Do Christians Need Self-Improvement Programs?
Hmm….
Are you someone who has gotten caught up in the self-help industry and is wondering if it is suitable for a Christian? I've been puzzling over this for a few years now.
God gave us the ability to have different perspectives. I will do a surface-level pondering here, a little self-reflection, and I'd like to know your thoughts.
What is self-improvement?
Personal development or self-improvement consists of activities that develop a person's capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance the quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations. I suppose it is God who gives us our dreams.
I do know that God has used it to reach me for a deeper level of relationship with Him. I suspect that many of the industries' most helpful teachings originated in or copied the bible because studying self-help(with the Holy Spirit leading)has led me there time after time, either confirming or disputing something I had read.
There is a vast subheading of topics under the personal-self-improvement umbrella. I'm focused on these two today. Self-improvement and Self-awareness.
The self-improvement definition above seems reasonable until we realize that God renews our minds in Christ, leading to behavior changes.
The unbeliever can be aware that their mind needs to be trained if they desire a different life, and they can achieve a much better life as it relates to this world.
Still, they are unbelievers with no part of the eternal life inheritance.
-What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Mark 8:36 (NLT)
For the most part, self-help is geared toward you being your best self and living your best life in this world in the here and now.
But, the self-awareness angle is more beneficial to the Christian. We can help someone looking to discover more about themselves and their personalities — why they are the way they are. *Pxfuel-Free download pic*
Is There Anything We Christians Need from Self-Improvement?
For the Christian life in the here and now — we have the bible and Jesus, the actual Word of God, giving us an understanding of life daily. Holy Spirit is transforming our minds as we allow and starting to think with our new hearts, as He thinks. Then our actions follow. We have eternal life with God. The here-and-now life is only here-and-now.
We are instructed to set our minds on things above. I could be off on this; time will tell.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Just this very minute, looking into how this old, passing-away body works is very interesting and explains a lot. I see how self-improvement is a massive magnet for an unbeliever and even Christians like me with less of a renewed mind. But Christians are new creations, not made for this world.
And I wonder, still, I wonder, how to live in this world with a dream in your soul. I'll keep talking to Dad and maybe Vicky Hughes.
In The End
Whatever the answers are to the self-movement, I will continue to be a Happy Cracked Pot Christian. Why? Dad's got me!
I know (much better) the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to safely guard all that I have given him until the day of his return. 2Timothy 1:12b(NLV)
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2(NIV)
Children often wonder what they will be when they grow up. I'm guessing that because I never knew what I wanted to be when I was a child of the world.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: 1 John 5:1a(NIV) We’ve become His Children.
We are free from the bondage of sin. Now, we can set our mind to things above when the down below gets too much!
I feel I'm missing something important. What are your experiences, if any, with this topic? Can some of these programs be helpful?
We were saved anyways, so we can't lose salvation over it. God is so Good.
Happy Monday!
