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When Nepotism is Necessary
by Alan Allegra One of the great things about being out of work is that I get to hang with other people that are out of work. I volunteer at an agency that supplies the tools necessary to find employment. I teach clients how to write rsums that get the attention of hiring personnel. The most important technique is to match the rsum to the job description posted by the employer that lists the skills and qualifications needed to gain entry to the job. It's like a recipe: If you don't use the ingredients called for, the recipe will fail. I've seen unqualified people hired for various reasons, including nepotism. Nepotism has a bad connotation: It is the practice of showing favoritism based on family relationship. In business, it means hiring a family member regardless of his or her qualifications. This is often the only way an incompetent person can find work, a position, or entry into an exclusive venue. Job seekers are told to concentrate heavily on certain companies that they really want to join and not waste effort on applications that would be unproductive. The need for the perfect rsum cannot be stressed enough. There is a place most people desire admission to but rarely prepare for: the kingdom of God. Ask most people if they are going there (also known as heaven) and they will say, "I hope so!" Yet many ignore the job description at their peril. Heaven is a place with extremely high entry standards. No one can possibly get in, yet everyone is invited to join. The job description for heaven is quite explicit: "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3-4). There are no exceptions: "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (James 2:10); "[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If we are honest, we admit our rsum looks more like this: "[S]exual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). Gaining access to heaven is more difficult than finding a job in today's market. As a rsum expert, what advice can I give you? Turn to Jesus Christ, who decides who enters the kingdom: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1). Jesus has the perfect rsum, and he is willing to trade it for ours: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The gateway to heaven is not our own works, but those of God's Son: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23). It is by accepting Jesus and his qualifications that we pass the heavenly interview: "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Where are you headed? I recommend concentrating heavily on entering heaven, using Jesus' rsum. Alan is editor of Lifestyles Over 50 (Thrive Media) and contributor to the Allentown, PA, Morning Call. He is also an adult Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader. Passionate about reviving theology and church methodology, and being a senior citizen! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |