Key Bible Verse: And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful (Psalm 90:17). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 10:4; 13:4

After introducing those around the table, the executive said, "Bill, thank you for coming." Bill, staggered, could hardly breathe.

"We've been watching you," the vice president continued. "We've seen how hard you work. When you were first hired, we were impressed with your attitude and the quality of your output. So we decided to see what you were made of. We decided to promote the men around who weren't working as hard as you—men who looked for ways to cut corners, took long breaks, and sneaked off to smoke in the warehouse." Bill nodded, still having no idea what was about to happen.

"Mr. Slemp, you've just wound your last armature here at Frigidaire. We're going to put you in our management-training program. We want to give you a chance to be a leader here. Thank you for your discipline. We need more people like you."

Twenty years later, Bill Slemp left Frigidaire as one of the most productive and successful senior vice presidents in the company's history. He'd been offered a job as the chief executive officer with a huge publicly traded company in the Pacific Northwest and was on his way to start again.

—Robert Wolgemuth in Daddy@Work

My Response: Who might be watching my work performance? Who is for sure?

Thought to Apply: Hard work is a thrill and a joy when you are in the will of God.—ROBERT A. COOK (Christian leader)

Adapted from Character Matters (Zondervan, 1999) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

I realize, Lord, that my generation's take on success is terribly superficial. Shift my sights to the deeper goals found in Your Word.

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