What Are You Waiting For?

"It happened that when the Philistine [Goliath] arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine ." (1Samuel 17:48)
"What men want is not talent, it is purpose; in other words, not the power to achieve it, but will to labour. I believe that labour judiciously and continuously applied becomes genius" - Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Lacking in purpose, even a talented person will leave that talent lying waste, but a person with the will to labour will make something out of nothing and be a great blessing to many.

True, "every person" as John Maxwell observed, "has a longing to be significant; to make a contribution; to be part of something noble and purposeful". But it is also true that desire alone gets nothing done. The "will to labour", that is, to fearlessly expend necessary effort, is the game changer.

King Saul and the armies of Israel longed to make a difference, yet each time Goliath, the champion of their enemy showed up and challenge them to a fight, they run for cover, "afraid and dismayed". (1 Samuel 17). Saul and his soldiers had talent and military skill but they lost their sense of purpose and the will to labour.

Into this scenario enters David, a purposeful young shepherd who rightly perceived Goliath's challenge as an insult to "the God of the armies of Israel". With God's help David was determined to silence Goliath.

Furthermore, David had the "will to labour" - an attitude which he had "judiciously and continuously" developed over time as he defended his flock from predatory beasts.

David was just a teenage lad who had no military skills or training in the use of the conventional military equipment of the day, but he was the purposeful tiny teenager who stopped the giant Goliath. "What men want is not talent, it is purpose...not the power to achieve it, but will to labor". David exemplified this will to labour once again as he "hurried and ran toward" Goliath", a stark contrast to what had been happening hitherto.

Purposeful people don't stand by and watch things happen, they make things happen. They are willing to match desire and purposefulness with a "will to labour" consistently and constantly in order to enable a desirable outcome. Natural talent, where present, is just an added benefit to the genius of such committed men and women.

Use what you have! Have a "will to labour"! Strive to make a difference!

Grace to you!

#bePurposeful!

Pastor Victor Ubani



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