Diligence and Promotion Go Hand in Hand

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business?  he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."  Proverbs 22:29

How many times have we heard people at our place of employment say, "if only they'd pay me more, I'd work harder."  Moreover, it could be we are guilty of saying the same thing; however, that type of thinking is fundamentally flawed.  Look at it this way; if you owned a business, would you consider paying a slacker more in hopes that your kindness would encourage him to improve his performance or would you look to give a raise to him who has been dedicated to performing his job to the best of his ability?  I hope you would chose the latter. 

In the above passage God is essentially saying that it is diligence that opens doors for the worker.  It is the hard working, dedicated employee that receives the promotion.  The above passage says, ".....he shall not stand before mean men."  That word "mean" in today's vernacular would be "average".  In other words, the diligent will not stand before AVERAGE men.  Why?  Because he performs above average.  Someone once said, "work like you are highly paid and you will eventually get there."  I am not sure if that is always true, but you surely multiply your chances.  I enjoy studying the lives of people, and I find a common thread among those who move up the ladder of success, they work diligently.  By the way, if you are a Christian, you have no business being a slacker and if you do slack, don't blame God for you shortcomings.  Yes, live by faith, but faith in His Word, and His Word says diligence and promotion go hand in hand.