I call it the “Zijlker Factor”. I have been reading about the history of the oil industry and today, in Daniel Yergin’s book titled “The Prize”, I was somewhere in the Dutch East Indies. If you check on Google Maps that is somewhere in the islands between India, Thailand and Australia.

In this area once lived a man who had worked so hard in life trying to establish a successful oil business. His name was Aeilko Jans Zijlker. He “had come out of the lonely life of the East Indies….after a failed love affair.” Well, after ten years of hard labour success was in sight. He was able to get sponsorship from powerful people including the Dutch King!

The ten years of Mr Zijlker’s sacrifice was beginning to bear fruit. And it is here that we are interested in his character. “What won’t bend must break” he wrote in a letter. “Throughout the entire exploration, my motto was: whoever is not with me is against me, and I shall treat him accordingly. I know well enough that this motto earns me enemies, but I know also that had I not acted as I did, I should never have accomplished the business.”

Clearly, in Mr Zijlker’s world, he was the centre of gravity to which every prospective partner or idea had to align. But make no mistake, this was a great man with persistence, wit and certainly a bright future awaited him. But in this life one seldom goes far with self-centredness. Could this be the reason why it took ten years for Mr Zijlker to be successful? One needs to respect, accommodate and cherish friendship. Mr Zijlker was right when he said, “What won’t bend must break”, but one wishes he had applied this principle to his own life. It was in the autumn of 1890, just a few months after launching his now successful company, whilst in Singapore he died suddenly and his vision and passions were never fulfilled. Mr Zijlker had never wanted anyone to rob him of his reward of ten years labor but death prevailed and gave the joys of his labors to other people. Yergin writes, “His grave was marked with an inconspicuous monument.” This statement reminds me of  Proverbs 5:9-10.

Are you a husband or wife? Know that “What won’t bend must break”; accommodate each other’s likes and dislikes. Think about it, Why did Mr Zijlker’s love affair fail? Could it be that his philosophy of “whoever is not with me is against me” spoiled the relationship? We may not know, but one thing is certain, self-centredness and being always right are vices that kill relationships faster than anything I know, especially if they manifest in a woman (Prov.14:1, 16:32, 17:27-28, 27:15).

Are you a Christian? Know that “What won’t bend must break”; find a place in your heart to bow and confess your faults to people you wrong. Always remember that “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered” (Pro.28:25-26).

Alfred Nobel

It is that time of the year again when we hear about Nobel Prize awards. The story behind the name “Nobel” may interest you. Actually, it has an important lesson.

It all goes back to the 1860s when the oil industry was developing in Russia. But before that, there was a Mr Immanuel Nobel, a Swedish inventor who migrated to Russia in 1838. He had a family of intelligent children, among them Ludwig and Alfred.

Ludwig rose to great prominence in the oil industry. Renowned as the “Oil King of Baku”, he “harnessed science, innovation, and business planning to efficiency and profitability”, making the Russian Oil to surpass American Oil for a time. Alfred on the other hand was a chemist, engineer and inventor. He invented dynamite and was known to have made a fortune out of the business of inventing munitions.

When Ludwig died, the media got mixed up on the names of the Nobel brothers and instead reported that it was Alfred who had died! Alfred had the opportunity to prematurely read his obituaries! They were terrible. People condemned him as a bad man who made a fortune out of an immoral business of making equipment for killing people. He was denounced as a merchant of death. The obituaries so much distressed Alfred that he rewrote his will, directing that his money be used to give prizes to outstanding contributors to humanity. Alfred desired to be remembered for something good!

Well, that’s how the name “Nobel” has lived on today. None of us may have the privilege to prematurely read our obituaries so as to be able to rewrite our history. However, in a sense, the present life we are living is actually the writing of an obituary. We are either writing a story that only satifies our selfish interests or one which fulfils the will of God. Concerning the Lord Jesus it was foretold saying, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psa.40:7). And when he came he declared saying, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

Our daily life is a writing of a story book, and one day “the books will be opened” for judgement (Rev.20:12). So we either put ourselves in condemnation or righteousness by the manner of life we live. If we sin our judgement has already been stated in Scripture, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor.6:9). And if we live right, these words await: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Mat.25:21). Therefore, “today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb.3:15).

All along oil had to be pumped out of the earth. This was in the early years of the industry. But all this changed in April 1861 when drillers struck flowing oil! Daniel Yergin, a respected authority on the history of the oil industry, recounts that, “when the oil from that well shot into the air, something ignited the escaping gases, setting off a great explosion and creating a wall of fire that killed nineteen people.” What good news and sad news occurring at the same time! The author notes “the explosion announced to the world that ample supplies for the new industry would be available.” But I say, it announced the blessing and curse that would come out of the commodity. Joy to some (the West), and death to others! When you look at much of what is happening in the Middle East, it is less a matter of religious violence but more of the West’s insatiable appetite for oil. This issue I have addressed in my book “Why I believe God exists.” The history of Iran, the Shah and Khomeini’s 1979 Revolution testifies volumes about this. Sadder is the fact of a young generation today which knows next to nothing about the history of events which have brought our world to the blink of disaster we are now facing. It’s a nexus of political complexities!

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work”

John 9:4