The Benefits of Productivity

 “ And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

 Mathew 25:20 – 21(KJV)

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is great to be back on this ride called “Productivity”. Today, we are going to narrow the narrative on the benefits of being productive. I hope you are familiar with this maxim “Everything has cause and an effect”. Who we are today as individuals or as a country is simply as a results of how we have use the resources of the past. Ghana is where it is today because of how we used our resources in the past; and if I talk about the resources, I mean more of the precious commodity of time. 

Ghana, a nation blessed with a lot of natural resources as well as creative human resources, got its independence the same time with South Korea - a nation with far less resources than Ghana. Yet after sixty year of independent South Korea has grown to become one of the wealthiest nations on the earth, whereas Ghana on the other hand is struggling to develop. The question that keeps lingering in my mind is “Why” and I think the truthful answer is in how we have efficiently use time and harness other resources available to us judiciously.  

Life is really not about how gifted or resourced one is, but it is about proper deploring of available resources to achieve a useful outcome.  You see life is not dress rehearsal, so that any time that is wasted on unproductive stuff can never be retrieved. So it is imperative that we make use of the resources available to us usefully. Zooming to our scripture for this journey which says “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” Mathew 13:12 (KJV), Let us look at some of the benefits of Productivity

·         Productivity brings Increase – It is only prudent that the person who is able to add to what he has is given more, whereas the person who is unable to add to what he has, loses even what he has. South Korea is getting richer year by year because they have been able to use their little resources to add to themselves by using time and other resources efficiently, whereas things are getting worse in Ghana. Things have not improve that much in Ghana because we have not being making useful use of all the resources available to us in the last sixty years. 

     We have no respect for time and no sense of accountability. As our key scripture says Mathew 13:12 (GNB) “For the person who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing will have taken away from him even the little he has.” The person who has and is being productive is given more and the person who has and he is not adding to it, even that which is has will be taking away from him. It is a fair deal, isn’t it?  I think it is a fair deal, Jesus said in John 15:2(GNB) “He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit.” 

    A Christian who is not making any effort to be fruitful with God’s grace and gift on his life will definitely become stagnant and stands the risk of losing everything; I am not talking about using God’s gift to make name for ourselves and promote our personal brand, I am talking about reaching out to the lost and making disciples in our immediate world as well as growing in godliness. As a believer makes genuine effort to reach out to the lost and grow in godliness, God will by all means add to his effort. A believer making effort and bearing some iota of fruit is miles ahead of the one who is not. As a believers we must come to the terms that his last command should always be our first priority - Mark 16:15 (GNB) “He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.” 

     You and I have a primary responsibility of reaching to the lost and disciplining them. People need the Lord, they need to experience the transforming power and the benefits of the gospel; whether you are prophets, Apostle, doctor, engineer lawyer, journalist, teacher, gospel musician etc. your presence must send a signal of who God is to others. As Christians we must be genuinely drawing people to God and helping them to grow in their walk with God? That is the real deal, any other thing we are doing with our lives are secondary to God.

·         Increase brings Dominion – Although dominion was assured to man, the perquisite for it is productivity (Fruitful) according Genesis 1:28 (KJV) “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” 30 years ago, China did not have any voice in international trade, she was never considered as part of the most powerful nations in the world; China voice couldn’t scare a fly as a global issue comes to play, but the story of China is different today. 

     China is the second largest economy in the world and she is now part of the G8 - which is the group of most powerful countries in the world; today China’s voice does not only scare a fly, but an elephant as far as global issue comes to play. China’s voice and opinion is now respected at the United Nation, why? Because China dared to be productive (Fruitful), in secular sense; although China is not necessarily a Christian nation, she is dominating because she has decided to be productive. Today, the manufacturing hub of the world has moved to China, almost all the good that is produce in the world today, is made in China, why? 

    Because China decided to be productive. Productivity (fruitfulness) will always precede dominion, those of us who have the benefits of the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel at our disposal have no choice but to arise unto fruitfulness (productivity). As our lives and ministries begin to genuinely draw the lost to our Lord Jesus Christ and challenge a lot more to lives to grow in godliness, heaven will begin to take notice of us and undue us with more power, grace and dominion.  The truth is you and I are designed to take dominion as we begin to be productive in the things of God.

·         Dominion Is wealth and Power – It is estimated that in the next 10 years China will have 450 millionaires, that is almost more than equal the entire population of  United State of America(USA) the most powerful country in the world. The rapid rise of China’s global dominance and power is simply due to the fact that she dared to rise up to her true potential of being over productive. China’s military and economic power is simply because of the wealth that she has as a results of becoming the world’s most productive nation. 

      In the light of this understanding you and I can only become powerful and influential if we begin to be productive; we can only have more influence if we rise up and become productive with all that God has given us, the bible says of the faithful servant in Mathew 25:20 – 21(KJV) “ And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” From this scripture it simply clear that the expansion of our rulership (Influence) is predicated on our productivity; we can only have more power and control if we are faithful and productive with the resources (fruit and gift) of  the Holy Spirit  as well as other talents at our disposal. 

    You and I can influence our world for God if we continue to grow in the godliness, grace and the power of God. The bible says that our profit must appear to all; the grace of God on our lives is supposed to be deplored in our environment in a way that draws more people to God and bring glory to His name. It was said that Paul and Silas became so productive in the things of God that they filled the whole city of Thessalonica with doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ to the extent that the city was turned upside down for Jesus – Act 17:1-6 (GNB) 

    “Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. To his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death. "This Jesus whom I announce to you," Paul said, "is the Messiah." Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshiped God.  But some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities and shouted, "These men have caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city.”  When we choose to became actively productive with the grace of God on our lives our immediate environment will feel the impact of Jesus.

My brothers and sisters when you and I become very productive with the grace of God in our lives, our immediate environment will be impacted for Jesus Christ. Productivity will earn us the promotion of God, productivity will cause heaven to take notice of us and those around to be blessed. Productivity will always precede dominion and dominion is what bring total power and influence. May you rise up and deplore the grace of God on your life unto productivity - 

Remember what John 15:2(KJV) says “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” The only way to increase is to be productive. God bless you for listening or reading, join me on my next edition called “How to Productive”. If you have any questions or comments you can leave it below, or you can also send me an email via- wisafawubo@gmail.com or send me a WhatsApp message on 0233868205.