A Man Skilled in His Work

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

I talk a lot about managing your career here at Free Money Finance because for most people, their career is their biggest financial asset. It's the money-making engine that helps them build a bigger net worth, and the more they can make in their chosen field, the better off financially they are (assuming they can control their spending, of course.)

But I've never written about what the Bible has to say about your career. I have talked about the value of hard work (which the Bible regularly highlights in Proverbs), but never your job/career itself. So let's talk about it now, starting with this verse:

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29

A few comments on this:

1. "Skilled in his work." If you develop your career through education, experience, projects, and the like, you will become skilled at it. And when compared to non-skilled workers, I think we all know who earns the higher income.

2. "Serve before kings." If you become skilled (I call this managing/growing your career), you're going to do well. You'll progress up the company, university, hospital, or whatever it is in your field ladder until you serve for and with the top executives (modern day kings.) And if you work hard enough, develop your abilities, and catch a few breaks, you can even become one of those kings yourself. :-)

3. "Not serve before obscure men." This is what happens to people who don't manage their careers. They languish, working in dead-end jobs that they hate, making a pittance of what they'd like/could/had dreamed of. They work in obscurity -- often in harsh and difficult situations -- in mostly thankless jobs at low wages. I'm getting depressed just writing about it.

In the end, this is why you want to manage your career (become skilled in your work) -- so you can progress in your chosen field (serve before kings), make a great salary, and not spend your days floundering in a sub-par work situation (serving before obscure men.)

Comments

[Rex Huston]

I am reading Benjamin Franklin An American Life and his dad used to quote this passage to him. In his autobiography Franklin said something to the extent of: I didn't know I was supposed to take this literally, my work has led me to meet 5 kings!

-Rex

[Shaun]

My parents quoted that verse to me on a daily basis throughout highschool. I'm in college now, but I still think about it constantly. It's so true. You can't keep a good man down.

[kenyantykoon]

this is one of my best verses in the bible. but i translate the "serve before kings" part directly. sometimes i believe that you should take things as they are