DISTRACTED OR DEVOTED

-Gavin Aleogho

In the bid to make ends meet, we are drawn away from God by a lot of things that crave our attention. If we don’t call ourselves to order on time, we may suddenly realise that we have only laboured for meat that perishes.

 

For our Lord Jesus said; “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

John 6:27.

 

Besides the distractions that come due to the pursuit of life to make ends meet, it is important to also know that we can also be living a distracted life away from God in the name of religious activities and still be thinking that we are living to please God just like Martha the sister of Mary and Lazarus. The funny part about the latter is that it is done in the name of God; hence it is very difficult to spot.

 

The question then is, when does what we do in the name of the Lord shift our attention from the God whom we claim to be serving?

 

This happens when we forsake our intimate personal walk with God for mere activities.

 

It is important to know that God loves and appreciates our religious activities. But beyond that, the Lord values and appreciates our personal walk with Him more than any act of service we can do for Him.

 

Come to think of it, what can you really give to the One who created the whole universe? That was Martha’s error. The Lord who could feed 5,000 men on one spot was present and Martha never considered that. God wants you more than whatever you can give to Him. He wants you to spend time with Him privately; that is the best thing you can give to God.

 

Despite his commitment and busy schedule, David understood this truth. That is why he wrote: “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” (Psalms 27:4).

 

Secondly, our attention is shifted from beholding the Lord when our motive of doing religious activities becomes impure; filled with lust, pride, personal desire and personal gain rather than the gain of the Master.

 

Our motive for doing religious activities becomes impure when we do acts of Christian service as a bargaining chip, to get God to do something for us. It also becomes impure when we act out of compulsion or out of eye-service instead of acting from a heart of love for God and the expansion of His Kingdom.

                                       

As simple as working in the vineyard of God; that should not stop our unwavering devotion to God. We should never forget that our primary devotion is to God first, after then, comes our ministries or anything we want to do for God. Our priority in life should always be put right or our lives would not be rightly built.

 

"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,"

Mark 3:14

 

As you run the race that is set before you, one question you should always ask yourself is this, “am I being distracted or devoted to the Lord?”

THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF HARD WORK

-Gavin Aleogho

 

In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

Proverbs 14:23

 

The purpose of every work that we involve in is to have results; that is what Proverbs 14:23a is saying; “there is profit in hard work.” But what if a man claims to be working hard without results? What could be wrong?

 

It is possible to think that you are hard-working, but in reality, you are not. You are only busy without directions. Like a quack carpenter, you are not hitting the nail on the head; hence the nail is not being driven in.

 

A young man claims that he is working hard to pass his exams. Although you always find him reading, when you take a critical look at what he is reading, you find out that he is reading the wrong materials which do not relate to the course he is supposed to be preparing for. Such a person is actually working but is he working correctly? No.

 

The elements of hard work are the components that will help you to work rightly and smartly, making your hard work worthwhile, rather than just being busy beating about the bush. Incorporating these 5-elements into your work is guaranteed to produce great results.

 

Here are the 5-elements:

 

Element 1: DRIVE

 

Your drive is your motivation. If you don't have a drive in life, you will be static in life. Your drive is the reason why you are doing what you are doing. It is your reason for the work in the first place.

 

For example, a young man that came from a poor family who gains admission into a high institution might be very serious with his studies. This is given to the fact that he is from a poor family background. And he wants to successfully finish his studies so that he can be of help to his family. That is a good drive.

 

Your drive will keep you awake when others are sleeping. However, when you lack that drive, you will find yourself procrastinating on what you ought to be doing.

 

For you not to deal with a slack hand, you will have at the front of your mind the reasons why you should be doing what you ought to do.

 

Element 2: STRATEGIC PLAN

 

It is not enough to put all your energy into a given project; you must also learn to work smart. And for you to work smart, you must have a strategic plan on how you are going to work hard to achieve your goal. You can't just work haphazardly.

 

Hard work in itself does not guarantee success. What guarantees success is hard work that is done the right way on the right thing at the right time.

 

This principle is rightly applied in cooking our African delicacies. When cooking our Africa soup, for you to have the desired result, you must learn to put each ingredient at the proper time. Doing otherwise will alter the beautiful result that you want.

 

In the same vein, you must apply the same principle to the project you are working on. Your hard work must be planned and structured.

 

If you want to have excellence in your academics, you must have a strategic plan on how you will be reading your books on a regular and a daily basis at your most productive hour. This plan must also contain the minimum hour of time you MUST spend daily on reading.

 

This principle is applicable to anything you want to work hard to achieve.

 

Element 3: A GOAL

 

Work is an instrument for attaining your goal. Your goal is your reward.

 

Your goal is what you wish to achieve with your hard work.  As a matter of fact, you ought to have a goal before you engage in any work. Thus, if you find yourself working hard, then never forget the reason why you started working in the first place.

 

A lady who wants to be a good soloist would spend countless hours working on her voice. Not until the goal is achieved, work must continue.

 

When your goal is not clearly defined, you will lack the motivation to keep on working. Not forgetting that as you engage in hard work concerning a goal, you will encounter distractions on your way. But having a clearly defined goal will help you to keep your focus, despite the many distractions in life.

 

Element 4: SACRIFICE

 

There is no true hard work without sacrifice. If you are working hard presently, it invariably means that you are sacrificing something for you to have time and resources to work on your project.

 

Sacrifice is the forfeiting of pleasure for the attainment of a goal. If you want to be a hardworking person, then you must be ready to sacrifice some pleasures. Especially pleasures that tend to distract you from focusing on the task at hand.

 

No sacrifice, no hard work. For hard work is synonymous with sacrifice. Thus, work without sacrifice is not really hard work.

 

Some pleasures that must be sacrificed for hard work are:

-Long hour with TV

-Unproductive use of the internet

-Time on frivolities

-Time with unproductive companions

-Et cetera.

 

Yes, the proverb: "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy," is very true. For you actually need time to refresh your brain. However, you must learn to strike a balance and know when to set a limit.

 

Element 5: EFFORTS AND ENERGY

 

Effort and energy is the amount of work you need to put in to achieve a particular goal. There is a minimum requirement of work needed for every goal you wish to attain.

 

The amount of work needed to get a grade of “F” parallel in an SSCE result can't be compared to the ‘quantity’ of work needed to get a grade of “A” parallel.

 

To attain excellence in your work, much effort and energy must be put in.