Very very very simple: Warren Buffet! Wrong! Wrong!! Wrong!!! You have one lifeline; you may call a friend. Who do you plan to call? I would call Steve Forbes; the phone rings, a click and a little delay: Hello; hello! Am I speaking to Mr. Forbes? A female voice beams out; No, this is Mr. Forbes personal assistant; may I know who I am speaking with and why you need to speak to Mr. Forbes?
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I am Lagbaja Nwachukwu Yerima from Nigeria; Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and the largest producer of crude oil in Africa; we have….. The alarm goes on. Sorry your thirty seconds is up. If you have said Bill Gates, you would have been wrong; if you have said Carlos Slim Helu; you would have been very wrong. This is cheating; you don’t want to give out the Mercedes Benz CLK.
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According to Forbes, the richest man in the world is Warren Buffet. Yes, I agree with you but not according to the Bible. What? Which report do you believe; Forbes or Bible? Don’t go philosophical on me now. I am not; just telling you the truth. You mean Forbes is lying? Well, Forbes perspective of calibrating riches is different from the Bibles and the Bible has lasted more than twenty centuries with time tested principles.
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Okay, tell me who is the world’s richest man according to the bible? First things first, you have to understand riches the way the bible explains it. The bible makes a ubiquitous statement; “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godâ€. Another account clarifies the same statement by saying it is hard for a man that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.
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What is so special about this Kingdom that makes it a must for a rich man to want to enter? It is not as if it is the Bahamas or Macau Island where pseudo-paradise is depicted; well far from it; the kingdom of God is not even a physical or a spiritual location. It is a state of mind that recognizes that God is the king who you put your total trust in. This definition looks very easy but that is simply what it is.
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In all the accounts of Jesus teaching, the kingdom was his favorite; he stresses it like no other; his stories about it are illustrative and very pointed. After reading all the stories that Jesus spoke about the kingdom, only one element was common to all; it was about sowing. The whole concept of the kingdom was tied to sowing. You may take some time out and look at the stories, it is all about sowing.
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The perspective of sowing here is the ability to let go of your physical possession; this is why Jesus stressed that it is impossible for someone that trust in his physical possession to enter the kingdom. This is why the young ruler was very sad when he was asked to let go of his accumulated physical possession and follow Jesus. This is why the master was angry when the servant refused to let go of his one talent.
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Letting go of your physical possession is the sure way of entering the kingdom paradigm; a total trust in God not in your physical possession. This is why Jesus admonishes his people to seek first the kingdom and every other thing they crave for will automatically come to them. The adventure of seeking the kingdom has its own dynamics which you will grasp immediately you start seeking the kingdom:
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Jesus talked about a “sower†that went to sow and the different places he sowed together with the results for each of the sowing. Though Jesus analyzed it to mean how the words we hear are integrated to our lives to produce much results; the relevance of this principle to entrepreneurship is vital. How an entrepreneur decides to place his talent, energy and physical possession is vital to its success.
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Let me use an empirical example of an event that took place recently; got a call from a colleague in my former work place. He wanted to run something by the side while he worked so he wanted to know about blogging; he wanted to know if he could make a hundred thousand naira monthly from Google Adsense since he heard I do well using the same program.
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I told him it was possible and that the program depended on variable input to get desired output. So he asked me what he needed to do in order to start blogging. I told him all he needed to get and implement and the total cost was not more than 5K naira. Then he said something that actually made me to laugh; “what assurance do I have that when I place 5K naira into this blogging that I will get 100K naira?â€
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I told him point blank “NONEâ€; you have no assurance, it all depends on your passion, your enthusiasm, your attitude and your talent. Only you can assure that; no one can do that for you. His hesitation made me laugh once more; this was someone that earns 4.5 million a year; 375K a month; 17K a day and he is really bothered about sacrificing 5K to earn a periodic 100K a month. I just could not stop laughing. Â
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I gave him a free platform to blog on (wordpress.com) to increase his confidence. My colleague’s inability to release 5K for a prospective 100K a month got me really thinking of how people regard money and how true it was for people who trust in their riches to enter the kingdom of God. I was really bothered about the way he was thinking and I told him so explaining my fears for the outcome of such thought-life.
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He disagreed with me so I left him at that. I am not saying letting go of one’s physical possession is easy; I am saying the only way to abundance living is not to trust that the accumulation of this physical possession will give you the life you are seeking for. The inability to let go is a huge mental disease that affects every parts of your life; career, relationship, etc. There is definitely a balance to this topic.
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I am not saying you should let go of the money or physical possession you have; I am saying you should let go for your perceived dream or future. The young ruler that came to meet Jesus felt inadequate after obeying all of God’s law so Jesus told him the best way to cure his inadequacies was to let go of his obsession for his accumulated wealth. The same thing goes for my friend that wanted to earn more but cannot let go of a fraction of his wealth.
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Truth be told, the richest man in the world is not Warren Buffet or any of the people that Forbes tell us are very wealthy because wealth is not based on the various economic assets you own ; all economic assets are subject to social-economic framework. Crude oil before the invention of combustion engine was not an economic asset; if the stock price of Microsoft increased, Warren Buffet will not be Forbes’ richest man. So wealth according to Forbes is based on market forces of your economic asset.
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The answer to the richest man in the world is “UNKNOWNâ€. Wealth is not about how much is accumulated but how much is disseminated. Â
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13 comments
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October 10, 2008 at 2:01 pm (UTC 1)
dear dipo,
you really surprise me this time. how on earth do you expect your friend to understand your elaborate explaination when he is still operating on sight and not by faith. Aexander Dumas the author of The Count Of MonteCristo said that it is only adversity that can explain to an unhappy sufferer thre sublime language by which he can invoke the pity of heaven. Your friend is definitely not in your league hence i advise you let him be.
balogun olukayode
October 2, 2008 at 8:51 am (UTC 1)
the worlds richest men today gave up something-either time,money and other tings just to nuture their dreams.to go up u just have to give up.the fear of losing or rejection holds back people from reaching their dreams.
its not enoug to dream,you have to follow through.
the kingdom of God is withtin you-the sovereignty of God is shown or manifested through a believer.since he is supposed to extend the rulership of God on earth.he is reconnected to God through the death of Jesus so he is no longer short of the glory of God but reigns trough him-the believer.
there is seed time and harvest-not harvest time meaning that harvest comes anytime or in its due season because te harvest will surely come when u sow at the rigt time.a farmer who doesnt observe the right time to sow his seeds will have no harvest or litle harvest.
cant agree with you more,royal prince
September 24, 2008 at 3:47 pm (UTC 1)
What else can I say. WONDERFUL.
God bless you real good.
September 23, 2008 at 11:20 am (UTC 1)
@Kevin Fubara,
I am not writing in defence of Dipo but just some clarifications here.
Actually, while commenting on this post earlier, i almost toed your path but had to read the post in context.
1) We shld understand the usage of the phrase “the kingdom of God” in the context the scripture uses it. At one place, Apostle Paul stated that the kingdom of God is not in word but in power and at another, he declared that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Let me state without fear of contradiction that the kingdom first begins within a man and it is this kingdom within that qualifies a man for the physical kingdom at the end of the day. Remember Jesus told His disciple that the “kingdom of God is within you”.
A friend once said that the kingdom of God speaks of the life of God in man while the Kingdom of heaven speaks of the dwelling place of God (heaven itslef). Although i don’t share this view, i just said it to make a point.
Having stated this, let me say that the kingdom spoken about in this post is the kingdom within.
It is not about eternity (i.e heaven or hell) but about experiencing the kingdon life of abundance here on earth.
I believe Dipo believes in the reality of heaven and hell cos i have read some posts here that delved into the issues of judgment and eternal destination though briefly.
Notice the semi colon on the said assumption and you will see his xplanation of what he meant.
2) Let me say that most of Jesus’s teaching are spiritual truths that have multi-facet applications if you know what i mean.
God once opened my eyes to the insights in one of such truths when Jesus said you can not enter into a strong man’s house to spoil his goods without first binding the stron man. We know the contextual meaning of that statement but it also applies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
Our bodies according to scripture is the house (or temple) of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If the goods of the strong man in Jesus statement, i.e demons, was insanity (sickness and every evil things) then the goods of the Holy Spirit (our strong man) is sound mind, health and every good things.
If these goods can not be destroyed without first binding the strong man in charge, then nobody can tamper with the goods of the Holy Spirit (my health, sanity etc) in me because He is the strongest and can not be bound.
Contextually, the seed spoken of by Jesus is the word but by application could be mean other stuffs as well including the lives we live . Remember this scripture: whatever a man sow, that shall he also reap?
That said, i am happy you spoke up at least to balance issues out.
Luv U!
http://www.omaprince.blogspot.com
September 23, 2008 at 10:24 am (UTC 1)
Hello Dipo,
I seriously disagree with the core of your assertions on Who Is The Richest Man.
The areas of my disagreements are;
1. Letting go of your physical possession is the sure way of entering the kingdom.
ABSOLUTELY WRONG!!! YOU CAN LET GO ALL YOUR PHYSICAL GOODS AND DIE AND GO TO HELL. A MAN SPENT HIS LIFE ROBBING, KILLING & MAIMING PEOPLE YET HE DIED AND WENT TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. (SEE LUKE 23:40-43 ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT OBTAINED BASED ON ANYTHING YOU CAN DO YOURSELF. ON THE CROSS, JESUS SAID IT IS FINISHED. ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS PURELY THE WORK CHRIST AND HE HAS FINISHED THE WORK. ALL YOU CAN DO IS SIMPLY BELIEVE ON WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE BY FAITH IN HIM JUST LIKE THE THIEF DID. REALIZING YOUR SINS, KNOWING THAT YOU NEED TO PAY FOR THEM, AND KNOWING THAT CHRIST HAS DIED IN YOUR PLACE AND CALLING OUT TO JESUS IN FAITH TO SAVE YOU. SEE JOHN 3:15,16,18,36; ROMS.10:9,10
2. The kingdom of God is not even a physical or a spiritual location. It is a state of mind that recognizes that God is the king who you put your total trust in.
HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE AND SO ALSO IS HELL. WHEN JESUS DESCRIBED HEAVEN & HELL, HE USED REAL NAMES AND LITERAL EXAMPLES. IN THE CASE OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN, JESUS MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT WASNT A PARABLE. RECALL THAT WHENEVER JESUS SAYS A PARABLE, IT IS WRITTEN THUS: “…AND HE SPOKE A PARABLE TO THEM SAYING …” AND HE NEVER WILL MENTION NAMES. BUT ABOUT LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN HE MENTIONED NAMES – LAZARUS, ABRAHAM. SEE 1PETER 1:3-5, LUKE 16:19-31, MARK:9:43-48
3.The perspective of sowing here is the ability to let go of your physical possession.
THE ABOVE SAYING IS VERY WRONG. IF YOU PERCEIVE SOWING AS HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE, THEN YOU ARE MISTAKEN. FOR JESUS AT LUKE 8:11 SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD, THEN SOWING THE SEED (WORD) THEN SHOULD DENOTE PREACHING OR TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT GOD’S WORD. NOTE THAT FROM LUKE 8:12 TO 15 WHERE THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER & THE SEED IS EXPLAINED “ONLY ONE TYPE OF SEED” IS MENTIONED BUT FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOIL. THE SOIL AS FURTHER EXPLAINED DENOTES DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT HEART CONDITION. AS CHRISTIANS (SOWERS) OUR OBLIGATION IS TO SOW (PREACH & TEACH) THE SEED (GOD’S WORD) TO DIFFERENT PEOPLES (SOIL TYPES). AT NO OTHER TIME IN JESUS’ MINISTRY OR THAT OF HIS FOLLOWERS WAS SEED SOWING DIRECTLY RELATED TO MATERIAL THINGS
September 23, 2008 at 8:48 am (UTC 1)
@ Mitchel
Your encouragement is very well appreciated.
@ Christian and Royal_Prince
Thank you very much; your comments are very insightful
@ Adeola
Hope to hear from you frequently
@ Damilola
What can I say? your comment has got me thinking
@ Emmanuel Audu
Long time! I am impressed with your blog; please, keep on keeping on.
September 23, 2008 at 8:20 am (UTC 1)
I have had occassion to counsell some people on this issue, A friend once told me that he does not give alms to beggars on the road and i asked why, He said he heard that they first present it to some gods before spending.
I had vto tell him that without knowingt he was getting hardened to the cry of the poor fellow beside him and gradualy tending towards stinginess.
Giving also does not depend on the quantum of cash you can release but on the state of your mind while doing so.
On sunday while teaching a set of new converts i noticed a particular woman was not focused and then the impression i had in my spirit was to give to her, hey but i only have N500 in my pocket? but at the end of the class i gave her the money and i saw colour come to her face and i went home glad.
It is good to give more so when the soirit of God ministers for you to do so.
see my blog on http://catfishfarminginnigeria.blogspot.com/
September 22, 2008 at 1:35 pm (UTC 1)
I presently do not have any problems giving, but I know that the test of one’s ability to give is based on your perception of the person to whom you give. Without much guessing, the answer is right there in the Bible, “whatever you do for the least amongst you”, this helps us to see any opportunity of giving as one of sowing and and being wealthy ultimately.
I aspire to be truly wealthy and by God’s grace value relationships above possessions.
I taught I would see you for the first time at the blogger’s conference but anyway I know another time will come.
Looking forward to see you.
God bless you.
September 22, 2008 at 12:18 pm (UTC 1)
Great words spoken in season.Thank you Dipo.
September 22, 2008 at 9:08 am (UTC 1)
Hello Dipo,
Yet another thought provoking piece.
One thing about kingdom principles is that they often run contrary to commen sense. How do you xplain this scripture: “there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” Proverbs 11:24. And many others.
As per blogging, i am highly disappointed that you never conitnued the series you started about blogging on poetsolvers.com. After several visits to/comments on poetsolvers i decided to start something about it and in the process i stumbled on blogger.com while flirting from site to site. Please do justice to that seires.
Luv U!
http://www.omaprince.blogspot.com
September 21, 2008 at 10:05 pm (UTC 1)
Hey.. Was expecting to see you at the bloggers conference, guess you dint plan for it. Well, i wasnt disappointed coz i met bloggers indeed and ofcourse deolu. Jst to let you know i got inspired by you and now am in the industry of affecting lives. Later
September 20, 2008 at 11:22 am (UTC 1)
Many Thanks Dipo.
Wealth is what a lot of people strive for, but giving it back after they’ve acquired it is like to proverbial statement by our lord Jesus Christ that “It’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Luke 6v38 is worth pondering on. Some people have the fear of Giving/Sowing into the lives of others.
Believers in Christ Jesus believes in the Spiritual Mathematical process of Giving for giving sake while unbelievers believes in collecting and hoarding it.
Recently on TV precisely on AIT, a lot of ad appeals have been aired to raise N3.5m for a little child that needs to undergo an urgent surgery in India—the so called wealthy individuals in Nigeria can’t even do something about it, but if it’s to go and make public donations for thier names to be announced—they’ll gladly do it.
When it comes to giving back to society Africans are most guilty. Research reveals that almost all US company—be it a Small Biz with annual revenue of $5m—or a Fortune 500 company has a Philanthropic organisation, through which they reach out to thier various communities.
Trully the answer to the richest man in the world is UNKNOWN.
Life is all about living for others to live and the world will be a better place.
To all commentators and to you Dipo—I wish you all a most Unique Weekend.
The devil is not in control but God is in Control.
Shalom!
September 20, 2008 at 7:38 am (UTC 1)
Hi dipo.. I was rating my addiction level to your site, that after my morning prayers all i think of is visit this site. I met this post when it was posted 1minute ago. Reading articles here really empowers me and the result is evident in my life. Thanks