| Weekly Devotion - Succeeding the Job - 1 |
“He who is slothful in his work, is a brother to…a great destroyer.” Proverbs 18:9 NKJV
God's interested in what you do for work; He's also interested in how you do it. The truth is, your prospects for the future are determined by your work ethic. For the next few days let's look at some work habits from the book of Proverbs to avoid or acquire if you want God's blessing.
Laziness. “I went past the field of the sluggard…the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins…I…learned a lesson…A little sleep…folding of the hands…and poverty will come on you like a bandit” (Pr 24:30-34 NIV). Laziness produces lack just as surely as a thief will rob you. The Bible says lazy people are: (a) Procrastinators. “A little sleep…folding of the hands.” They say, “I'll do it tomorrow,” but tomorrow never comes. (b) Expensive to maintain. “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to…a great destroyer.” They complain, cut corners, cripple businesses and cause hardship. (c) Quitters. They quit before the job's finished. “The lazy man does not roast his game” (Pr 12:27 NIV). He hunts the deer but he won't clean it. Unfinished projects fill his life: half-built cupboards, half-painted rooms, half-tidied garages. Sound familiar? (d) Masters of excuses. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside!' or, ‘I will be murdered in the streets!'” (Pr 22:13 NIV). When he runs out of credible excuses he goes for ridiculous ones. He “will not plow because of winter” (Pr 20:4 NKJV). “You want me to get sick going to work in this weather?” Or if it's warm, “It's way too nice for work!” Whatever your work, do it conscientiously. Don't let laziness rob you of success.
| Weekly Devotion - Succeeding the Job - 2 |
“Go to the ant…consider its ways and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6 NIV When it comes to having a work ethic, “Go to the ant, consider its ways and be wise” (Pr 6:6 NIV). These tiny giants of industry teach us valuable principles for living. Observe three things about them:
(1) The ant “has no commander, no overseer or ruler” (Pr 6:7 NIV). Nobody has to get it out of bed in the morning or coax it to get moving. Nobody supervises its work or enforces quality standards on it. Nobody needs to micromanage its time on the job or make sure it starts punctually, puts in a full day, pulls its weight and doesn't quit early. It's self-motivated and driven by its own high standards, not by rules, regulations or the fear of being fired.
(2) It “stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Pr 6:8 NIV). While everybody else is complaining about the heat (the weather, the economy, politics, etc.), the hard working ant just keeps preparing for the future. Later, in the more moderate temperatures of harvest time, it continues gathering. Disregarding the conditions, it works. Then while others are struggling to survive it feasts on the fruit of its labour. “Watch and learn,” is God's counsel.
(3) The ant is no haphazard, disorganised drifter wandering around aimlessly, looking for something to do. He knows exactly what he's there for and where and how to do it. He's goal-directed, focused, determined and unstoppable. You can't keep a good ant down! “Consider…and be wise” (Pr 6:6 NIV).
“But my job's a dead end,” you say. As long as you're in this job do it “heartily, as to the Lord” (Col 3:23 NKJV). Prove yourself where you are and God will promote you to better things.
| Weekly Devotion - Succeeding the Job - 3 |
“The wicked…earns deceptive wages.” Proverbs 11:18 NIV
If you want to succeed in life practise honesty! One poll cited by newsman Paul Harvey stated that 40% of American workers admitted stealing on the job, and 20% felt justified! Their rationalising includes: “Everybody's doing it, why shouldn't I?” “The boss can afford it, he won't miss it.” “It's only small stuff, it won't make any difference.” “The company owes me, I'm just taking what's mine.” “I deserve it, I've worked hard and never been acknowledged.” What does God's Word say about this? “The wicked…earns deceptive wages.” God says deceiving your employer by stealing time and materials or delivering an inferior product and service, is “wicked”. That's strong language! Of all people, employers and customers should be able to trust followers of Christ to be honest, work for their wages and provide the highest quality service.
And for the record, it's not smart to steal, even if you don't get caught. “Ill-gotten gains do not profit” (Pr 10:2 NAS). You may take it but you won't benefit from it. “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles” (Pr 13:11 NAS). You can't do the wrong thing and get the right result. Not only will you have trouble, you'll bring trouble on those who love and need you most. “He who profits illicitly troubles his own house” (Pr 15:27 NAS). The job loss, damaged reputation, humiliation, legal costs and consequences are a ‘bill' the whole family pays for, often ending in shame and divorce and affecting several generations. Your spouse deserves an honest partner. Your children deserve a role model they can emulate, confident the path you walk is safe for them to follow.
| Weekly Devotion - Succeeding the Job - 4 |
“The hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4 NRS
If you want to succeed on the job here's a character quality you need to develop: diligence. When asked, “What's your biggest challenge?” employers usually say, “Finding and keeping good people.” It makes or breaks any business. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Pr 10:4 NRS). Diligence calls for being self-disciplined, motivated, alert, dependable, and entails following through. The Bible says, “Diligence is…precious” (Pr 12:27 NKJV) because it's so hard to find.
Diligent workers are worth their wages: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit” (Pr 21:5 NIV). In God's system the boss should profit by you and you should profit by him. Indeed, diligent people plan to be profitable employees. Do you want to prosper? See that your employer prospers! Diligent workers rejoice in this, lazy workers resent it. Diligence, not politics and manipulation, will get you promoted. “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour” (Pr 12:24 NIV). In God's economy you determine whether you become “ruler” or “slave” by how hard you're willing to work. Lazy employees complain about the unfair boss, the biased system, the ‘company men' who look out for the boss and the boss who looks out for them. They want the privileges others get but they're not willing to work for them. “The sluggard craves and gets nothing” (Pr 13:4 NIV) because “his hands refuse to work” (Pr 21:25 NIV). “But the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” (Pr 13:4 NIV). They get it all: the satisfaction of a job well done, a reputation for integrity, the trust of others, job security, profit, promotion, and most importantly, the Master's “Well done”.