IS GOD THE GIVER OF WEALTH OR DOES HARD WORK GUARANTEE WEALTH?

IS GOD THE GIVER OF WEALTH OR DOES HARD WORK GUARANTEE WEALTH?

Most times am asked to offer suggestions on how one can be successful, my reply is always ‘’hard work.’’ The motive for this write-up stem from an argument I had with my mother and siblings on the source of financial wealth. I tend to emphasize less on the role of God in financial wealth attainment when I argue with fellow Nigerians and Africans not because God does not give wealth, (Deuteronomy 8vs 18, the Holy Bible) but because most Africans tend to be lazy and justify poverty on the basis that ‘’God is the giver of wealth’’ as a popular Igbo clique goes ‘’Ego si na chi’’ literally translated as ‘’money is from God,’’ that is not to say that there are no Africans with firm belief in God and hard work.

A professor in a Nigerian university once told me ‘’Chinedu money is from God and one’s destiny…if you are not destined to be rich forget it…no amount of work can grant you wealth,’’ I was left in awe with his words. I pondered on his words when I got home that day. I posed certain questions to myself, what is the need of all this work? What if am not destined to be rich? What is my fate? As I was trying to figure out the authenticity of his statement, I remembered the case of Jabez in the Christian Holy Book (Bible) who I believe was cursed to suffer from birth (1^st Chronicle 4vs9, the Holy Bible ), Jabez who was cursed ended up wealthy not just by praying to God, he also put in great work and was described by the Bible as ‘’more honourable than his brothers.’’ I do not dispute the fact that certain individuals did not need to work too hard for their wealth but I strongly disagree with the assertion that there are people destined to be poor. I strongly believe in God and hard work but I will not be blind to the fact that there are billionaires who do not believe in the existence of God but are very wealthy with Mark Zuckerberg as notable example though he recently identified with Buddhism . Also, Christians and Muslims who think that without believing in God or Allah, one cannot attain wealth, you are wrong, no apologies. Bill Gates the second world’s richest man is a Christian and the wealthiest man in Africa is a Muslim, here I am tempted to ask; which of the Gods give wealth? I ask this question because a Christian does not believe  in Islam and  a Muslim does not believe in Christianity (a big problem in my country Nigeria as it tends to cause disrespect for another’s religion) likewise other religions yet every religion of the world has wealthy men and women practicing it. Is there Secret Supreme Being wealthy people worship? Yes HARD WORK

I believe the major problem confronting a lot of people is differentiating between hard work and hard labour. For instance, you have two Law graduates from a university and they both want to end up as statesmen. Recognizing the need for community service in leadership, one decides to do more of charity and human rights activism for a certain period before vying for election into any political office. This individual is not concerned about money he or she can make immediately; he is more concerned about influencing and reaching out to people who will without doubt bear witness to his capability to make a great statesman in the future. The other law graduate with same dreams is more concerned with how much money he can make in the immediate. He does not have a well laid out plan on how to achieve his dreams. The former would end up more successful and fulfilled in life. The latter might attain some level of success probably average because he had been laboring hard and the reward for labour as I was taught in secondary school is wage. The difference between hard work and hard labour lies in the fact that with hard work you set your limits yourself but hard labour sets your limits for you, you have no choice. Hard work gives you choices, this is applicable to all fields of life, whether you are an artist, politician, sportsman, or even a farmer in some rural area in Africa.

Hard work entails a lot, diligence, dedication, discipline, and perseverance are just its few components that I will mention here. God in any form you choose to worship Him exists but you have to work for what you desire. I hear people accuse others of belonging to occult societies to gain wealth and fame and I laugh because the people they point fingers at are hard workers. With this, I can conveniently state that the devil is a fan of hard work. If the devil as dark as he is painted knows the need for hard work, why would you be lazy?

Conclusively, it is time we emancipate ourselves mentally from some beliefs that hinder us from achieving our dreams and aspirations. The God you pray to for money or success is YOU. You have the power to change the world but you have to change yourself before you can change the world.