Be Capable!

Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.” (AMPC)

Note that the scripture is not saying do not be swift, or do not be strong, or do not be wise, or do not be intelligent. Some young people say they do not want to go to the university because Bill Gates did not go to the university. 

The truth is that for every Bill Gates, there are tens of millions of jobless geniuses who would never be Bill Gates. The point is, give yourself a chance. Whatever it is that you think you can do, guess what? When you are educated, you have more opportunities to do those things. I got interviewed by The Guardian in 2022. They were doing an article on the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at sixty.  For some reason, they said they were doing a report on sixty alumni of the UNILAG that are enigmas.

I do not know why but for some reason, my name was included. During the Zoom interview, the interviewer said, ‘You studied Computer Science and now you are in ministry. Is it wasted? I began to tell him what we do in church, and how my education is making a whole lot of things possible. Some people refuse to go to school because they want to be Pastors. They have a calling, no doubt, but you will do better when you are educated. At least you will not be firing bullets (making grammatical errors) when you speak. Let your congregation use their faith for something else, to receive blessings, instead of using their faith to overcome your grammar. Yes, there are exceptions, of course, but you do not build your life on exceptions. 

The family is so powerful not only in the mental health of the child but financially. Family is an effective tool in wealth creation. One generation’s labour gives the next generation a springboard to success. Why do most people have to start from scratch when it comes to building wealth? It is because the typical black man mostly does not think trans-generationally. We have a few exceptions, of course. But we need to change all that. The typical white boy does not start from scratch. A popular billionaire said that his father gave him just one million dollars to start out life. Well, if you compare it to what he has achieved it is small. But is it small? Imagine calling your children in old age and saying, ‘You, take five million dollars. You, take fifteen million dollars. And you, take twenty million dollars. Now all of you kneel, let me bless you’. Do not give empty blessings without substance. Proverbs 13:22 “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren…”. The word inheritance means money, not spiritual gifts.

Prayer: Father, strengthen my family to not only leave a spiritual inheritance for our generations but also a financial inheritance, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!