Long-Term

He had one job. King Saul, about whom we read in 1st Samuel 15 was to defeat king Agag and the Amalekites and to utterly destroy their belongings. But he didn't. So, we read this pronouncement to the prophet Samuel:
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel:
11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.

Samuel confronted Saul, who claimed he did what God had told him to do. But, in verse 14, Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Later in the chapter, we can find that the prophet said this to the king:
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

To obey is better than sacrifice.  We may think that our idea of what God wants is best, that we have legalistically done something good, something noble, even godly.  But, the key is obedience.  We are called and empowered to be faithful to God, and our hearts should ideally be set on doing His will.  He wants us to walk in complete faithfulness, possessing a willingness to bring Him glory, according to His direction.

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We can be diligent in allowing God to do His work through us, and that produces faithfulness, even in the small details. Jesus taught in Luke 16:
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

After a whopping 74 years, a 90-year-old Texas woman has decided to retire from her job.  A CBN.com report related that Melba Mebane, who had worked in the retail sector, left some words of wisdom to those younger than she.  The story says:

When asked to advise those just starting in the business, she encouraged people to be faithful.

“Come to work, never see it as a paycheck,” she told Fox News. “Stay where God planted you.”

And, come to work, she did - Melba Mebane did not miss a single day of work during those 74 years. The CBN article states:

Her stunning career that began in 1949, when she operated the elevator and extended through her official retirement last month. Mebane made a lasting impact on many lives throughout the decades, spending most of her time selling cosmetics for the store.

The store manager...

...told Fox his former employee set the “tone for everything, every expectation, every customer service quality.”

“She provides all of it to the team,” he said. “Can you imagine how many people she coached and taught and trained to aspire to be more? It’s just amazing to think of how many people’s lives she touched.”

He went on to call Mebane — a single mom who never called in sick or missed work — far more than a mere employee, explaining she’s “amazing” and has offered guidance to so many over the years.

Melba endeared herself to the manufacturers of the products she sold, to the extent that she shared them with others, including her pastor; according to her son, Terry, who said: “Our pastor called her the cosmetic bootlegger, because, on the way out of church, she would hand him samples as he was taking her hand and telling her to have a good day,” adding, "She loved getting him ‘fixed up.'”

A famous baseball player can remind us of the power of longevity.  A Forbes article quoted from long-time Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken: “You can’t accomplish anything unless you’re willing to show up,” adding, “You want to be counted on. There’s a term in baseball called ‘gamer.’ All that means is that you’re willing to come show up and try to meet whatever challenge it is today.”  Ripken set the Major League Baseball all-time consecutive game mark - 2632 straight games; he earned the title, Iron Man.

The article, published last week, stated:

While Ripken, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, is obviously proud of the streak, he doesn’t consider it as merely an attendance record. “You have to be deserving, and you have to put your time in, and the manager chooses you,” he says. “People look at the streak in a way where it’s a principle,” he continues. “It’s a value. People are proud of not missing a [workday] in 31 years. It’s not necessarily just the attendance but the willingness to go do it. The willingness to show up.”

Ripken spent 21 seasons with the Orioles and made 19 All-Star games; Baltimore won a World Series while the two-time MVP played there. 

Melba Mebane spent 74 years in retail, and has just recently retired. There are three principles that the CBN article highlighted; you might called them, "Melba's Maxims:"

* Come to work.  There is something to be said for faithfulness, for regularity - rejoicing in opportunities that await us, rather than relating excuses for not doing our best. In order to glorify God, we should be known for our work ethic and the excellence that we bring.  We should show up, and allow Him to show up through us. 

* Never see it as a paycheck. Mark Twain is credited as saying to find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.  Certainly, our occupation is a tool through which God provides for us financially.  But, there is a greater purpose.  We should be looking for that place to which God has called us, to do work we enjoy, so that our focus is on glorifying Him. And, trust the Lord to provide our needs.  And, that leads to maxim #3...

* Stay where God planted you.  Jesus taught us to be faithful in the small things.  And, while we may have big dreams for our lives, we also recognize that obedience will produce the fruit that God desires. Our call is to faithfulness, and we can remain steadfast to where God has called us until we enter the next chapter.