Your First Job
Character when nobody is watching.
On work, integrity and being new.
The big idea
Who you are in a job nobody respects is who you will be in the one you want.
What does “Your First Job” walk through?
Little And Much
Luke 16:10 · KJV
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
In plain English
Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will be dishonest with much.
The Test Is Now
Jesus does not say faithfulness in small things earns big things. He says it reveals what you would do with them. The audition is already running.
Work For The Lord
Colossians 3:23 · KJV
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
In plain English
Do your work with full effort and integrity. Make it an offering to God, not just to impress people.
“Integrity is what your work looks like when it cannot help your reputation.”
Truth Delights Him
Proverbs 12:22 · KJV
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.
In plain English
The Lord hates lying lips, but he delights in people who tell the truth.
Small Honesty Compounds
Nobody decides in a single moment to be dishonest. It is assembled out of tiny convenient edits — the hours you round up, the mistake you do not mention.
Pray
God, make me trustworthy in the part nobody checks. Amen.
Write it down
Where are you tempted to cut a small corner?
Be whole
Same person, watched or not.
Which passages does this journey use?
3 passages, drawn from Luke 16:10, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 12:22. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 6 minutes for the whole thing, or 7 short sittings.
- Luke 16:10
- Colossians 3:23
- Proverbs 12:22
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
More in Work, Ambition and Calling
All Work, Ambition and Calling →The Work In Front Of You
Ordinary effort, offered up.
When Results Feel Like Identity
You are not your score.
The Night Before Something Big
Prayer for the hours you cannot control.
Choosing What's Next
Guidance when there is no obvious answer.
Working For An Audience Of One
When effort goes unnoticed.
When You're The Youngest In The Room
Age is not the same as authority.