The Sunday News
Itai Chipunza
Genesis 14 verse 21 to 23
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself. 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, “I made Abram rich.”
Abraham had become rich before the encounter with the king of Sodom, although he may not have been at the climax of his wealth, but he had made enough to gain him a strong presence in society. Thus when the king offered him a gift of appreciation Abraham did not accept it because of the intension of the gift. The king of Sodom intended to use that as a means to brag that he made Abraham rich and possibly as negotiation leverage whenever he needed the assistance of Abraham. We must understand that all gifts are a statement, no gift is just a gift.
Some gifts we get because someone wants to express their love, other to express admiration, in some cases as a thank you but in the case of Abraham the gift was like a loan that Abram would have to pay back one way or another. All gifts are a statement.
God has always been clear on the issue of people we associate with. Bad company will corrupt good morals.
Thus God did not want Abraham aligned with a King who was evil. One may wonder why we call the king of Sodom evil, we must not forget that Sodom is the same place that God then destroyed in later years because they practised homosexuality. If Abraham was friends with the king of Sodom by taking the gift he would have been obligated to support even the evil plans that may have come out of his kingdom. Accepting that gift would have been a sign of friendship between the two. It’s important to understand the objective of everyone around you.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was a Japanese ruler who lived from 1543 to1616. He came to power during one of the most unstable times of politics in Japan. When reading on Japanese history, I realised something striking. In his time kings changed so frequently that I found it remarkable how this man managed to stay in power for such a long time. Not only did he stay in power but he created a dynasty of leadership that by far outlived him.
This man founded the Shogunate that ruled Japan for 250 years. He was born into a noble family that ended up splitting loyalty between two warring factions, his father was killed when he was six and he was taken hostage by one faction at nine.
By winning key battles, making careful, shifting alliances while preserving key loyalties, and through careful exploitation and management of the threat posed by the colonial powers that were just becoming established in the region, he rose to rule. Like Abraham he learnt to understand the motives of each person he interacted with and knew that there was no such thing as a free meal. Each gift had intentions that came with it.
His philosophy has been studied by a lot of scholars and many novels written about this great man. His philosophy was simple:
“Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.
Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the lot of natural mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of extremity thou hast passed through. Forbearance is the root of all quietness and assurance forever.
Look upon the wrath of thy enemy. If thou only knowest what it is to conquer, and knowest not what it is to be defeated; woe unto thee, it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself rather than with others.”
People have many different plans when they come to you. It is very important to carefully study and try to understand each one’s objective coupled with divine knowledge from God and you will know who to be aligned to and who you shouldn’t be connected to.
As a businessperson, you have to understand what you benefit from each relationship you create with each person. After clear consideration, you then play your cards with a clear mind of what you are getting into.
It is very common that when you are in business you attract a lot of people with different agendas towards you. More so when you are anointed, the anointing of God is very attractive.
So attractive infact one person once said, if you walk into a room and you find many people gathered for a particular person, it is either that person is anointed, or they have money and in some cases, they have both. You must come to know that when a lot of people are around you, what most of them really want is a slice of the cake in your company, or just a bank cheque.
Others just looking to make a quick score and get out. Others are really constructive people that you need to propel you to your next level of competence.
It is important to be able to see through them, sift and pick out those that you must have and refuse the seemingly friendly gestures of the rest because you will pay for them one day. It may take years, but very surely you will pay.
I personally have very few people in my inner circle, I know a lot of people, but I step carefully around them. It is important not to get yourself in a position that you will regret in the future. Have a blessed Sunday and don’t forget to pray.
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