“And every work that [Hezekiah] undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chronicles 31:21).
There are here in this one verse three keys to prospering in your work.
One, whatever you do should be in accordance with the word of God. God’s will is revealed in his word; it is to be found in no other place. I realize the Bible does not tell us whether we should be a carpenter or a financial advisor, a realtor or a nurse, but it does tell us to do what we do as unto the Lord. So if what you are doing can be so done, it is well and good as far as God is concerned. Better yet, find out what God wants you to do, and do that. I teach that a person should get a word from God as to his occupation. It could be that God puts a certain thing on your heart, to be and do such and such a thing. This is also good in God’s sight, as he gives us the desires of our hearts. He is in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. That said, let it be “in accordance with the law and the commandments.”
Two, seek God. He is a rewarder of them that seek him. Jesus taught, “seek and you shall find.” Having sought God as to what he wants you to do, keeping seeking him as to how to do it.
This is a never ending endeavor. There is a verse in Scripture that goes like this: “As long as he sought the Lord, he prospered” (see 2 Chronicles 26:5). So if you are seeking God and prospering, if you want to continue to do so, keep seeking God.
Three, do what you do with all your heart. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). What is to be noticed here is who you are working for. You may think you are working for the government, or the auto-maker, or the real-estate broker. Or, if you are self-employed or own your own business, that you work for yourself. The Christian, however, is to work for the Lord. Verse 24 of this same book and chapter says, “You are serving the Lord Christ.” So, if you think a half-hearted approach to your job pleases the Lord, then go for it. Otherwise, you had better up your game.
There is another verse in Ecclesiastes that addresses how you work. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (9:10). In other words, in everything you do, whatever it is—your job, your service to your family or church, or even mundane things like mowing the yard or shoveling snow, give it all you have. Do it as for Jesus, as this greatly pleases him.
It should be apparent, then, that if you wish to prosper, be applying these principles. And if you want to keep on prospering, don’t let up. I have found that after enjoying a measure of success, it is easy to ease off on the intensity with which you approach your work. Jesus says it best when speaking about prayer: keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. The key words here being “keep on.”
– T.L. Hart
