SECURING YOUR FUTURE

Every youth desires a great future. However, not all get it. Many of the people whose old age seems ugly also desired a beautiful future. So, what went wrong? Why would someone desire a beautiful future but end up in an ugly one? While I do not claim to know all that make people fail despite their desire to succeed, I want to share with you my understanding on what you and I must not do ensure we secure the future we desire.

Sow and Reap Principle of Life

The creator, God Almighty, designed life in a way that one can determine what will come to him in the future by his actions today. This can be readily seen in the lives of farmers. When they want yam in large quantity, they plant it in the rainy season in good soil and when God sends rain and shield them from natural disaster, they experience bountiful harvest. I studied my Bible to an extent and found that beyond farm where corn is sown in the soil to reap maize comb, human being sow seeds that produce fruits which are reaped in their future.

To start properly, I like show you why I believe very strongly that humans sows seeds today that will produce for them a future and what the seeds are. To that end, please open your Bible to Jeremiah 17:10. From the New Living Translation, I read; “But I know! I, the Lord search all hearts and examines secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve”

Please notice words in bold typeface. I like to say a few things about them as we continue on this matter of seed and the future. God is the rewarder; He is the person that pays back. It’s not your parents, your boss or the government. The person you are helping or working for or with is not at all your rewarder. It’s God alone that rewards man. Human beings may just be the agent of release of God’s reward to you.

He rewards all people including those that believe in Him and those that don’t. Your boss may give you promotion in your workplace, your parents may buy you gift and your spouse may give you more gifts because you did something special or served them properly, yet they are not the real rewarder. They are only the agent used by God to dish out reward to you after searching your heart and examining your secret motives.

Listen, God indeed is the rewarder of all people and not your boss. Therefore, as you go about in your relationship, service to people and everything you do anywhere and at any point, always bear in mind that God is your rewarder not the person directly receiving whatever your action is producing.

In his letter to the Colossian Church, Paul admonished them, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do as though you are working for the Lord rather than people”. He went further to state, “Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the master you are serving as Christ” (Col. 3: 24 – 25). The point I have made so far is that God is the rewarder not those that see your work and He is the rewarder not some people but to all people. Therefore, expect your reward from Him all the time you have sown seeds.

The next thing I want us to notice is that His reward to all people is the one due to them; not the one He just feels they should get or the other human beings thinks they should get. It’s the one that is due to them. The reward you get in life will be the one that you are deserving of. God is a just God; that’s why what you get as a reward is the one you truly merit.

Again, hear this; He doesn’t have favorites when He’s passing judgment. That’s He doesn’t consider your social status or achievement in giving you reward that is due to you. Apostle Paul went further to tell the Colossian Church, “if you do what is wrong you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil” (Col.3:25).

Everyone gets rewards from God, the rewarder and their rewards is the one they truly merit!. In fact, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul put this truth more emphatic: “Don’t be misled, remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!” (Gal. 6:7). Also, please see 1 Peter 1:17.

But how does He determines the reward due to all people? What makes Him reward one person with something different the reward He’s giving another? Let’s hear from the horse’s mouth, “I the Lord search all hearts [including yours and mine] and examines secret motives[which the next person watching you may not know].” Thereafter, he rewards all people, “according to what their actions deserves”.

Now , let’s look at the three things He considers before delivering the reward due to people. He starts with their heart. You don’t know what is in my heart but He does;  therefore, he searches it to find out. Your boss don’t know why you keep saying “yes sir” around Him God does. What really is the reason you are helping that lady? God knows. [Tweet “I like you to note something; there is a reward you get for your actions, and your motives. God considers all of them before rewarding you.”]You may be saying “It’s just to help her” But God knows your heart. He searches your heart to know what’s in your heart and consider what is your motivation and then your actions.

I like you to note something; there is a reward you get for your actions, and your motives. God considers all of them before rewarding you. When you help people, you are rewarded but if your motivation is wrong it’s a problem. As an example, if you go out seeking something, you are rewarded with money but if greed is your heart and your motivation is a quest to acquire wealth, the Bible said in proverbs that it’s poverty that will come upon you. That’s why I CANNOT give money in church just because I want breakthrough or to tap anointing. Giving is a good thing but the giving that is motivated primary by what I will get is selfish giving. Good Christian doesn’t give for selfishness reasons.

At this point, I want you to get this into your head: your action anywhere, anytime alongside your motives makes you qualified for a reward from God, who is just in His dispensing of rewards. The reward could be negative or positive but one thing is sure; it must be the one due to you.

What therefore is the seed for your future? It’s your action borne out of corresponding motivation. Listen, this is God’s rewards system: He considers your actions and your motivation and give you the reward that is due to you as a result. That’s is why you must be careful that at very point in your life, your motivation for doing anything is not selfishness but love. When you do things that are right, make sure your motivation is right. One of the best motivation I have found and have come to know can propel your life to produce actions that yield good reward is love. Love your neighbor, even he hates you and plots your downfall.

Let your motivation for selling that product be to bless the life of the consumer then you won’t sell fake ones to them knowingly. In fact, love for them as much as you love yourself will make you more careful in ensuring your product and service to them is the best possible.

If I chose to itemize actions and their rewards as revealed in the Bible it might result in writing a voluminous book. But it will suffice to state a few which I believe a lot of us have not come to know, therefore, ignorantly sow destructive seeds into out future.

A lot of people think that the passport to long life is eat well, exercise and avoid alcohol that’s true but not a complete truth. It can only pass for half truth. You know the whole truth? Balance diet, adequate exercise and regular health cheek up plus dishonour to your parents is a sure passport to short life. Many of us young people don’t realize this.

Let me ask you? What do you want to be tomorrow? What kind of marriage would you want to have tomorrow? In your career, what kind of success would you want to have? They are all fruits that the seed is sown today. The seed is both spiritual and physical. Seeds do not necessarily mean money it could be love. Sow physical seed by acquiring knowledge on areas like relationships, finance, child training and your career. Acquire relevant knowledge, refine your talent, fine tune it with skills, and perfect it with practice.

If you desire a great future, see the post, “Acquire Great Future”