success in your job and career
Success in your job and career can lead to feelings of progress, happiness, and fulfillment. Just don't allow it to take over your spiritual and family life.
It can become thrilling at times to see how all your work, time, energy, planning, and professional education has paid off for you in building up a wonderful job/career within your favorite industry or line of work. You may recall all those hours of study, of prospecting, and of pushing yourself to the limit just to get to the top of your game.
Perhaps you feel as though you've now finally arrived within your particular field and want to continue soaring up the ladder of success, no matter whose toes you have to step on, or whose neck you have to break, or what boss or co-worker you have to flirt with, or sleep with, or... STOP! Certainly that's not the way to succeed in life or in business. And, furthermore, don't forget, you're a Christian!
success does not come by manipulation
The workplace should be conducted in a business and orderly fashion, not like a circus side-show, or as a way of manipulating others and compromising your integrity. This goes on all the time in various agencies, companies, and organizations. You will find this type of defeating attitude and work lifestyle everywhere in business and in any kind of field or industry you choose to go into.
Many times this is just the day to day order of business for some companies--such as operating on the "dog-eat-dog mentality, stepping on someone's toes, grabbing and getting the job/position before the other one does, etc. However, as a believer in Christ, you will do, say, and behave differently, no matter of the various temptations that present themselves to you.
When you are told or expected to lie, cheat, steal, insult others, cut corners, go "under the table" to make a deal with someone, forge or falsify documents to make you or your company look good, or persuade clients through other means of illegal/dirty operations, then you are setting yourself and your business up for failure. The following verses give input on how believers are to treat their fellow man/woman whether it be out in society, at church, at home, or at the workplace:
- 1 Corinthians 14:40 tells us, "Let all things be done decently and in order."
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us to, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."
- Matthew 7:12 says, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
- James 2:1,8,9 says, "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ [The Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."
- Ephesians 4:29-32 tells us, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
- 1 John 4:20-21 says, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he whom loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also."
- Proverbs 24:17 says, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth." Lastly,
- Romans 12:18 reminds us, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
methods of business success
If you are one who is determined to succeed in your job and business career, there are certainly true and proven ways in which to do so. While interviewing others for this article, many people had much to say on how they created business success for themselves. The following is a short list of how they did it, and will show you ways in which you can implement and incorporate them into your job/business/career life as well:
- They studied hard and many graduated from colleges, universities, or top business schools, receiving good marks during the process,
- They practiced self-discipline in virtually everything they did,
- They created good habits for themselves in work, school, church, and society, dropping old or bad habits that harmed their progress in life,
- The Christian believers in this group counted their faith in God to be the great force in helping them reach success in their fields/industries of work,
- Many of them got up very early in the morning to begin their day and took advantage of the time to gather thoughts, work on projects, go to the gym, or have prayer and devotional time with the Lord,
- Quite a lot of them said they listened to helpful audiobooks, tapes, or CD's on subjects in their line of work, or on self-improvement to build character, or read business books for more education and understanding,
- Many chose to not have a social life, or less of one, in order to remain disciplined and focus on his/her successful lifestyle,
- Some had friends/family members who supported and encouraged them to follow their dream and never give up their passions in life,
- Mostly all of them said they created short-term and long-term personal and business plans in mapping out and reaching their goals, and lastly,
- Most of them developed high business profiles for themselves; spent and saved their money wisely, and created impressive financial and career portfolios.
build your success from god's perspective
When you look to Jesus as the "author and finisher of your faith" (Heb. 12:2), you will understand more of how your life is progressing towards Him and the things of God.
Making plans and creating business goals will indeed help you along the way in realizing your dreams and goals; however, as a follower and believer in Christ, you will want to first seek out His divine direction and guidance in order to correctly map out your pathway to success. The following passages of Scripture can aid you in doing this:
- 2 Timothy 2:15 says to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
- Proverbs 3:1-4 tells us, "My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep My commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thy find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
- 1 Kings 2:3 says, "And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgements, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself."
- Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
- Luke 16:10-11 warns us, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
- Joshua 1:8 tells us, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
- Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
- Psalms 1:1-6 says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth He meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planteth by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
main order of success: god's desires become your own desires
It never ceases to amaze me; whenever I talk to Christian believers about their own journeys into job/business/career success, our discussions generally go into the path of these powerful Bible verses:
Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
James 4:10, which states, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."
Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." And, finally,
Psalms 37:4-5 clearly states, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give you the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass."
You see, what happens is, as you are committing everything to God; trusting and obeying Him in all things, your dreams in life and desires of your heart become unified together with Him, and then you want to, aspire to, and desire to please the Lord in every way. Your dreams and desires actually turn into what He wants for your life, ie, His will for your life. Sure, you may fall off the bandwagon a time or two, but God will turn you around and set you back on His course once again.
This is such an amazing and profound truth that has become so clear to me in my own personal and business success in life as well. It can and will happen for you too.
In conclusion, you will undoubtedly find that you are progressing in your job/career/business, experiencing much more happiness and fulfillment in cooperation with the plan that God has set out for you.
Don't allow yourself to be fooled or deceived by the fast-track of success, with all its glamour and temptations of the greed of status, money, position, and power, which just leads us all down a lonely rabbit's trail in trying to feel worthwhile and important.
Your success does not depend upon the evil and under-handed ways of the world's system in conducting your daily business; instead, it is dependent upon following God's lead and direction, according to the Scriptures and His will for your life. It is through Him, by Him, and only Him, that you and I will be honored with great success.
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