowing. We limit our
opportunities in life when we’re not industrious.
(5)
Integrity. This means honesty, uprightness,
and righteousness as opposed to fraudulent and sharp practices.
(6)
An iron-will. Determination and diligence
should be our watchword if we would achieve what we have set out to achieve. We
shouldn’t allow the wind of discouragement to blow us away; neither should we
allow any difficulty on the job to hamper our progress.
If we are guided by the
aforementioned principles, we will see significant and tremendous growth in our
lives, because God prospers gainful activities and frowns at idleness and
indolence (Proverb 10:4; 13:4).
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