WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE?
“Many studies have revealed that the average person possesses 500 to 700 different skills and abilities - far more than you can realize” - Rick Warren.
How will you describe Prof. Dr. Dr. Kofi Antobam? Prof. Antobam is a product of Yale University. As a Law professor of 55 years good standing, the 85-year old Antobam has lectured in about 30 Law Faculties and 15 Law Schools in many countries across the globe. Five years ago, some public-spirited, non-partisan, and non-profit global Christian movements, among other things, awarded Prof. Antobam one billion Pounds Sterling for his service to humanity. Despite being conscious of his aging life, Prof. Antobam decided to use 50% of the money on his daily needs (until his death), and to hide the remaining amount in a treasure hole under an armchair in his living room for future eventualities. I met Prof. Antobam at a leadership conference in Accra, Ghana, a fortnight ago. The disappointed professor recounted how the house in which he was a tenant had been set ablaze by some unidentified mob while he was on a holiday trip to Israel. He was very frustrated and worried because he had already spent 45% of his global monetary award on things that make him happy.
The Holy Bible (See: Matthew 24:14-30) recounts a story of a certain man and his three servants. The man before travelling into a far country gave the three servants five talents, two talents and one talent, according to their abilities. The servant who received the five talents traded with them and gained five other talents. Likewise, the servant who had received the two talents gained two other talents. But the servant that had one talent went to dig up the earth, and hid his lord’s treasure (talent). After a long time the lord of those servants returned and called on them to render accounts. The lord commended the faithfulness of the first and second servants who received and worked with their five and two talents respectively, and set them rulers over many other things. The lord however described the servant who received the one talent as wicked and slothful. He further instructively took the one talent from him, and gave it to the servant who had the ten talents. Besides, the wicked servant was severely punished.
Like the wicked servant and Prof. Antobam, many people have hidden their God-given talents in the earth (ground). They have refused to trade with them. Real laziness is refusing to work with your God-given talents. Some have not even made the attempt to discover them at all. Many more people do not even appreciate the purpose and value of their talents.
Real treasure is a product of wisely making good use of your discovered talents. Talents use the raw material of time to produce treasures. This means that serving humankind with your discovered God-given talents at every moment (time) of your life is the only secret to your great treasures. Any person who diligently uses his discovered God-given talents shall surely stand before great people. Certainly, with an ordinary talent and extra-ordinary perseverance nothing is impossible! We must therefore discover, develop (by voluntarily serving humankind with them) and trade with our talents. For Bishop Dag-Heward Mills, “If you are too busy to (discover and) develop your potential (talents), then you are too busy (for nothing)”. Parentheses are mine.
A wasted life is a product of not discovering, developing, or using one’s talents. The fact that you are seemingly being productive in what you are doing does not mean that you are or will be successful. Real success is permanent! Everything God does is forever! What have you been doing with your 24 hours? Do you spend your time on your job or work? Your job only gives you a salary or wage but your work is what you were created to do. Discovering, developing, and trading with your God-given talents (work) gives you “sweatless” treasures and satisfaction.
God has deposited 500 to 700 talents in your being! That is why it is wisely said that your future (greatness) is in you. Your education or job can never make you that great person God created you to be. Education at best will help you to rightly use your five senses to effectually make the most of your talents. Any form of education that is not integrated with one’s talents is a certified frustration. Many frustrated persons in life have been educated outside their talents. No wonder many balloon graduates continue to wrestle with unemployment. Their so-called education never taught them that their real employers are within their bosom-talents. Your talents are naturally designed by God to cause you to appear before great people (employers). Your qualifications are your talents! Real employers employ the services of real employees for their gifts, talents and skills, nothing more; nothing else.
Real talents are God-given. However, they can only be discovered when a person has a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus through the Holy Spirit enables a person to spiritually discern that person’s talents. No real talent is discovered, developed nor profitably used by human efforts. Human efforts will at best help you to hide such talents in the ground under the guise of being productive in what you think are your talents and skills. Your job is not your work! Why are you slaving yourself for salary and wages which never bring you satisfaction? God has deposited your work in you to make you fruitful for His pleasure (purpose).
Real talents are God-centred. This means they are only used to promote God’s kingdom on earth. Only lazy, wicked, and foolish people use their so-called God-given treasures for any purpose outside God. Luke 12:16-21 recounts a story of a certain rich man whose land (talent) yielded plentifully. “And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ...This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and goods. AND I WILL SAY TO MY SOUL, SOUL, THOU HAST MUCH GOODS LAID UP FOR MANY YEARS; TAKE THINE EASE, EAT, DRINK, AND MERRY. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”. People who are not rich towards God are real fools. The language of a real fool is “I, me, and myself”. They are rich only unto themselves. But real success is self-transcendent! ARE YOU A RICH FOOL?
Richard Obeng Mensah, author of right your writing.
borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com
