Self-Improvement For the Christian (Part 3)

I love setting goals and working towards something. But have you ever set some sort of goal or resolution only for it to fall apart in a week or two? Often times we set goals that are focused on self-improvement. We enter these journeys of improving ourselves with a ton of positive energy. Yet, we stumble and don’t follow through when the novelty of it wears off.

Have you ever wondered why so many of us fail at self-improvement so frequently? What if the approach that we’re taking to self-improvement is the root of the problem?

The next 3 days, we’re going to take a look at self-improvement from a Christian perspective. We’ll be diving into the following:

1. Self-improvement is very self-focused in nature. Why does this hinder us and what are the underlying issues of dissatisfaction?

2. The difference between secular self-improvement and Christian self-improvement.

3. Is your self-improvement producing love and service towards others or yourself?

Let’s take look at the last one now- #3.

We’ve looked at the idea of self-improvement being selfish in nature. We’ve also looked at how Christian self-improvement is rooted in love and service. I want to take some time in this post to look at how we can use that framework by reflecting. I find reflection writing and thinking to be extremely valuable. I use it personally. I use it in my classes with my students. Our busy world doesn’t give us a lot of opportunity to do so. So let’s break down this idea of love and service and make it practical for us.

With tons of books, courses, and seminars promising to help us become the best versions of ourselves, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me that so many of us dedicate significant time and energy to personal growth. I love reading these kind of books and listening to these kind of motivational topics.

However, as followers of Christ, we've learned that we are called to a different kind of self-improvement. That doesn’t mean that the secular forms of self-improvement are horrible in nature. I just think that we need rethink how we view and think about the growth that we go through. This is why self-reflection and meditating on His Word is so crucial.

The main question we must ask ourselves is: “Is our self-improvement producing love and service towards others, or is it simply fueling self-serving ambitions?”

The goal of our lives should not be to seek our own good, but the good of others. In 1 Corinthians 10:24, the Apostle Paul instructs, "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."

Our growth should improve our ability to serve and love others. Therefore, our personal development is not just a way of personal improvement. It’s not a means to an end. It's a means to fulfill the second greatest commandment: to love our neighbor as ourselves.

A couple reflection questions to ask yourself:

1. Reflect on your current goals. How might they better reflect a desire to love and serve others, rather than focusing solely on your own growth?

2. What are some actions you could take in your daily life to make sure that your personal development journey is directed towards fulfilling the command to love your neighbor as yourself?

But what should this growth look like in practice?

Galatians 5:22-23 provides a clear answer - the fruits of the Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Notice that these qualities are for the benefit of others. Our personal growth then, should be characterized by an increase of these fruits in our lives.

Our journey of faith begins by receiving the Holy Spirit through faith. The Spirit then supplies those fruits to us. We are more loving, joy-filled, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled when we walk in His ways.

A couple more questions to honestly answer:

1. Are you living by the Spirit?

2. Are you bearing the fruit of the Spirit that is supplied through faith?

Being honest with answering these two questions can help guide our journey of Christian self-improvement.

"Improvement" that does not result in these fruits and that does not translate into love and service towards others is not aligned with God's will for us. So the ultimate thing to think about within self-improvement is this: “Am I striving after becoming someone that serves others by demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit?”

We must always be aware of our motivations and the fruit it bears. True Christian self-improvement is characterized by a desire to serve and love others better by seeing an increase in the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

The ultimate goal of our self-improvement should be to decrease in our self-centeredness and increase in our Christlikeness.

To God be the glory.

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I pray that your day is full of reminders of God’s love and faithfulness. May you faithfully build your life on Christ.

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

To God be the glory,

Coach 2