It may be a bit unusual to find one's theme in a scriptural reference to the comment of God to Job regarding leviathan, the giant whale of the ocean's vastness, but this sentence is most intriguing: "He maketh a path to shine after him" (Job 41:32). It is not alone the giant of the ocean depths or the fishes of the sea that leave a boiling or rippling wake behind them in their watery journey. We, too, as human beings leave our trail of impact and influence.
The question is, Do we exert a negative or positive influence? Does the impact of our life retard or revive the onward progress of the work of God? Certain specific qualifications are invariably exemplified in the deportment and decorum of the worker whose exemplary life leaves a positive influence for good. The end result of a pleasing Christ-centered personality is a real soul-winning influence.
Great institutions, well equipped as modern physical plants, are essential to the success of God's work in the earth. We must have tangible equipment, buildings, lands, libraries, laboratories, and other materials of production. The intangibles, however, are far more important in the cause of God. Three of these are worthy of our special attention in our combined efforts to achieve the results God desires to attain with His church.
LOYALTY.—Loyalty to the church, to our fellow workers, and to our leadership is basic and fundamental in holding together this great movement. Without loyalty the church would disintegrate in spite of its strong organizational structure. Some are inclined to think that loyalty is merely a one-way street on which the subordinate should always remain loyal to his superior. This is essential, but it is equally important for the superior to be loyal to his subordinate. Loyalty is a two-way proposition, and every worker should cooperate, with both his superiors and his subordinates. Mutual reciprocal loyalty between superiors and subordinates leads to a smooth-functioning organization. It helps to avoid many misunderstandings, and creates a happy spirit on the part of the worker that is most conducive to better public relations within the denomination. The concept of superiors and subordinates relates to position and not to the talents, character, or efficiency of the worker. All our character resources must be mobilized in harmonious and consecrated effort.
Public relations between the church and other organizations is important, but good worker relationship within the church is even more important. The blending together of personalities is not always the easiest thing to do, but the ability to get on with others and be loyal to those whom we might not fully appreciate or understand is a mark of a real Christian.
Every worker should be loyal to his successor as well as to his predecessor. It is so easy to find fault with the one who came to take our place, or the one who formerly held a position we have inherited. Every worker has his strong and weak points. Change of workers from time to time from one field to another brings balance to the work, because different phases of the work receive varying degrees of emphasis according to the strong and weak points of each one. When such changes are made, loyalty among workers produces a wholesome influence on the church membership. Many are watching the conduct of the workers and their relationship one to another, and if there is disloyalty, it carries an unholy influence with it.
Through Daniel and others of the Hebrew captives, the Babylonian monarch [Nebuchadnessar] had been made acquainted with the power and supreme authority of the true God; and when Zedekiah once more solemnly promised to remain loyal, Nebuchadnezzar required him to swear to this promise in the name of the Lord God of Israel. Had Zedekialt respected this renewal of his covenant oath, his loyalty would have had a profound influence on the minds of many who were watching the conduct of those who claimed to reverence the name and to cherish the honor of the God of the Hebrews.—Prophets and Kings, p. 447.
The covenant oath of loyalty to each other is vital to the success of the cause of God. Loyalty to the church we represent and loyalty to God constitute a must in the life of every worker.
COOPERATION.—Cooperation, as well as loyalty, is a two-way street. A loyal worker is a cooperative worker. Cooperation is something that cannot be provided for by a committee action or an increase in the budget. It is generated from within and has a tremendous impact upon worker relationships. Regardless of how large or how small a request may be, the worker should cooperate to the best of his ability to meet the need. A careless spirit manifested in a lack of cooperation could end in a breakdown of loyalty. Every worth-while worker should be loyal to both his superiors and his subordinates, and will cooperate on the same mutual basis. The superior should not expect cooperation on the part of his subordinate if he himself is not willing to give it to those under his supervision. One who carries added responsibility should be as quick to accept a good suggestion from his subordinate as to expect his subordinate to accept a good suggestion from him. All the good ideas do not come from the executive office—many come from the field.
PRODUCTIVITY.—A loyal cooperative worker will be a happy productive person. Production in souls won to Christ is the great objective of the church. Every worker must produce, whether it be in executive, departmental, institutional, or field work. There is no room for nonproducers in the cause of God. The task is great, the time is short, and the laborers are few; therefore, every worker must strive for maximum production.
Different people with varying capabilities and talents will naturally produce on a sliding scale, either up or down. Maximum production on the part of every worker is the important thing. No one should rest satisfied with doing less than his best. Self-discipline, self-improvement, and application to the task are the determining factors in maximum production.
No worker should develop professional jealousy if his fellow worker produces more than he does, or is advanced to a higher responsibility in leadership. Every worker should strive to be at the top in production in his area of endeavor, regardless of his position. Each worker who puts all of his spiritual consecration, his physical strength, and his mental capabilities into his assigned task will produce maximum results in relationship to his potential. This is all God expects of His workers.
We should determine in our hearts that we will leave no stone unturned in drawing from our mental and spiritual powers the greatest possible effort to reach that enviable goal of maximum production in relationship to our capabilities. That is why mere competitive methods fall short. Someone who does his work much more effectively than another may, by comparison, be doing wonderfully well, when he is actually far below his potential. There should always be a constant striving on the part of every worker to improve as well as increase his talents, so that what he produces will be on a graduated scale. Even the sunset years of life may be the richest in results if progress has been a habit.
We have come to a great hour in the history of the church. Loyalty, cooperation, and production are three basic essentials that will help each worker make a greater contribution to the task which lies ahead. Let us be loyal and cooperative and put ourselves into this great spiritual warfare in such a positive way that we will become ever more efficient and effective workers in the cause of God. Then we will produce specific results on an ever-increasing basis and the message will soon be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. We, too, will make "a path to shine after" us, which will lead others to be ready for our Lord's return.
