Text: Hosea 7:8-10
Memory verse:
”“Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.“
Hosea 7:8 NKJV
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “There are no victories at bargain prices”. Nothing valuable in life can ever measure itself against this yardstick. Success in life has a price tag, and there are different prices.
Training is a non-negotiable price you have to pay for success.
According to our memory verse, God described Ephraim as half-baked, an unturned cake (Hos 7:8). The other side, which is not turned over, makes it half- raw and half- baked. Most of us must have experienced a half-baked cake or half-fried food. We are often deceived by the side that is scorched and brownish. Eventually, we discover that the other side of the food is not well baked or cooked. Eating it could cause more harm than good. Though, it could appear to be a blessing at first, but in the end, it will work contrary to blessing.
This is what you see in a person who did not endure the hardship of training but burst it to start his own ministry or business. This is a description of one who chose the alternative of cheap training rather than a high-price training. For example, the price tag may not necessarily be in monetary terms but the discipline required for the training or the duration of the training. Sometimes, it could be monetary, as cheap and poor training or educational foundations may limit a person’s influence or performance in life.
Having a call shouldn’t excuse you from adequate training but should be the reason for it. Inadequate or poor preparation is the key to failure in ministry and in the marketplace. Training will help you to be more effective in your calling (Ecc 10:10).
In 2 Samuel 24:24, David said, “… I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
In Matthew 13:44-46, a man also sold all that he had to buy a field.
Even the truth must be bought (Prov 23:23). Today, many believers want everything free. Free training, free seminars, free Bibles, free knowledge, free books, free education, and so forth.
Friends, there is a price for success. If you want to have a great and lasting success, pay the price for training. Subject yourself to learning, to discipleship or for apprenticeship. Buy books and tapes, attend seminars, learn, unlearn, and relearn. Don’t be a half-baked worker!
Prayer points
1. Father, help me to pay the price of training and to endure its discipline in Jesus’ name.
2. I refuse to be a half-baked worker and to fail in my calling in Jesus’ name.
Today’s declarations
1. A half-baked worker may appear to be a blessing at the beginning but a curse at the end.
2. I sharpen my vision, and I seek to be more effective in my calling when I subject myself to learning and discipleship.
Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng