The prevailing concept of job competency today is that we are responsible for our own career growth, but this is not entirely true. While God gives us talents and abilities that we are to steward, ultimately it is Jesus who gives us strength to do all things.
I used to think just like many Christians that my Bible reading had very little or had nothing to do with many of the things I do on a regular basis. The first few years, I treated my devotions as a religious duty to fulfil, not really thinking of them as a practice as vital as eating, breathing and sleeping. But as I grew in my walk with God, I started to realise just how much I should rely on God's Word to grow and succeed in all areas, even in my career.
Have you ever felt that reading God's Word and praying have no direct effect on your career? Well, it's time that you realise that your personal devotions are not only important to your careers but also serve as your absolute foundation.
2 Corinthians 3:5 tells us, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God." God is not a crutch to our careers, but a powerful competency that gives us ability to work, hustle and deliver in ways we never knew we could. The God we serve is a God who desires career success for each and every one of us who trust in Him. He has a plan to prosper and grow all who believe in Him.
Do you think you're a great salesman, an effective manager, a creative designer? If you submit these skills and talents to God and allow Him to work through you, you can be even better. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
God's Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives allow us to become visionaries that are empowered to do things with greater excellence and more intense energy.
That's why Paul so easily declares in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
And, yes, we have our own roles to play and God wants us to steward our time, our skills and our resources well, and we can do this by our own strength. But when we find ourselves doing things by our own capacity, we will soon find ourselves running on steam and burning out.
But when we rely on Christ and His infinite power to give us wisdom, strength, favour, perseverance, patience, peace and freedom, we will find that we can do so much more.
