Making The Most of Your Career
Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 06 April 2002 19:00
For those of you who are out in the workplace, you know much better than me that this ain't your grandfathers job market.
Let me read a quote from a magazine article I read this week: "The contrast between today's workplace and the workplace 20 years ago is vast. The changes that have taken place in the last generation cause us to question the very basic assumptions of what it is to be a worker and what it is to have a career. The personal characteristics that were so important in the last generation of workers--stability, experience, and allegiance to a hierarchical structure of leadership and decision making--now are thought of as quaint remnants of a past time. Change and diversity characterize today's labor market. Companies are reinforced for being "lean and mean." The evening news reports buyouts, mergers, takeovers, bankruptcies, layoffs, downsizing, and outsourcing. The workplace is anything but stable. Lifelong learning is the reality. "Portable" and "transferable" skills that one can take from job to job and the psychological flexibility to make continuous transitions are what is valued most in today's job market."
So how do you make the most of your career in this current climate?
Let me first of all be honest about where I stand on answering this question. Let's face it; most people who are looking for advice on their career don't come to church to get it. Our resource manual is a library of books the most current of which is about 1900 years old. And given the dizzying pace of change in today's market, if something remains constant for 1900 hours it's considered a trend. So one can understand if there is some skepticism about reaching into the Bible for career advice. Not to mention the fact that professional pastors like me do not know the job market, not really. People like me do not know many of the complexities that people like you are really facing.
Still, I'm suggesting this morning that the Bible has something profound, penetrating and timeless to say to you about making the most of your professional life and I'm saying it with a straight face and as much sincerity as I can muster. I'm saying it because it's true. Let's look together at what the Bible has to say and see if you do not agree. We're going to unearth some basic principles that are not going to astonish you I don't believe, but we're going to apply those principles to our everyday, 2002 lives. This may surprise you. We will also discover a point or two related to those principles that may surprise you very much. Let's have a look.
Colossians 3:22-25
(22) Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. (23) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, (24) since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (25) Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
There is an obvious cultural difference between the first audience of this letter and us, but I want us to notice that three timeless principles for making the most of your career emerge. These principles are based on an even more foundational truth. Let's look at the three principles and then peal those back to see the underlying truth.
1. If you want to make the most of your career you must do your work with diligence.
a. Our diligence includes careful obedience. Certainly none of you are slaves, but the Bible is pretty free in its application of our obedience. We are supposed to obey everyone in authority over us.
- For example, the Bible tells us "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1)
- Our careful obedience in a work setting would include compliance with the corporate culture.
- This would also include working aggressively to meet goals that have been set for you.
b. Our diligence also implies thorough industriousness. Obey earthly masters in everything.
- Some Christians do as little as they can and justify it by saying, "Well work isn't supposed to be my priority."
- But we are supposed to be diligent.
- Proverbs, the best business manual ever written, agrees.
- Proverbs 13:4 "The sluggard craves and gets nothing; but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."
- Proverbs 6:6-8 "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer; and gathers its food at harvest."
Diligence test:
- Do your fellow workers think you are a hard worker?
- Does your boss think you are a hard worker?
- Has the level of trust in you grown over time in your office?
- How much do you cost the company in mistakes?
If you want to make the most of your career do your work with diligence. However, diligence does not mean that work should dominate your life. Again, Proverbs, while encouraging diligence, recognizes the potential danger of workaholism.
- Proverbs 23:4 "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint."
- I like the Good News Version translation of Ecclesiastes 10:15. "Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out at work."
Workaholic test:
- Does doing nothing drive you up a wall?
- Is it difficult for you to say "no" to opportunities?
- Do the people who you say are your priority complain that work is too important?
- Do you sometimes feel guilty when you relax?
If you're going to make the most of your career, you've got to work with diligence - meaning you must exercise careful obedience to the corporate culture and to company demands and you must work with thorough industiousness, but you must also maintain balance and not allow work to take up too much of your life.
2. If you want to make the most of your career you should do your work with integrity.
a. Integrity implies consistency. Are you one way around one group of people and another way around another group? Then your life does not exhibit integrity. Do you work one way when your boss is around and another way when she isn't? Or one way when investors can find out and another way if they cannot? "do it," the Bible says, "not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." This is not just a question of performance. This is a question of character.
b. Are your standards always the same? Do you allow yourself little oversights or shortcuts when no one is looking? Are you always doing what you would be willing to be seen doing by those to whom you are responsible?
c. An important aspect of integrity is truthfulness. If you act differently depending on who can "find out" then you are not acting truthfully. Again, Proverbs has much to say about truthfulness and integrity.
- Speaking specifically of a work context, Proverbs says, "The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight." (11:1) Somebody should have told those in charge of the finances of Enron this principle. But I doubt it would have mattered much. Maybe if we had convinced them of the consequences by showing them Proverbs 10:9 it would have made a difference.
- "The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."
d. Integrity also implies singleminded devotion. The phrase translated "sincerity of heart" can also mean, wholeheartedly or singlehearted devotion.
- Charlie - conflict of interest
- Rob - represent both sides
e. Finally, the call for integrity gets to level of motivation. Don't work hard to curry the favor of your company or your boss. Do it because of reverence for the Lord ? And this brings us to the third Biblical truth that will help you make the most of your career.
3. You've got to know who your boss is. You work for the Lord.
a. Read v 23
b. In other words, the separation between the religious and secular is artificial. All of our activity is holy. We do not leave God at church when we drive away. He goes with us. And if you're going to make the most of your career, you've got to do your work with the mindset that God is your boss.
c. This has profound implications for the purpose of work doesn't it?
- Evidently work is part of our mission. Our career is part of how we live out God's call on our lives.
- Not only should people around us recognize us for the excellence of our work, but they should also know that the reason for that excellence is our relationship with God.
- Optometrist who has spiritual laws as his eye chart
Summary
Underlying truth: You will find fulfillment in your career not by finding the right kind of job, but by being the right kind of employee.
- The Bible knows nothing about job satisfaction.
- Partly because of cultural differences.
- Partly because job satisfaction is a secondary concern to God.
I can imagine someone hearing all of this and being unconvinced. "It's not at all clear to me that working with integrity, diligence and with the mindset of working for God will help me make the most of my career."
- It will not if your focus is to make as much as possible in as short a time as possible.
- But if goal is to honor God with your work this is clearly the path to follow.
- And if your goal is making the most of your career over the long term I am convinced this is way to go.
- It's important to realize that doing things God's way is not without reward.
Someone told me recently that they did not like their job. What advice should we give them? Someone here is not where they thought they would be in their career. What do we say?
i. maybe the goals are artificial. Not God's goals because He's always most concerned about character.
ii. Maybe not working with diligence, integrity and as if God were our boss
In current climate, many are loosing their jobs. What do we say?
i. Take the long view. God will reward the character that develops in godliness. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid.
ii. He is in charge and even in the loss of job He's working. Most important work is find out what He's doing: redirecting, giving rest, calling for deeper diligence, asking for a particular focus on Him.