“Riches bring temptations. But then so does poverty.” — Margaret Thatcher“
Some have left jobs because they were overlooked for a position. The bitter taste of rejection for some never goes away and they retreat into inefficiency and even malicious compliance.
It hurts, but a higher calling is to examine our motivation for moving up in the first place.
If your desire for promotion is strictly money’s sake, it’s usually a bad idea. Paul’s admonition to be “content in whatever circumstance I’m in” wasn’t just because he was a push-over. He knew the frustrating mind-games that can consume someone who is not content. His solution was to simply be happy with your lot.
The other wrong reason is for power or prestige. It’s in our nature to be taken with titles or authority. Sometimes, we wear our titles like silent name badges when we shake hands. They feed our self-importance. But in the end, power and prestige are empty without a pure heart.
Our take as Red Letter Believers is to let it go. If God blesses with a new position, count it as a gift and a responsibility to rightly govern from truth and righteousness. From the very first day, make it known that you have another King that will make you even more accountable and responsible.
I’m thankful for believers in places in authority, but equally grateful for those who are content to stay right where God has placed them.
Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert
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