Putting all your eggs in one basket

SUNDAY SERMON - I have seen many rich people of this world having interests in so many things. They have banks; they sell petroleum; they are in construction business, they export flowers and, sometimes they own churches. But, I want to ask such people some questions: What are they aiming at? What really drives them? What is the fuse that lights their world? What is the nexus that joins them to real life? Delegate, or else simplify what you are doing, but more poignantly, eliminate low priorities and do more by doing less, that is my advice. “There are too many people in too many cars, in too much of a hurry, going in too many directions, getting nowhere for nothing,” says John Mason. My view is that there is too little time to do everything we want to do. Some of the things that occupy our minds are really not that important to us. Anyone who starts moving on the road leading to acquisition will not stop because human beings have a natural exponential affinity to riches and wealth. Such a person will have forgotten to focus on God who is the provider of life, health and wealth. Let us consider what Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” That ONE thing Paul does is to press on towards the goal. He is not spread too thin; he is not grappling with a multiplicity of things; he is focused on the one thing, which is pressing forwards towards his goal. Without focus you can not have peace. Whatever you set your heart on will determine how you spend your future life. Spread your life too thin and all the ill-winds from the four corners of the earth will descend on you. Unhappiness, strife, pain and disappointment will overtake you. There are people who want to be everywhere at once but end up getting nowhere. William Locke advised, “I can tell how to get what you want; keep your target in view and go for it; never let your eyes wonder to the right or left or up or down.” George Bernard Shaw also emphasised that if you give a man good health and a course to steer, he will never be troubled to know whether he is happy or not. To know clearly the course you are on is the beginning of fulfillment in life. Losers have tons of variety. Champions take pride in just learning to hit the same old boring winners. Like the story of the man who was chasing two rabbits, if you chase too many things, they will all escape. When one of the greatest 10,000 meters runners from Kenya was asked the source of his success, he said “I keep on turning left”. When you ask God to bless the work of your hand, it must be characterized by the oneness of purpose, the focus in some objective and the singularity of your attention. The famous Mark Twain said “Behold the fool said ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ – which is but a manner of saying ‘Scatter your money and your attention” But the wise man said, ‘Put all your eggs in one basket and – watch that basket.’” The quickest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time. Those people who will be remembered are those who embarked on a mission and accomplished the mission exceedingly well. Success starts with one dream that seems impossible to achieve, but when that dream is pursued, it gradually becomes true. When the dream becomes true, look for another one and continue the pursuit. When the one dream takes too long to become a reality, do not wander to some other things, focus on the one dream. Do not expect success to come over night, but when you have got your dream going, maintain the momentum. Do not ever stop on the way because it is very difficult to get a dream rolling. My prayer is that we shall learn to focus our mind and attention on God and ask Him to give us a breakthrough in a goal we are pursuing. Email: redplan20002001@yahoo.com