GRACE AND LABOR By Dr. Agoso Arnobius Huladeino Bamaiyi Apostle Paul was an extraordinary man. He was a world changer whose uncommon influence is still impacting the world 2000 years after. It is said in theological circles that Jesus Christ founded Christianity, but Paul established it. He authored half of the books in the New Testament and is responsible for our understanding of the practice of Christianity. Against superhuman odds, he took on the Roman Empire and changed it more than any armies could. He, himself, attributed his uncommon success to two factors; the grace of God and his willingness to labor. “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I but the grace of God which was with me” - 1 Corinthians 15: 9, 10. Grace, without going into theological technicalities, is simply defined as “unmerited favor”; that is, when something happens to or is done for or through you that is far and above what you deserve or what you are capable of in your natural abilities. It is God’s blessings, or what is called “anointing”, upon your life, or talent, or work, such that you produce outstanding results that are beyond and above what you can do at your natural best. Apostle Paul had that grace. He knew that the outstanding results and performances in his life were beyond the ordinary run of things, even at their best. He acknowledged that only grace could do that. But even grace, even anointing, needs committed labor to be at its best. Without committed labor, talent, gifts, genius, etc., will end up in “brilliant” mediocrity; awesome potential with no commensurate manifestation in reality. Apostle Paul knew this fact and so he labored more than any of the apostles. And because he made himself available, through his committed and untiring labors, God found in him a capable and willing vessel. This is why God used him more than any of the apostles, resulting in an extraordinarily outstanding and unique life and ministry. He, like all the other apostles, had grace. What made him outstanding was that he “labored more abundantly than they all”. His success had very little to do with color, race, nationality, birth, talent, IQ, connection, etc., but a lot to do with committed labor. If Apostle Paul was not willing to work as hard as he did, for as long as he did, under the trying circumstance that he did, he would have ended up average. This truth applies to us all. None of us can rise up to and fulfill potential and see the kind of results that will be reckoned with as outstanding, if we are not willing to labor committedly at our potential and all the factors of success therein. Nothing works in life until it is worked. Life itself is programmed to yield fruits only to work. That is why the first assignment God gave Adam, the progenitor of the human race, is to till the garden – to work it. That assignment and principle still stands today. Work is not a curse because the command to work came before the fall – before sin and its consequences came into the world. That’s right. Gordon B. Hinckley, 15h President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasized the truth that nothing good works in nature until it is worked when he observed that: “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds” – Gordon B. Hinckley If you do not work your farm, nothing grows well and yields bountifully except weeds. Rice, wheat, corn, millet, beans, etc., never do well if left unattended. Your life-garden will not do well and yield bountiful returns if left unattended. Work brings out the best in you and lead to outstanding success. Your dreams will remain mere dreams and not manifested in reality if you are not willing to pay the price to secure success through hard work, no matter what else you do. Collin Powell, former Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first black man to serve as the U. S. Secretary of State, stated as much when he said: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” – Collin Powell. You see, work purchased all the wealth of the world and only work can secure it. Adam smith, the father of modern economics and a moral philosopher, made this powerful observation about work: “Labour was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labour, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased” – Adam Smith (1723 – 1790). The smartest people are those who see and take opportunities and chances that come their way. Yet opportunities and chances never come to those who sit down and fold their hands. No. No. No. They come only to those who are out there working, willingly. Willingness to work, therefore, is the greatest foresight. No one knows that better than Thomas Edison, foremost inventor and entrepreneur. Hear him speak about it: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” – Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931). This is where work is superior to talent; the ability to make the most of opportunities and chances. Do not believe the lie that talent alone is enough. While talent is a good thing to have, I must emphasize that talent without committed and purposeful work will end as a talented failure, unable to take and make the most of opportunities. That is a universal truth that you cannot go around or successfully avoid, no matter how gifted you are. You must be willing to work if you are to get the best out of your talent. Work is the mobility talent needs to travel to success and eventually arrive at greatness. Stephen king, a hard working American author who has sold over 350 million copies of his books, said as much when he observed that: “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work” – Stephen King. You want your life to count for something in time and eternity? Then work. Work at you work. Work at your life. Work at your relationships. Work at your studies. Work at your calling. Work at your talent and gift. Work at your character and integrity. Work at your dreams. Work at any and every project or pursuit before you. Work wholeheartedly. Work committedly. Work happily. Give life, not just your best, but your all also. That is the way to true happiness and success in life. “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man” – Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790). Without work, let me repeat this for emphasis, you will not come into success. It is just not possible, except, perhaps, you come into an inheritance or discover a fortune. Even then, without labor, you are bound to lose the inheritance and fortune. You see, work precedes success in all ramifications. Nowhere in life does success precede work, except in the dictionary. It was Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach, who first made this observation. Hear him speak: “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary”- Vince Lombardi (1913 – 1970). There you have it; be ready to work or else be ready to fail. It’s as simple as that. Do you desire or dream of a great life? Do you desire success in your call or profession? Do you want to make a difference in this life? Do you want your life to count for something? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above questions, then work. That is my advice and the advice of history, ancient and contemporary. Work is the key, the master key to life. Get down to it! See you at the top. Peace. I love you.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 05:21:44 +0000
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