Make Things Happen

Matthew 25:14-29

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability;… After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them…“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant…

One dictionary defines an accident as “an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance”. Sometimes life may take a twist due to an ‘accident’; however, many times we either let things happen or make them happen.

When we read the scripture passage quoted above, we realize that the lord to these servants was not happy with the servant who hid the talent in the ground but was impressed by those who had multiplied them. This servant was a good steward of what he received, but his fault was the failure to use it. Likewise, God has endowed us with potential and diverse abilities and He wants us to utilize them for His benefit. It is not enough for us to have the anointing and the wisdom if we do not use it profitably for the Kingdom.

One of the greatest challenges to effecting change is the “impossibility attitude”. Hence, if we are to cause a difference in our generation we need to ensure that we have a possibility attitude; it is people with this kind of attitude that make things happen.

One man referred to as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, Bishop Benson Idahosa is known for many powerful quotes and on one occasion he was quoted saying, “I am a possibilitarian”, and Robert Kiyosaki writes in his best seller “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” that one of his dads had a habit of saying “I can’t afford it” but the other forbade those words to be used and insisted that he should ask “How can I afford it?”. By saying “I can’t afford it”, your brain stops working, By asking “How can I afford it?” your brain is put to work and at times your faith is activated.

When big dreams are presented to ‘possibilitarians’ they come up with ideas of how to achieve them, and regardless of how many times they fail, they still press on to make things happen. However, the “one-talent servants” will always have a reason explaining why it can’t happen. We want to see changes in our nation, the church, halls and hostels, and families, but these changes have to be pioneered by someone. It’s nice to have good intentions but they can’t produce any effect until they have been acted upon. God has given us the potential, and by His grace we can. We can make things happen.

Food for thought: Are you making things happen or you are letting them happen?