Discover the ingredients of success Part 5
Pastor Maselo Mosomane
“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability.” Matthew 25: 15. Why didn’t he give them equal amounts? What decisive measure did he use to see who qualify for what? Jesus tells us in this parable that he gave to every man according to his several abilities. ABILITIES.
Nothing is impossible as long as you know the reason for doing it. Sheer determination, discipline and perseverance will get the job done. I now encourage my fellow pastors to get interested in computers and empower themselves. I do my sermon preparations through my computer and I can tell you, it is helpful. I do not regret for a moment for those sleepless nights I went through. Yes, you can acquire a new skill or more and be a better candidate for the coming opportunities. Don’t wait for luck to bounce on you; stand up and make things happen.
Many things are not as difficult as we figure them to be. Oftentimes, we don’t even lift a finger to try. We just say it’s impossible and our words become self-fulfilled prophecies. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” Proverbs 18: 21. Go ahead; kill yourself with your own words. If you say it is impossible, you won’t be disappointed, it will definitely be impossible. But if you can change your language and say it is possible, it will be possible indeed. You can change your language and say what God says about you – “be fruitful and multiply” and your attitude towards life will change.
Did you know that when you say, “it is possible” the size of the task does not change? No, it does not change. But you do. What makes the difference is not the decline of the task but the increase of your ability to deal with the same task. Think about that.
Jesus said this man gave his servants TALENTS. Yes, talents. Do not forget that Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God with what this man did. We may as well say He is comparing the God of the kingdom with this man. As this man gave his servants talents (in the form of money), God gave every person a talent in the form of an inborn ability. No one is left in this world without a talent. Our talents may not be equal, but the fact is we have something. The good news is that talents develop as activities increase. This produces skill and skills are perfected as the same activities are repeated over and over again.
Have you realized that nothing will make you successful as a talent? Look at the athletes, artists and other tradesmen. A talented musician does not need to sing until he goes on pension before he realizes his wealth in the form of a feeling of fulfillment, material wealth and money. A talented boxer needs more or less twenty professional fights and he may retire with his millions. This is what a talent can do.
Look how much soccer players are making today. Boys are making thousands of rands doing what they enjoy. They don’t work; they play. This is what a talent is all about. As you enjoy yourself, you make money. People stop everything they do to watch you make money. They call it entertainment; you call it creation of wealth. You make money while they watch. They fill the stadium and shout their lungs out as you make money. Remember, they pay their way in. Some are at home watching by television. They have stopped everything to witness you make money. I like it. This is what a talent can do. This is what God had purposed for everyone of us; make wealth while doing what He endowed you with. God never intended for life to be difficult. We make it difficult when we disregard what He gave us and follow others for what He has given them.
I sometimes feel I came on earth a little earlier. You know, I was such a talented soccer player during my days. I played soccer in Alexandra. I could play position 1, position 4, position 5, position 6, position 10 and position 11. We had already advanced to the highest league in Alexandra when I left. I remember; Leepile Taunyane was president of our association, Alexandra Football Association. He is now with SAFA (South African Football Association). But there was no money then. We played for fun, just for the love of the game.
Discover what your talent is. Most people like you have more than one talent. Identify the one you excel in and spend your remaining years polishing it. Be prepared to pay the prize. You may be talented, yes, but your talent comes with rough edges and ugly corners. You will need to spend time developing it to the level of appreciation. Nothing works automatic. Your effort will determine how far that talent can take you. Not your employer, not your teacher, not luck; but your effort. Diamonds are not mined in their perfect and prestigious state; they are mind rough and ugly. The same as gold; it is perfected with fire. So is skill, it is perfected with effort and willingness to pay the price.
Let us look at Baby Jake Matlala. During his early days in boxing we used to pity him. Not many people gave him a chance. Many were already suggesting he should hang up his gloves. He was just a mediocre boxer with big gloves. The world could not imagine the diminutive Jake reigning the world in his field. Remember, champions are just ordinary people who chose to do extra-ordinary things. Baby Jake was not discouraged. He worked harder every day. We are told; Jake works on his body seven days a week. Through sheer determination and hard work, he changed the boxing standards. A short man, who was not given any chance, started knocking down big men like bags of potatoes. Payday came and he was crowned world champion four times. He is an inspiration to everyone who wishes to improve his talent.
God is fare. No one is sent into the world empty handed. What is your talent? What are you good at? What are you passionate about? Take time to know yourself. Once you can discover what your talent is, step one shall have been accomplished.
Caution; you are not the only one bestowed with that talent. The world is full of other people with similar talent like yours. You are, as we speak surrounded by people with a similar talent as yours. Who do we choose? Remember what Jesus said? “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several abilities. The best man shall have the opportunity.
The good thing is that the responsibility to be at the head of the queue is in your hands. Grab that talent, polish it and learn new skills. Make yourself the first choice. No one likes position two. All are striving for position one. This is called, competition. Don’t wait until you are threatened. Make a deliberate move to be the first choice. The champion who lives inside of you is not easily aroused. Unless you give all you have, you will not impress him with half-hearted commitment and effort. And if you don’t, he will not show up.
Pick yourself up and say; I am number one and not number two, I am on top and not at the bottom. For, the Lord said I “shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath.” Above is where you belong. If you happen to be beneath, maybe it is because you need to do something about your talent and change positions. The race is not over yet. Rise up from the ashes of your defeat. You might have been ruled out and have every opportunity taken away from you. Listen: the final bell hasn’t rung yet. Wobble back into the ring and surprise the world. You may be lying down on the canvass. I say to you: the countdown has not reached eight yet. Pull yourself together and turn the tables around. There is still enough time to prove that you are worth a salt. You are a bag full of potential. You can show the world what kind of stuff you are made out of. You know what? Only believe that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Philippians 4:13
“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Job 8:7. History is packed with stories of men and women who took a knock at the beginning of their lives and yet pulled themselves by their bootstraps and rewrote history. Do not be intimidated by your circumstance. You are equal to the task. Though your beginning is small, though your beginning is nothing to write home about, though your beginning is unnoticeable, your future will be greatly increased. “For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectations shall not be cut off.” Proverbs 23: 15. (Amplified Version) Don’t listen to people who say it is over with you. Tell them; “I’ve just started”. God is saying to you right now: “there is a future and a reward.” Your future is not doom and gloom. Listen; “and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.”
God has spoken and it shall remain said. Wake up and pull yourself together! Heaven is waiting to celebrate your success. The heavenly crowd is watching from the great pavilion of heaven how you run. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12: 1. It won’t be long; soon you will be touching the finishing line. Listen as you advance; angels are applauding as you graciously draw near the mark. You are the head and not the tail; you are ahead and not behind. A victor’s crown awaits you for you are no longer a looser but a winner.
In a race, the last kilometer needs a radical athlete. It is no longer your training or your fitness that counts. It is who you are in Christ Jesus that counts. Be radical in prayer; be radical in studying the word; be radical in witnessing to the lost; be radical in giving. Just be radical for Jesus.
Be radical for:
THE VIOLENT WILL TAKES IT BY FORCE!
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