One day I was reading an article about great personalities of India. I was amazed to see good number of them have come from a poor background and unfavorable situations. As I continued to read through, I began to read the secrets of their success. The primary criterion mentioned there is their hard work. Most of them have slept only four hours every night. They were very keen and careful on their career and that diligence took them to the heights. Yes, it is true. Hard work is the secret of any one’s success.

Now you may get a doubt out of the statement which I’ve just uttered, "Hard work is the secret of any one’s success." Is it not, God who helps us to succeed? Then, how come our hard work leads us to a success? This is a reasonable question. Let me answer it. Listen, God is the God of whole universe, not just you and me. He creates, sustains and governs everything in this world. Not just one or two, billions of people, plants and animals, and the whole system of planets in the galaxy. So, in order to administer everything in single hand, He has some laws of nature. These laws of nature are applicable to every creation of His hand. One of such laws is the law of hard work. The law of hard work describes that anyone who works hard will achieve the success. This is why even the nonchristians succeed in most fields. No matter whom you are, if you work hard in a particular venture, you’ll get it done.

God never breaches the laws of nature. If you see the people whom God used in the Old Testament, they are all the hard workers. Look for instance, we may think that God loved Jacob and hated Esau (Romans 9:13). That is why Jacob was blessed and Esau wasn’t. Though God has loved Jacob in his sovereign will, there is something in Jacob which brought him success. Even though Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents (Genesis 25:27) he was a hard worker, keen on his job. Look at his words to his uncle Laban,

Jacob was very diligent unto his job. He says, in a period of twenty years, sheep and goats haven’t miscarried and he did not eat any ram from the flock. How dedicated to his job he is! If you’ve read any of the Cowboy stories, you’ll know. Those who look after other’s flock usually eat one of them to gratify their hunger, when they are far from their village. This is natural, even a petty shop keeper eats some banana or something from his shop, when he feels hungry. But Jacob was very faithful to his master, as he didn’t eat even a single goat in his long twenty years of service to his uncle Laban.

I’ve watched people who work in government offices. They work with out any interest in their work. Their whole day work can be done in an hour or so, but they stretch it long till the end of the day. This is not to hurt anybody, I felt painful to see things like this in some government offices. However, do you see the private firms? They squeeze you like any thing. They draw twelve hours work in a single shift period of eight hours. They appoint team leaders, project supervisors and project managers with a preset target for everyday. If you don’t come up to the mark on one day, you are gone. The result, which sector develops the most, private sector or public sector? The answer is known to everyone.

You need a strong commitment towards your job. I want to draw your attention towards David the shepherd. David was not a born king nor did he have a job which can prepare him to be a king. He was eighth in his family, fated for keeping their family flock. His brothers were all in the army serving the king and the nation but he is there with his sheep and goats. Though he got a mean job, he did not neglect it. He was very dedicated on his job. He put his life on risk and saved his flock form the beasts. Nobody risks their life for their job, except soldiers. Do they? Only if they are provided a huge amount of remuneration, some come forward to do risky jobs. But, look at David. Nobody was there to appreciate him, nobody is there to pay more and yet he risks his life because he is very committed in what he does. As a result, God has raised him as the mighty king of the nation Israel. Every incident of his shepherding job could be of much helpful in his kingship.

Dear friends, no matter what job God has given you, no matter under whom you are working, no matter you are recognized or not, be dedicated in what you do. As Paul says, "Servants, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord" (Colossians 3:22). Whatever you do, you are doing it for God. If you do it sincerely, no doubt, God is there and his law of hard work is there to lift you on heights. Whatever you do, whether you do the ministry of God, or a government job, or self employed job, or serving someone for a salary, if you are not sincere and diligent in your job, then you forget becoming a great person in the society.

Being God’s own children, we the Disciples of Christ have a responsibility in the society. We should be the front runners in every department, in every industry and in every field of study. We have the God’s hand to support us and the Holy Spirit to motivate us; so move ahead in every sector with hard work and fear of God. We should the model to everyone else in the society. If you are working in an office start being sincere in your work from tomorrow and see how God honors you among the wicked.

First of all love the job that God has given you, marry it and be faithful as long as you live with that.

When David was sincere in his job, God used him to defeat Goliath and raised him as a king. When Joseph was sincere in his work, God raised him as a highest official in Egypt. When Moses was sincere in his work, God used him to redeem millions from Egypt. When Jesus was sincere in his Father’s work, God gave him a name at which every knee should bow. When Paul was sincere in his ministry, God used him to proclaim gospel to kings. When you are sincere in your job, God will certainly lift you on heights that you never imagined in your life.