1Corinthinans 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (KJV). Some individuals have great passion for things, but their passion is misguided. Others have passion for the wrong things altogether. Some become very passionate about being promoted, but they want it for the wrong reasons. There are deep desires that the Lord wants us to have, but if our motives behind them are wrong, we will miss the purpose. Our vision must agree with God’s vision in order for our passions to align with His. He may very well want to promote you, but His purpose for the promotions may be different from yours. That means you are not ready. Find His purpose and align your heart with His, and then you are one major step closer to being positioned for promotion.
If we are going to do the work of the Lord, then we must keep it His works. That means we labor in harmony with Him. We have a great privilege to co-labor with God, but the moment we make it about us, we move into another realm (1Corinthians 3:1-11). Jesus told us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (see Matthew 10:10). It is important to fully embrace the fact in the fullness of Truth that it is His Kingdom. We cannot afford to be busy about building our own, especially since we are not our own (see 1Corinthians 6:19-20). When the Father gives you a vision and a passion for something, find His purpose for them. When you find the purpose, labor with Him in obedience and you will become fruitful in your endeavors.
Obedience to God requires walking by faith, which comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (see Romans 10:17). That also means our death is a requirement to walking by faith. Without it, the flesh will resist obedience to the Spirit and the Word. Carnal reasoning opposes godly wisdom along with knowledge and spiritual understanding. It uses rationalization to justify its stance against the righteousness of faith. While carnal thinking uses the façade of “realistic thinking,” it ignores God’s reality. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me (KJV).
God has a purpose for you, which also means He has a purpose for your “lot in life.” Some people are miserable because they are in the wrong place altogether. Some hate life even though they are in the right place. The problem is their reason for being there is misaligned. For example, some go to work to earn a paycheck. They fail to realize that the job is an excuse to being in a particular place in order to minister to a particular person or group of people. If they would do for love what they do for money, they would find themselves full of joy. Quit your job and work for the Lord! “Jobs” are of the world; labor of love is of the Kingdom. Stay where you are at, but work for Jesus. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (KJV).
Ministry in an occupation does not necessarily mean, “preaching the Word”; it means living the Word. It has more to do with treating people well, which includes helping them be promoted. It means doing things with an excellent spirit. Ministry takes genuine interest in others and does not make them projects. It always points to Jesus, and our actions should speak louder than words. If we use many words while failing to live the life, our words have no meaning. Our job is to love people well, and promotions should align with that purpose. If you want a promotion in order to be admired or served, you are not ready. Promotion should better position you to serve others while glorifying God. That means your promotion should benefit others. If you are strictly trying to benefit yourself, you are in the wrong place. That’s not to say you should not receive benefits; it simply should not be what drives you. So, why do you want to be promoted?
