Daily Devotion

August 11, 2013

YOU’VE GOT TO WORK AT IT!


“Well informed, quick to understand…qualified to serve.” Da 1:4 NIV

When Nebuchadnezzar captured the Jews he told his Chief of Staff to look for the brightest and best, and bring them to his palace. He wanted the following qualities: “Showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” Daniel seized the opportunity. Yes, God gave him favor, but he also had to work at it! The CEO of one of the world’s largest companies put it this way: “The only way you’re going to stand out is to grasp this simple principle: when your boss asks you a question, assigns you a project or sends you to gather data, he already knows the answer he’s looking for. He just wants you to confirm that what he believes is true. Most people do just that. But there’s a difference. You must understand that the question is only the beginning. To elevate yourself, you must sink your thoughts into not only answering the question, but going above and beyond it. That means presenting him with three or four other ideas that he had probably not considered. Your goal should be to add value to the idea by exceeding expectations. This is true not only with questions, but assignments, initiatives, and anything else ever given you to do. If you understand that the question is only the beginning, you’ll get out of the pile fast, because 99 percent of all employees stay in the pile because they don’t think. If you understand this principle, you’ll be given even more critical questions to answer, and in time, you will be the one giving the questions to others.”

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