We live in a culture of self-improvement, and people seek change and attempt to get better by various means. However, when we look around us, it doesn’t appear that the self-improvement doctrine has made society any healthier. There is a fallacy in self-improvement doctrine.
We have a plethora of Self-help books and magazines along with all kinds of workshops, webinars, and classes that offer people the hope of change in various areas of their lives. We also have an academic system that has taught us that if we take the right courses and spend enough time educating ourselves, we will achieve the goals we desire. However, sadly much of self-improvement strategies have not produced the fruit people desire in their lives. Self-destructive behaviors, as well as the breakdown of relationships, continue to plague many individuals and families regardless of their level of education, income, and comfort.
Christians are not immune from self-improvement ideology. After we come to Christ, some of us fall back into the same trap of self-improvement in the name of growing in our Christian life. People read all kinds of books and attend various seminars and classes in their desire to achieve growth. In addition, people are taught that God will promote His people and that they should prepare themselves.
The truth is that God’s process in our lives looks very different than the self-improvement doctrine. The presupposition in self-improvement is that we know what needs improving. Then we attempt to improve it in our own understanding and timeframe. In reality, we are trying to remain in charge of our lives ensuring that we can achieve our spiritual goals in our way and in our timing.
The Kingdom of God does operate as a ladder of success with continual upward growth and movement. Many Christian characters developed their greatest growth in their times of difficulties, persecution, or pruning. I don’t think most of them considered themselves successful during those times of growth.
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
The above scripture reminds us that it is the Lord who began this spiritual journey in our lives. Long before we knew Him, He had already begun working on us and bringing us to the place of repentance. His loving kindness brought us to the awareness of who He is and what He has done on the cross for us. (See Romans 2:4). It is the Lord who began His story in our lives, and He became the author of our new life in Him. He is also the one who will see to it that the different chapters are written by Him. The above verse also tells us that God perfects the process.
We need to rest in the fact that we are no longer spiritual orphans. God has taken ownership of our lives, and He is leading and guiding us every step of the way! The Lord is involved in every step of the process of our growth and development, and He is not looking for our help. He is not planning on giving us back the reins, and neither does he expects us to figure out how we need to grow.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.