Our texts of devotion are taking from Proverbs 31 verses 1 to 9 and it reads:

[1] The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

[2] What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?

[3] Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

[4] It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

[5] Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

[6] Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

[7] Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

[8] Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

[9] Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

MESSAGE

The farther you want to go in life, the more you must invest in yourself. For example, if you are driving a car with a tank full of petrol from Lagos, which is in South West Nigeria, to somewhere in Northern Nigeria, you will need to refuel your car at some point during the course of your journey. However, if you were only going to Ibadan, which is also a city in the South West of Nigeria, you wouldn't need to stop on your way to buy more petrol.

Anyone who wants to go far in life must invest resources that include holiness, hard work, knowledge, and good interpersonal skills in his or her life, while avoiding unproductive habits such as binge-watching movies, scrolling aimlessly on social media, wild partying, and the like. Discipline is required to go far in life. I recall when I was a child, my mother would compel me to stay indoors and study while my friends were outdoors playing football. I used to complain a lot about it, but she insisted until it became a part of me. One time, I was at my uncle's place, where a masquerade show was taking place on the street, and everyone was outside watching the show except me. My uncle came to me and asked why I didn't go outside to watch the show, and I responded, "The fellow everyone will watch someday does not sit around watching shows." Many years later, when God had lifted me, he reminded me of that day and said, "Today, the whole world is watching you".

Beloved, what you invest in yourself is what will determine your height in life. While the other captives in the king of Babylon's palace were busy dining and feasting on the king's delicacies, Daniel and his three counterparts focused on consecrating themselves to the Lord (Daniel 1:3-12). I believe that they were not the only Jews in the king's palace at that time, but they were the only ones who went on to do exploits because they invested the right resources in themselves.

Child of God, if you have big dreams that you want to see come to pass, then you must pay the price to invest in yourself. You must also let go of unnecessary weights, such as laziness and a lack of self-control, as well as impurities like sin, which can hinder you from fulfilling God's plans for your life. I pray that you will fulfill God's plans for your life, in Jesus' name.