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Proverbs 18:16 (King James Version) :A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Proverbs 18:16 (Contemporary English Version):A gift will get you in to see anyone.

Proverbs 18:16 (Young’s Literal Translation):The gift of a man maketh room for him, And before the great it leadeth him.

Proverbs 18:16 (The Message Version):A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.

For a long time I had read this verse of scripture. And most preachers I listened to implied that the “gift” was referring to inborn talent. I disagreed because it was obvious to me that the verse was written in the context of the “gift” being a present or some form of offering given to a person of higher status.

The more I heard Preachers emphasize the first interpretation, the more the conflict grew within. I just couldn’t accept that translation of the scripture. Until something happened…

And what was that thing that changed mind? Simple. Michael Jackson died!

I am sure you’re wondering. What does a secular artist like Michael Jackson have to do with something as spiritual as a bible verse right? Well, Michael Jackson’s life achievements and the way he was celebrated even in death, proved to me the authenticity of the pastoral interpretation I had resisted for many years.

How does one of the youngest sons of a steelmill worker born into a less than affluent family, become the world’s most celebrated entertainer, outselling any other artist in his whole career? How is it that his burial ceremony received a greater worldwide attention than any past world leader? It could only have been through the expression of his gifts -his inborn talent.

From the age of five Michael Jackson did nothing else but express his God-given talents (we could argue that he never honored God with his talents but I am not about to get into that debate). He could have lived for something else but he chose to entertain the world with dancing and singing. And that brought him before kings and earned him all the wealth and honor during and after his lifetime.

This was enough evidence to prove that truly ones gifts/inborn talents are certain to make a way for him/her. We can see similar evidence of these in the lives of Bill Gates, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr, The Wright Brothers, Nelson Mandela, King Solomon and Moses. Their lives were a sum total of their commitment to a life of expressing their gifts. And this made them great and brought them before other great men.

My message to you today is start focusing on developing and expressing your god-given talents. For therein lie your wealth, honour and the fulfillment of your purpose! Your gift will make a way for you!