The duality of resources 2

At the beginning of this series, I showed us how the inflow of your income, from your source of livelihood, is a stream designed to flow into two channels of expression. I told us that the income is supposed to give;

1. Seed to the sower, and

2. Bread to the eater. 

Also, I took us through the first two types of seeds, being our thoughts and our words.

In this post, I'll be dealing with the remaining three.

If you are yet to read the first part of this series, this is a good place to pause and go do that.

So if you've read it and you're ready, then let's dig in.

3. Actions.

Actions they say, speak louder than words, and where words may convey a message verbally, actions could give perspectives to the original intent in the heart of the communicator. 

We live in a world where people try to make a different Impression, from what they mean to say with their words. The giveaway then becomes their actions.

Have you listened to people say things with their mouths that their body language was in contrast with? Or have you heard people talk, yet you can tell that they're communicating something different? This has nothing to do with the spirit of discernment, it's just the obvious signs you're able to pick, read and interpret.

Our actions are so loud a communication tool, that without saying a word, we could convey a comprehensive message, which the receiver can understand accurately. Actions are powerful. They can bridge the communication gap and make up for the shortfall, inadequate words created. Effective communication is when we exchange ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and information, such that the purpose or intention is fulfilled in the best possible manner. And we have seen actions, fulfill the conditions for effective communication. 

However, actions can give off a message we never intended to communicate. I have seen actions that redirected a message. I have seen wrong actions, rubbish a perfectly delivered oral communication. Many well-intentioned messages accompanied with the wrong body language, ended up being misunderstood. It's not as though we didn't know what we were saying, but our actions gave a conflicting signal.

A kiss was a friendly gesture, a means of communicating love and affection, usually exchanged between closely related folks, but that was the tip-off Judas used to betray his master in the garden.

Jesus expressed His concern in Matthew 15:8 when He said "This person draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me". So, it is possible that people can show you love and affection, whereas their hearts are filled with anger, bitterness, and strife. It is also possible, that people can endorse you before men, systems, and structures, yet in their heart of hearts, they want your downfall. 

Actions are a major issue and as such, important in how we prepare and work towards our desired future. Mephibosheth had no business near the palace walls, safe for the kindness his late father had shown to David. Dorcas was dead and would have been buried, but for the sake of her good works and compassion towards the poor, she was given another chance at life. Actions have a way of leaving an indelible print on the hearts of people. 

Now here is the catch, there are certain things we can do now, that can speak for us, even when we are not aware of it. And that is the seed dimension of our actions.  People may forget what you said, they may even not remember how you look like, but they will never forget how you acted or reacted towards them. They will never forget how you made them feel by the way you behaved. Actions are so powerful a voice, that they speak even when we are silent and can't hear them.

So rather than being hostile, create a friendly atmosphere. Rather than being tossed to and fro, learn to draw up principles and live by them. Learn to set and stick to those boundaries. Let people know you to be a wo/man of your word. Be disciplined with your finances. Be consistent with your character. 

All these and more are actions that tell your tale, even when you aren't speaking a word. 

Some people rose on the strength of their credibility. Many highly-placed personalities got that high because someone mentioned their names for good. Have values that people will commend you for.

Be a person of diligence and hard work. Be a goal-getter. Be an achiever. Be kind. Be generous. Be submissive. Be benevolent.

Let your actions and reactions be examined through the lens of a seed with a definite harvest in view.

4. Finances.

This area has been largely abused in our teachings that anytime a seed is mentioned along financial quarters, the hearers tend to see it from the biased standpoint of pastors' financial enrichment program or scheme. This imbalance in the construct of our financial mindset, has in no small way, accounted for the lopsided growth we suffer from. Every time finance is mentioned in church, the reluctance is so palpable, that the blind can see it. Let the same financial contribution be requested in secular settings and believers are the first to donate. What could be wrong? What were we not taught correctly? 

In Matthew 6:24 AMP "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]", the bible for the first time equated God to something else, Mammon. This, already, should alert you that there is something, which if left unattended to, can not only fight but take the place of God in your life and desire the worship that only God deserves. 

"The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, The world, and those who dwell in it".

Psalms 24:1 AMP

And,

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]". James 1:17 AMP.

These two scriptures attest to the fact that everything belongs to God, it also highlights to us that everything good and perfect comes from God. If finance comes from God, then it should be a blessing, not a curse or a snare.  In this context, let's view the word "Finance" through the lens of money, business, investment, etc. Remember, it is God who gives us the power to get wealth and also teaches us to profit. This tells us that we can get wealth, but not have the wisdom to profit from it.

Now, having agreed that all things including money come from God, why then do we find it difficult to give this money back to the owner? If God asks for something, it's not because He needs it, rather, it's because He wants you to have more of that thing. God has never needed your finances to survive or finance any kingdom project, don't forget the cattle on the thousand hills are His'. So you are not giving to meet God's needs, rather, you give your offering, pay your tithe, finance kingdom projects, bless your prophet(s), and other forms of kingdom financing, because you have an understanding of seed, time, and harvest. There are certain kingdom truths you come into the consciousness of, and it becomes a delight to give to God. 

Just as investments in the business world could either be short-term, medium-term, or long-term, kingdom investments follow the same trend. The mere fact that finance is a seed is no guarantee it will flourish in every kind of condition.

There are certain financial seeds you sow and you reap them short-term. There are some you sow, and the harvest comes in the long run.

Sometimes, the ground where the seed was sown, determines the timing of the returns. If you sow good seeds on fertile ground, you can be sure of a harvest and otherwise. If you sow the right seed on the right ground, you can be sure of a harvest and vice versa. If you sow good seeds, on good soil, but under adverse climatic conditions, the seed may struggle to survive, much less grow. 

The quality of the seed, the condition of the soil, the favorability of the climatic condition, and the season, all add up to affect the nature of the harvest. 

Have you noticed that kingdom financiers never lack resources? Remember my analogy of the water hose conveying water from one point to another? 

So, if you want to have more financial resources, be a conduit, and not a container.

5. Life: (character, mindset)

The greatest and highest seed ever sowed was a life. Life remains the most valuable seed in the sight of both God and man. 

God made a passionate request in Proverbs 23:26 AMP when He said "My son, give me your heart And let your eyes delight in my ways".

And He explained to us why in Proverbs 4:23‭ MSG "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts". 

So if we synchronize both verses, we would have, "My son, give me your heart, that’s where life starts".

The heart of the matter has always been the matter of the heart. And the heart in this context is an encompassing word that embodies the mind, thoughts, will, and emotions as well. 

It's from our hearts that our mindsets are forged. It's from our heart that our character is brewed. It's from our hearts that our perspectives are fashioned. It's from our hearts that our ideologies are birthed. The heart matter is a serious matter, and that explains why God asked for it.  A man may seem good and harmless on the outside, but his heart could be deceitfully wicked. Who can know it? Not even the man that owns it, knows it. 

The seed of the heart is a very delicate item that if not addressed before being sown, the owner of that heart may be forced to live with the eventual result of the harvest. "for out of the heart are the issues of life"

God expressed His concern when He said "This person draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" Matthew 15:8 KJV. This means, no matter how much you honor God with your lips, using the best of words, if your heart is not in it, that honor does not get God's attention. Beyond your gifts, God needs your heart. Beyond your sacrifice, God is after your heart. Beyond the volume of worship, you raise to the throne, your heart is the most important. If your heart doesn't precede that gift, He is not receiving it. If your heart is not on that tray, every other thing there does not catch His fancy. Jesus did not go to the door of your bank account to knock. He didn't wait for you at the door of your career, ministry, family, or even prayer altar, but we see Him standing at the door of our hearts, not to deliver a package and turn back, neither did He come to heal, save, deliver and return, but He has come to stay. He is standing there, waiting for you to open up, so that He could come in and sup with you. 

The matter of the heart is truly the heart of the matter. This explains why David asked God to search his heart, not his kingdom, treasury, or armory, but his heart. An unsearched heart is an untested heart. An untested heart is an untrusted heart. An untrusted heart is a heart that cannot be used by God. If God must use you, you must be vetted. If He is to profit from your life, that life must belong to Him. Unlike an investor; whose share of profit is an agreed rate that is proportionate to the amount invested; the owner of the business is entitled to the capital, his share of profit, and the retained earnings after other investors must have gotten their share of profit. This is what God is. The owner, the source, and the sustainer. That is why He is called Abba.

Our life truly belongs to Him, we are best, stewards or custodians of this life, and that is why we all will stand to account before the owner, how we used the resource He gave us.

So, in living that life you think is yours, remember you will account for it. The life you are living was given to you in trust, with the intent that you will live it profitably and as a steward, give proper account for it.  Whatever you do with that life, is not an expenditure but an investment that will yield returns. Never live your life as a one-way street, that whatever goes is gone, that is a very costly assumption to base your existence on. Rather, see your life as a give and take exchange. So, whatever you wouldn't want to be done to you, don't do the same to others. Remember there is an unbending law of seed, time, and harvest.

In closing:

Any and everything we do along these five facets of our existence has dual implications on us. They become seeds that will germinate in the future, whose fruits our generations may reap, with or without us; or bread which we eat today.

An understanding of this will guide our mind construct and thought patterns, it will culture the way we speak, it will instruct the way we behave, it will define the boundaries of our financial commitments and lastly, it will set the coordinates of our approach to life.

What you are, is the determinant of what you get. If you are an eater, you get bread. If you become a sower, you get seeds.

So when next we see the rain, we should be wise to channel out the bread for eating and the seed for sowing.

Grace and Mercy!!!

Amb. Emmanuel Etukudo

Kingdom Wealth Ambassador