From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
Everyone is familiar with the world’s most famous hamburger chain, McDonald’s.
But not everyone is familiar with Ray Kroc, the American businessman who joined the company in 1954 and turned it into a nationwide, and eventually global, franchise.
He did not achieve his incredible success through chance luck, nor was he born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Hard work was at the heart of his success.
He once said, “Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”
I don’t know if that’s true, or not, but one thing is certain.
Ray Kroc believed in hard work.
The apostle Paul did, too.
He had some choice words for some lazy believers, who were sponging off others while they waited for the return of Christ.
Here is what he said: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
Hmmm, sounds like the advice my dad always gave me growing up, that there’s no such thing as a free lunch!
Often, our work ethic is influenced by the prize that awaits us at the end.
Consider Proverbs 16:26: “Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder.”
This can mean actual physical appetite, of course, but it can also include a passion for success.
If you have a careless attitude at your job and don’t care how things turn out, it is likely that you will not see good results.
This is especially true when we are working for someone else and we do not have the burden of responsibility resting on our shoulders, as our employer has.
Why not trade in that bad attitude for one that says ‘I want to make this business successful.’
The next time you’re enjoying a Big Mac and an order of fries, think about the hard work that went in to satisfying all those customers over the years – and you’re one of them!
