Let’s talk about the principle of a work ethic with excellence.
About three fourths through the book of Genesis we are introduced to a character by the name of Joseph. Now for those of you that attended sunday school know all there is to know about him. But today I want to take a different look at his life and focus on one of his amazing characteristics.
For those of you that know Joseph’s story, you that it is anything far from a fairy tale. The poor kid was promised the world and ended up in a pit, then sold into slavery shortly after, by his own family to say the least.
Regardless of such events, Joseph’s life was not as great as his dream may have promised. Joseph has something I think many are missing today: a work ethic that creates an atmosphere where there are no concerns.
In Genesis 39 we find Joseph as he is placed into power in Pharaoh’s palace. Verse 6 sheds some light on how well Joseph did his job. It says, “So he (Pharaoh) left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him (Joseph), he (Pharaoh) had no concern about anything but the food he ate.”
Joseph did his job so well that his boss had no concerns except what food he wanted to eat. What a concept! You may be thinking that Joseph was just sucking up to Pharaoh. After all, Pharaoh was the most powerful man in his day, who wouldn’t be a brown noser?
But read a little further when Joseph is thrown into prison. “And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge” [Genesis 39:22-23]
Wait, you mean to tell me that even when Joseph wasn’t where he wanted to be, he still lived his life with excellence? We see here that Joseph’s ability to operate in excellence was more than just a manipulative move, it was a part of his being. Just as Joseph’s body was programmed to breathe, Joseph had programmed himself to operate in excellence!
Living a life that is run by excellence is not something that happens over night. It’s a decision that has to be made every time there’s a choice to be made. A good question to ask would be, if I were in charge of this situation, how would I want it done? Most of the time you would expect someone to do the best they can.
After all, didn’t someone give the best they had to offer two thousand years ago? [1 John 3:16]
“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” Ralph Waldo Emerson