Habakuk 1:15-16 “The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.”
Habakkuk was a prophet in Judah who was complaining to God about the ruthlessness of Babylon and their success in destroying every nation they came against. He described the Jews of that day as fish swimming about randomly and hopelessly in the fishing pond of Babylon.
Principle: An extreme love-of-riches attitude can lead to downgrading of people and adoration of work.
A successful business can become a god to those who profit the most from it and it is not a worthy lover.
It was an ironic and humorous moment at a funeral I attended. The deceased was an executive marketing friend of mine who died prematurely of cancer. The president of the company was speaking and he talked about his friendship with the marketing director. Then he speculated on an ideal company attitude. Everyone who attended the funeral agreed you “can’t take it with you.” We had all walked by the hearse and noticed there was no U-haul trailer hooked up to it. I think most of the employees there would agree that when it is over you probably are not going to wish that you had spent more time at work, especially if you are an over-worked manager.
Yet, the president ended his talk with a sympathetic glance at the casket and concluded, “I think the only thing he regrets is that he did not achieve a higher market share for our product.”
I doubt it.
Do not fall in love with the job or its sales goals. Love the God who gave you the job and the qualities, which make you good at it. Enjoy the journey, the challenges, the benefits, and the people you deal with and look forward to the final destination. However, if the job is at the top of the list of things you love, downgrade it.
Discussion:
1. What earthly “love” competes with your love for Jesus?
2. Look at your calendar. What does it tell you about your priorities?
3. What needs to change to make the Lord your top priority?
