Progress On The Inside

Today I want to share with you that personal development is something you can control. Something that you may not have recognized about yourself and others is that all of us want a sense of personal progress in our lives. The way most people measure personal progress is with individual milestones. You get married, and you have children. You receive tenure as a professor or become promoted to partner at your law firm. Perhaps you secure the ideal job or sell your business. These are all significant milestones, but they are not always within our control.

So what can we truly control? We can control progress on the inside! Many of our Bible heroes and heroines are great examples of the process of becoming different people. Joseph had to experience suffering to become the prime minister. Moses had to remove himself as a prince in Egypt and become a shepherd at 80 years old to free the Jewish people from Pharaoh’s oppressive rulership. For Esther to become the queen, she had to step out of an orphan mentality and be prepared by the king’s servant to become queen. Saul thought he was doing good work for God but had to be converted by Jesus before he could fulfill his calling as Paul the Apostle.

Friend, we can expect to have victory on the inside and outside. You can be an advocate for your own personal development. You can make progress by becoming a different kind of person. With Jesus, be willing to change and win, and become a difference-maker and blessing to those around you.