Are you settling for whatever comes your way?

Are you letting what happens to you dictate your attitude and the direction of your life?

Don’t settle!  You were born for more.  If you have a genuine desire to do something that could positively impact others then find a way to do it.

Commit to pursuing your passion and fully using the talents and gifts that you have been given.

You may need to start small, but start.  Don’t worry about having everything figured out.  It will work itself out.

The world needs more dreamers and doers.

Think you have more to give? 
Me too.

Let’s go.

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1.  What is my genuine desire or passion that could positively impact others, and how can I start pursuing it, even if it’s in a small way?

2.  Am I allowing external circumstances to dictate my attitude and the direction of my life, or am I committed to using my talents and gifts to make a positive difference, regardless of challenges?

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV‬‬

[5]  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Have you taken a moment to ponder the profound notion that God intimately knew you before your very existence?  Consider how this awareness can transform your outlook on life, infusing it with purpose and boundless potential.

Imagine God, the ultimate Creator, fashioning you not merely for a mundane 9-5 existence but gifting you with unique talents and abilities.  

Envision yourself consecrated, set apart for a purpose beyond the ordinary, destined to use these gifts to radiate His glory.

Discovering God’s purpose for your life might not unfold as explicitly as it did for Jeremiah, but rest assured that as you cultivate and employ your talents in service to others, you bring honor to Him.

Picture yourself as an integral character in God’s grand narrative.  Born for a specific role, you’re called to share and manifest His love in the world around you—your world, distinct and unparalleled.  You hold a singular opportunity to make a difference.

Embrace faithfulness in every task, regardless of its difficulty, danger, or daunting nature.  You were uniquely born for these moments, and God, in His guiding grace, will lead you through, ensuring you fulfill your purpose with resilience and strength. 

Be Blessed!

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1.  Have you ever reflected on the idea that God knew you before you were born, and how does this awareness impact your perspective on your life’s purpose and potential?

2.  In what ways can you actively use your talents and gifts to bring honor to God, recognizing that you play a unique part in His story within the specific context of your life, work, and relationships?

The responsibilities of daily life are many.  Family, work, and friends just to name a few.  You can get to working on so many things, for so many people that you may neglect one of the most important projects of all.  Yourself. 

The decisions you have to make each day are very important but they become meaningless if you accomplish them by constantly sacrificing your own well being and don’t take time for your own personal and professional growth. 

Take time for you. Not selfish, lazy time. Time to read, think , listen to a podcast, discover a new hobby to help you relax and grow. 

Intentional personal growth.

We all need it.  You do too. It will lead to a better you and a better leader of people and those other responsibilities and demands that fill up your day.  

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1. How can you prioritize self-care and intentional personal growth amidst the numerous responsibilities of daily life, ensuring a balance between meeting external demands and investing in your own well-being?

2. Reflect on a specific instance where you sacrificed your personal growth for external responsibilities. What steps can you take to incorporate intentional personal growth into your routine, ensuring a more balanced and fulfilling life?

In the relentless pursuit of personal growth, as you honor God through your commitment to excellence, remember: it’s crucial, yet not the ultimate goal.

In this verse and passage, Jesus emphasizes that worldly success, even when achieved with excellence, doesn’t guarantee the ultimate victory.

Following Christ is about embracing His teachings, mirroring His life, and acknowledging His sacrifice.

Don’t view following Jesus as a path to worldly acclaim; it’s a commitment to a higher purpose.

Take moments for self-improvement, but let those moments intertwine with God’s guidance.

Your personal growth finds true strength when grounded in Christ, making the greatest project even grander.

Be Blessed!

Questions to Ponder and Pursue

1. Have you struck a balance between personal growth and aligning your pursuits with Christ’s teachings, life, and sacrifice?

2. How can you ensure that your pursuit of excellence is not solely driven by worldly success, but also reflects a deeper commitment to following Jesus?

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?