Learn – Think – Grow

There is a lot to do each day. 
Schedules, planned tasks, unplanned tasks, job, family, and hobbies.  What else is added to your list?

With all that is going on, are you still taking some time to work on yourself?  Are you getting better everyday?

Today, let me offer a simple three step plan to help you do that.  Just three steps to being a little bit better than yesterday.

1.  Learn something new today.
     a.  Listen, read, write.  To learn something you’re going to have to do something.

2.  Reflect on what you learn.
     a.  Spend some time alone thinking.  What do I need to be better at?  Will I commit to making it happen? 

3.  Apply your learning as soon as possible. 
     a.  How can I apply what I have learned into my life?  What will this action step look like? 

Learn – Reflect – Apply
to
Learn – Think – Grow.

Three simple steps that often become derailed due to decisions not to, or by the things of life mentioned earlier.

Whatever the case for you, learn, reflect on, and apply at least one new thing today.  Then stack those days on top of each other and be on your way to becoming a better you.

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1. In the midst of your busy schedule, what is one small thing you can commit to learning today that will contribute to your personal growth?

2. How can you ensure that the new knowledge you acquire today becomes a catalyst for positive change in your life?

Proverbs‬ ‭2:1‭-‬5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[1]  My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
[2] making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
[3] yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
[4] if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
[5] then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
[6] For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Learn – Reflect – Apply
to
Learn – Think – Grow
is like an old If-Then statement.

Way back I learned some very simple computer coding techniques that were based on If-Then statements. 

If you want the computer program to do something, or take you somewhere else Then you told it to do something very specific only if the first statement is true. 

Working backwards was often necessary.  You would figure out what you wanted to accomplish and then work on how to get there.

Let’s work backwards in this passage from Proverbs and see what it means to help with spiritual growth.

If you want to experience God’s wisdom you need knowledge and understanding.  How do you get that?  Look at the answer in the first five verses. 

If you receive his words, pay attention, have your heart open to his commands, call out to him, and seek it like a hidden treasure, Then you will understand and find wisdom and knowledge that will come only from God.

Wisdom and knowledge more useful, insightful, and powerful than any man made computer coding can give you. 

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1.  How do you see the correlation between your own process of learning, reflecting, and applying in spiritual growth resembling the logical structure of an If-Then statement in computer coding?

2.  If your pursuit of wisdom involves actions like receiving, paying attention, opening your heart, calling out, and seeking, which of these can you personally apply to guide you deeper in your journey of spiritual growth?