DARE TO BE DILIGENT

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. KJV

Dearly beloved, I come your way today to encourage you to dare to be diligent in all you do this year. God has so much in store for you this year, but you must be properly positioned to receive all He for you. Being diligent simply means doing something painstakingly with all your heart and might. From the above scriptures, we are told that at creation, God took time to look at what He had created and having appraised Himself declared that it was good. In other words, He affirmed that He had put in His best. He found fulfillment in what He had done. He saw that His work was excellent.

Beloved, from the story of creation, we have a template on how we should function whether in the church or at work. God’s intention is that you would do your work this year the way He would have worked if He were in your shoes. For instance if you are a doctor, God expects you to give correct diagnosis and prescribe the right drugs for your patients. If you are a mechanic, He expects you to rightly identify the fault with your clients’ car and fix it with genuine spare parts. When you do that, you make it very easy for the gospel to penetrate your work environment because you are the ‘Jesus’ the people know and you are the ‘bible’ they read.  

Child of God, let me remind you that everywhere you go this year, your assignment as a believer is to plant the kingdom. Dare to be different. Let people look at you and seek the God you serve. Let your light so shine that men will see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Put to practice from Monday to Saturday what you learnt on Sunday. You know that the word of God is practical and achievable. It is not a theory or myth so always dare to make the difference. Let me also add that God has given to every person gifts, talents and abilities so that every person can contribute his or her own quota to the kingdom. What that simply means is that every person is wired for something.

There is a place for you to function in the kingdom agenda. The responsibility is for you to find your place and fulfill destiny. Remember that it is the hand of the diligent that bears rule. {Proverbs 12:24} The days of just warming the seats are over. Get involved at the Group level and also join a Ministry Arm of your choice. That is one way to get committed. You must be busy. Your hands must be in the mud, because there is no room for spectators. I encourage you to jump on board and let us do the work together. Find your place and begin to serve, because God has given you a specific talent for a specific purpose.  

Let me quickly caution by saying that there is no point wishing that you were someone else because you are not somebody else. Your gift is your gift and that makes you special. Oftentimes, I see people get worked up or even get jealous of the abilities of others. There is no need for that; all you need is to discover what God has put in the inside of you and use it to bless your generation. Let someone benefit from your gifting. You can start from your little corner. If you enjoy singing, start from your group meetings, if you feel inclined to administration, start helping in your group or fellowship to put structures in place. That is a good way to developing your gift and pretty soon, what started small would snowball to the glory of God. Don’t fold your hands and think you are not important, because everyone will certainly give account of the talent before the giver of all talents.

As I close, I encourage you to put your hands on deck in your little corner so that together we can achieve all that the Lord has committed into our hands this year and beyond. Be assured that your labour of love will not go unrewarded. Refuse to slowdown in your commitments but rather intensify it, because you can only work while it is day, for the night cometh when no one can work.

I am standing with you in prayers that nothing will distract you. This year, nothing will stop your celebration. I bless you.  

In His Royal Service

Dr. Mike Okonkwo

The Presiding Bishop