Your Next Promotion

“I quit! They don’t pay me enough for this!”

Have you ever felt unappreciated at your workplace? Have you ever felt like your boss was not “qualified” to lead your team? Have you ever felt like your workload was increasing while your salary was stagnant? We’ve all been there before: unappreciated, underpaid, and overworked.

What if I told you that none of those factors should affect your work ethic? Now, before you come up with a list of counter-arguments, let's see what God has to say about this. The Bible entreats us in Colossians 3:23 (NIV), “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Notice that there is no mention of how you should be treated or how much you should get paid. It’s all about your heart posture towards your work, and it begins with knowing who you are truly working for.

A fallacy that many people believe is that their next promotion lies in the hands of a man. However, the Bible informs us that promotion comes from God, not man (Psalm 75:6-7 KJV). In fact, your next promotion and elevation at your workplace and in life depends on how you manage your current situation. If you are faithful over a few things, the Lord will make you ruler over many things (Matt 25:21).

So, what does this mean for you and I? It means next time you clock in, next time you feel like giving it less than 100%, next time you feel like throwing in the towel, remember that you aren’t working for a flawed man, but a perfect God who is involved and interested in your success. The legendary late Pastor Myles Munroe once said that our success is good for God, because the Bible says that God has plans for us to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11).

There is no better time than now to re-calibrate your work ethic. Take comfort in knowing that your next promotion is not as far as you may think, because the One that is holding on to it says “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 KJV). The next time your boss gives you a hard time, simply walk into his office, look him dead in the eye, and let him know “I don’t work for you. I work for God.”