Always remember this, every unused potential will die a natural death. What you do not appreciate will definitely depreciate. What you do not value now will lose its value very soon.
Proverb 20:29 says “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head.” I have read this verse of the Scripture over and over again for years without getting the revelation behind the message. This verse goes beyond what you read; it takes deep revelation and interpretation by Holy Spirit to understand the mysteries behind this extract. The Holy Ghost will give us understanding as we read this message. From this verse of the Scripture, there are 3 key words I will briefly speak about, starting from the latter:
- Glory
- Youth
- Strength
The meaning of STRENGTH goes beyond physical power and emotional toughness. It is the totality of raw potentials deposited in us by God. Such potentials can be from birth or it can be developed as we are growing up in life. You only develop strength from the raw potentials God has deposited in you. That is the natural gifts or talents God has endowed you with. Our strengths are God’s gift to mankind; it is a foundation on which we build our potentials on. Absence of these basic requirements may lead to frustration and outright failure in life’s pursuit. Many have become copycats, pursuing dreams without endowed with natural gifts, such people will be frustrated out of that dreams sooner or later. It shows God is the source of our strength, anything outside Him will end in frustration, regret and pain.
Youthful stage is the period of human life between childhood and maturity. It is a state of being young. This is the period of human life in which everyone can exercise strengths to the fullness of their capacity. The way you live your life as a youth will determine what we become of you at old age. In Ecclesiastics 12:1, it reads “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say “I have no pleasure in them.”
However, it is the STRENGTH that will bring out the GLORY in you as a youth. In I Samuel 16:18, David was described by King Saul’s servant in his recommendations as a young man skillful in playing musical instruments, a mighty man of valour, a man of war and prudent in speech. To complete his recommendations, the servant said “he is a very handsome person and the Lord is with him.” This extract shows that every mankind irrespective of your race, background and other circumstances of life (favourable or not) has more than one raw potentials which he or she can develop in his or her lifetime. Your potentials are your strengths in life. If you want to soar higher in life you must identify your potential, and build your strength on it. David identified his strengths and worked over it during his wilderness experiences.
This makes me to understand that oftentimes season of loneliness is a blessing in disguise. David discovered and developed all his God’s endowed gifts in the season of loneliness. He developed ability to play musical instrument; sing and write songs; to watch over sheep (leadership strength); courage and boldness to summon any challenge of life when he was alone in the wilderness of life. This paved way for him to a stardom later in his lifetime. David’s strength made him to stand before King Saul and became even famous than the king. Proverb 22:29 says “Do you see a man who excels in his works, he will stand before kings, he will not stand before unknown men.” Another translation says “Thou see a man diligent in his duties, he will stand before the kings, he will not stand before mean (ordinary) men.” Joseph is also a diligent man, a dreamer, an interpreter, an encourager, handsome and godly young man. He inspired others despite his own predicaments. But one day, his strength took him to the palace Genesis 39:2, 7-8, 40:6-9. He became the saviour of the entire human race in his lifetime.
My questions are:
What are your strengths? What are the raw potentials you are born with? Have you discover all? What efforts are you making to develop your potentials? Are they active or idle? Always remember this, every unused potential will die a natural death. What you do not appreciate will definitely depreciate. What you do not value now will lose its value very soon. This is the area where parents should play prominent and supportive roles to their children. Parents should nurture their children in God’s way; assist them to identify and develop their potentials in order to activate the endowed strengths. Parents should endeavour to give solid foundation to their children. In all, the fear of God matter most because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Having identified your potentials, are you using them as service unto God and humanity or against God and humanity? Do not be conscious of material things. Everything is not about material gains. David and Joseph never had a thought of material gains, but their diligence brought fame and other things to them. As you are becoming a star, do not abuse the grace that takes you to limelight. Always remember your humble beginning. Many people started well, but as they are growing up they are caught in the web of life. Many have died prematurely, some lost the glory because of their carelessness.
Be conscious of God as you display the fullest of your strength. Never allow the whirlwind of life catch up with you. Be diligent to the end, then the latter part of Proverb 20:29 will be fulfilled in your life “….and the splendor of old men is their gray head.” Fulfilling God’s ordained purpose in one’s lifetime is a blissful moment at the old age. That is the message the verse of the Scripture is trying to explain to us. Live your life for God, identify your potentials, build your strengths on your potentials, use it as a service to God and humanity, and your old age will be splendor.