SAY NO TO INDIFFERENCE

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” (Luke 19:12-13 KJV)

I come from a constituency that is used for fun or pun by our neighbors due to the jaundiced perception that my people are indifferent or apathetic to life and all that makes it prosperous. There’s this perception that an Owerre man is not bothered about the outcomes of this life. With pun intended, it’s said that – If an Owerre man enjoyed his garnished oil bean seeds popularly known as African salad, thoroughly “washed down” with palm wine, those building skyscrapers can continue.

This terse statement is an inuendo to opine that my people are indifferent to prosperous living. I disagree with that jaundiced opinion in its entirety because it’s a fallacy of which its conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence.

Howbeit, the statement maybe true with some individuals in every clan, tribe or race in the world and not my constituency specific. And no doubt, indifference is worse than inactivity influenced by fear. It’s the bane of many unrealized destinies.

From our text, I see three categories of people empowered by God to succeed. Hitherto, most preachers have emphasised only on two. If you studied the chapter contextually, you would agree with me that 10 servants were empowered to trade with the same amount, two servants traded with theirs and returned profits and one did nothing with his. My question is, what happened to the other seven. I believe they were indifferent to the assignment. Therefore, we have the two profitable servants on one part, the servant that hid his money on the second part and the unmentioned seven servants on the third part.

Drawing from the story as recorded by Luke in Chapter 19, I can safely categorise the three parties as follows:

1. The two profitable servants are intelligent.

2. The dormant wicked servant is indignant.

3. The seven unmentioned servants are indifferent.

One thing is abundantly clear, an indifferent person has no place in history. He can’t make a mark. He is neither famous nor notorious. Hear this: To be apathetic to divine instructions is to have a pathetic destiny. God said, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion…” (Amos 6:1)

The following examples are very instructive:

• Eli lost his priesthood and his household judged because of his indifference to the lifestyle of his children. (1 Sam.3:12-13)

• Lot lost his wife and everything he owned in Sodom because he was indifferent to his relationships and environment. (Gen.19)

• Mordecai cautioned Esther against indifference and averted a national tragedy. (Esther 4)

• Pilate’s indifference to releasing Christ made him culpable for the crucifixion of Christ. (Matt.27:24)

You need courage to say no to indifference, take a firm stand for the truth and wisdom to do the right things all through this year and beyond. Allowing the Holy Spirit of God to give you a different spirit like He did for Caleb will set you apart as a man or woman of courage. He will also empower you to follow Him wholly.

Hear this: Only the Holy Spirit can cure indifference.  As Helen Keller rightly observed, “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings.”

Therefore, welcome the Holy Spirit today and walk in His conviction, power and wisdom.

To saying no to indifference,

✝️Tochukwu Kemakolam

Prime Minister