Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDL

It's not the first question you ask during a job interview, but I'll bet it's one of the first ones you think about: "How much does this job pay?" If they don't pay as much as we want, chances are, we're not too interested. However, there's another question we should be asking, especially if it's a higher paying job: "Why are you willing to pay that kind of money?" Think about it. Let's say their starting salary is $80,000. Successful companies don't just casually add $80,000 per year to their expenses unless we can either earn or save the company significantly more than that amount. If it's an easy job that just about anyone can handle, we can rest assured the starting salary will be as low as they can get away with. Let's face facts....the higher the pay, the more the company will expect of us, the more headaches we'll have to deal with, the more skill will be required to handle the job, and, really, the harder the work. That's not just a philosophy I made up, it's a life principle that has been true down through the ages. In fact, it's even scriptural..."To whom much is given, much is required." (Luke 12:48) The way I interpret that is if I spend my life as a lazy individual who is always looking for the easy road, my reward will reflect it; but if I work hard and continuously look for ways to benefit society, my reward will bear that out as well. Usually, in the workplace, the work must be performed BEFORE any compensation is received, but often in life, we're paid in advance. Let me explain. I often think about how fortunate and blessed I am and have been all my life. I look at the home I was born into, with parents who instilled into me a love for my Creator, and also a thirst for more knowledge about Him. When I think about my wife and kids, my education, my job, my friends, my church, my health, and my overall outlook on life, I have to ask, "Why was God willing to make that kind of investment in me?" Not only did He invest that much into me, but He paid me in advance!! God must really trust me since He has poured so much into my life. I've been given so much, and "...to whom much is given, much is required." I am in no way implying that I have to earn my salvation through hard work. That price has already been paid, and it wasn't by me, but I feel that as greatly as I have been blessed, it is my duty to see just how much I can bless others. If I just sit back on my haunches and attempt to live life on "Easy Street," I feel that I am shirking my duty, and not living up to the trust God has placed in me. When I look at my life, it's obvious I've been given so much, and now, I have it from a very reliable source, there's a whole lot required of me. It's time to get busy! Preston