Verses from Scripture to Bring to Work Today
Here are some verses that stood out during my regular morning reading of Scripture that I'll bring to work with me today. From Eccesiasticus, Chapter 11
The wisdom of the humble shall exalt his head and make him sit in the midst of great men.
Some of us strive to advance our careers, to be up there with the "big boys." If we do, it's important that we retain a spirit of humility, rather than let our ambition feed our pride, greed, or covetousness. Even if we're not particularly concerned with climbing the corporate ladder, we still need to water our humility garden: Go about your work and do the best you can, without concerning yourself with the success, earnings, or power of others. Avoid envy at all costs.
Praise not a man for his beauty, neither despise a man for his look.
In encounters with others today, try to be conscious of the human tendency to give preference to those who have a natural endowment of good looks. Male or female, external attractiveness has no relation to good character or professional skill. The converse holds true as well. If someone is not attractive, or in some way unattractive, beware of any tendency to judge their character or professional skill based on that.
The bee is small among flying things, but her fruit hath the chiefest sweetness.
There's a saying in business, "Don't sweat the small stuff." I think it's supposed to remind us to keep our eye on our overall goals and objectives and not let little bumps in the road push us off track. I get it. But there's also "The devil is in the details," and the details can be maddeningly small and many. This verse reminds me to recall the latter and make an extra effort to do something that goes against my grain: being thorough in all I do with strict attention to detail. Just saying it gives me the jitters - but that, of course, makes it a great mortification. So I'll suck it up and make sure I'm attending to all those little details. Then I'll offer it up.
Glory not in apparel at any time...
When I made the difficult decision to enter the business world after a number of years trying to "make it" as a musician, it took a while to fully make the transition. At first I took any job that would pay enough to support my family. How I dressed didn't matter much in that first position. Eventually, though, I wanted to upgrade. I had my eye on a more "corporate" sort of position. It was a stretch, but I took the trouble to get some good counseling. A book, Dress for Success, was recommended to me. I found it most helpful, since the way I dressed didn't quite fit the corporate image at the time. - and I hadn't a clue about just what did. But while I'm now conscious that how you dress is important, it's a good idea not to make too big a deal about what you wear.
I've known colleagues who spend inordinate amounts of time and money on what they wear - and it had little to do with their position or the amount of money they earn. Of course, if you're vying to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company, there's a certain "look" that will help or at least not hold you back. But whatever your aspiration, know how to dress, make sure you dress appropriately, and get on with your day without being self-conscious about your appearance. Be certain to avoid or quell any temptations to vainglory (excessive vanity) that may come your way if you dress particularly well.
...and be not exalted in the day of thy honour: for the works of the Highest only are wonderful, and his works are glorious, and secret, and hidden.
When you succeed at something, acknowledge your triumph, but then move on. Don't dwell on or, worse, revel in your accomplishment. It's not that that there's anything wrong with feeling satisfied that your efforts paid off. But it helps to remember who you are. This verse makes that eminently clear when it refers to "the Highest" - God, of course - and lets us know that His works are the really wonderful and glorious successes, especially compared to our own. And it's important to be reminded of this, since those works are not always self-evident. Think about it: He created the universe. But how often do we stand in awe of His creation? In that sense His works, despite their infinitely enormous and awesome presence, are hidden most of the time.
To better understand the "hidden" works of God, think about something good that happened to you, particularly something you ardently prayed for. It happened, but who besides you knows it? (I recently prayed for a favor for one of my sons. When it finally happened, even my son didn't know that I had prayed for it to happen.) Now imagine everyone around you praying in similar fashion. How many wonderful things have happened and are happening right now, all of which remain secret and hidden?
So it's not so strange that God's works are secret and hidden.
We'll continue next time with more verses from Scripture that we can bring to work.
The wisdom of the humble shall exalt his head and make him sit in the midst of great men.
Some of us strive to advance our careers, to be up there with the "big boys." If we do, it's important that we retain a spirit of humility, rather than let our ambition feed our pride, greed, or covetousness. Even if we're not particularly concerned with climbing the corporate ladder, we still need to water our humility garden: Go about your work and do the best you can, without concerning yourself with the success, earnings, or power of others. Avoid envy at all costs.
Praise not a man for his beauty, neither despise a man for his look.
In encounters with others today, try to be conscious of the human tendency to give preference to those who have a natural endowment of good looks. Male or female, external attractiveness has no relation to good character or professional skill. The converse holds true as well. If someone is not attractive, or in some way unattractive, beware of any tendency to judge their character or professional skill based on that.
The bee is small among flying things, but her fruit hath the chiefest sweetness.
There's a saying in business, "Don't sweat the small stuff." I think it's supposed to remind us to keep our eye on our overall goals and objectives and not let little bumps in the road push us off track. I get it. But there's also "The devil is in the details," and the details can be maddeningly small and many. This verse reminds me to recall the latter and make an extra effort to do something that goes against my grain: being thorough in all I do with strict attention to detail. Just saying it gives me the jitters - but that, of course, makes it a great mortification. So I'll suck it up and make sure I'm attending to all those little details. Then I'll offer it up.
Glory not in apparel at any time...
When I made the difficult decision to enter the business world after a number of years trying to "make it" as a musician, it took a while to fully make the transition. At first I took any job that would pay enough to support my family. How I dressed didn't matter much in that first position. Eventually, though, I wanted to upgrade. I had my eye on a more "corporate" sort of position. It was a stretch, but I took the trouble to get some good counseling. A book, Dress for Success, was recommended to me. I found it most helpful, since the way I dressed didn't quite fit the corporate image at the time. - and I hadn't a clue about just what did. But while I'm now conscious that how you dress is important, it's a good idea not to make too big a deal about what you wear.
I've known colleagues who spend inordinate amounts of time and money on what they wear - and it had little to do with their position or the amount of money they earn. Of course, if you're vying to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company, there's a certain "look" that will help or at least not hold you back. But whatever your aspiration, know how to dress, make sure you dress appropriately, and get on with your day without being self-conscious about your appearance. Be certain to avoid or quell any temptations to vainglory (excessive vanity) that may come your way if you dress particularly well.
...and be not exalted in the day of thy honour: for the works of the Highest only are wonderful, and his works are glorious, and secret, and hidden.
When you succeed at something, acknowledge your triumph, but then move on. Don't dwell on or, worse, revel in your accomplishment. It's not that that there's anything wrong with feeling satisfied that your efforts paid off. But it helps to remember who you are. This verse makes that eminently clear when it refers to "the Highest" - God, of course - and lets us know that His works are the really wonderful and glorious successes, especially compared to our own. And it's important to be reminded of this, since those works are not always self-evident. Think about it: He created the universe. But how often do we stand in awe of His creation? In that sense His works, despite their infinitely enormous and awesome presence, are hidden most of the time.
To better understand the "hidden" works of God, think about something good that happened to you, particularly something you ardently prayed for. It happened, but who besides you knows it? (I recently prayed for a favor for one of my sons. When it finally happened, even my son didn't know that I had prayed for it to happen.) Now imagine everyone around you praying in similar fashion. How many wonderful things have happened and are happening right now, all of which remain secret and hidden?
So it's not so strange that God's works are secret and hidden.
We'll continue next time with more verses from Scripture that we can bring to work.
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