Never Stop Improving

"My help comes from You. You're right here, pulling me through. You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders, Your shoulders. My help comes from You. You are my rest, my rescue. I don't have to see to believe that You're lifting me up on Your shoulders, Your shoulders." The band for KING & COUNTRY sings these words in their song, "Shoulders." They remind us that God is always with us, carrying us when we can't walk on our own. The last line of the popular poem "Footprints" tells us, "When you see only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I carried you."

The central Scripture for tonight is 1 Corinthians 9:25a, which says: "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training." (NIV)

As leaders, we should never stop striving to better ourselves, to strengthen and refine our skills. Even more important, we should never stop growing in our relationship with God, the Ultimate Leader.

Self-improvement can take many forms. Taking time alone with God can help you grow spiritually. Taking various courses for professional development can help you grow professionally. Even reading and studying independently can help you improve yourself. If you couldn't tell already, I reference John Maxwell a lot. I highly recommend his books for leadership development.

Maxwell presents an ongoing cycle of three processes that people should use to constantly improve themselves. The processes are: Preparation, Contemplation, and Application. We should, "be intentional about learning something every day." Then, we must remember take alone time and use it for self-improvement. From there, we must apply what we have learned. Then, start over. (Maxwell)

The reflection question tonight asks, "How do you remain in constant pursuit of self-improvement?"

I like to read, so that is one method I use. I also worship God. By now I'm sure you have noticed that I start each post with lyrics from a Christian song. I begin my devotional time each night with a worship song or some other Christian song because my pastor recommended doing that when we have our quiet time or devotional time. It definitely enhances the experience and helps me to gather my thoughts and get focused. And what better thing to focus on than worshiping God!

Remember to keep God at the center. Never stop improving yourself and growing in your relationships, especially your relationship with the Lord. Further, remember to keep your skills up-to-date and even gain some new skills along the way to make yourself more marketable to potential employers, or even your current employer. Regardless of where you are or what you do, keep moving forward and improving yourself, with God at the forefront.

God bless you!