Here is another key to succeeding on the job: hard work. ‘Hard work will reward you with more than enough.’ Ask any employer and he or she will tell you that their biggest challenge is finding and keeping good people. ‘The hand of the diligent maketh rich’ (Proverbs 10:4 KJV). Diligence means being self-disciplined, motivated, alert, dependable, and following through on something when you start it. And it is priceless because it’s so hard to find (see Proverbs 12:27 NKJV). The Bible teaches that your boss is responsible to pay you a fair day’s wage, and you are responsible to give them a fair day’s work.

The story is told of a man who went for a job interview and was asked if he was responsible. He replied, ‘Yes, every time something went wrong on my last job, the boss said I was responsible!’ Seriously, do you want to prosper? See that your employer prospers! Hard work, not politics and manipulation, is the way forward.

‘Work hard, and you will be a leader; be lazy, and you will end up a slave’ (Proverbs 12:24 CEV). Instead of looking for ways to improve themselves, lazy employees might try to find fault with their bosses, with the systems they have to use, and with their more diligent colleagues. These people want the privileges others get to enjoy, but they’re not willing to work for them. The Bible says that ‘the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied’ (Proverbs 13:4 NIV). They get it all; the satisfaction of a job well done, a sense of self-worth, a reputation for integrity, the trust of others, job security, profit, promotion, and most importantly, God’s ‘Well done’.