Christian personal development plan: 10 secrets - Christian Personal Development
Every Christian should have a Christian personal development plan. If you think God’s main focus and interest in you is all about the amount of wealth or riches He can give you, then you must be mistaken. God is interested in your personal development or self-growth.
Your wealth and riches will not really help Him to achieve His mission and cause for the earth but your healthy self-development or personal development will. Why you are will determine what you do and what you do will go a long way to determine where you spend eternity. God wants you to make heaven – that’s His main mission for the earth.
If you have always wanted a guide that will answer questions like, What is Christian personal development? or you want a sermon on self-development, I believe you will enjoy this pillar post on the topic of Christian personal development. I want you to enjoy it and let me read your comment.
Related: What the bible says about your personal development
Christian personal development plan of Moses
I want you to look at these stages in the life of Moses, a man God used mightily to do lots of miracles and to free Israel from slavery in Egypt. This analysis shows a well-designed Christian personal development plan for Moses which went a long way to help his development and the fulfillment of his mission.
Moses from Babyhood and Growth in the Palace
And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaohs’ daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses…” (Exodus 2:10)
He was born at a time the wicked government had issued a decree that all newborn male children of the Israelites should be killed. But he was not killed! God wanted him alive and also wanted him to undergo training in the Pharaohs’ palace!
Yes, his first personal development training was in the King’s palace and God had a hand in it. It would have been impossible for him to escape death through Pharaohs’ instruction and ended up being raised in the same Pharaohs’ palace! God was at work to place him in the palace and to develop him in this palace.
Moses in the Wilderness
“When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian…” (Exodus 2:15)
It could only have taken the hand of God and a well-developed Christian personal development plan for the further development of Moses for him to have left the comfort of the palace and identify with the sufferings of the children of Israel. He ended up moving into the wilderness where his development continued.
Moses in Jethro’s House
“Then Moses was content to live with the man (Jethro), and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses” (Exodus 2:21) (emphasis mine)
Moses’ personal development continued as God allowed him to settle in Jethro’s house who was a priest of Midian and who ended up becoming his father-in-law. I believe Jethro must have imparted lots of good values into Moses when he was with him.
Moses Called By God
“So when the Lord saw he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!” (Exodus 3:4)
This dramatic encounter with God further helped Moses to develop. He discovered His God-given purpose. I want you to note how Moses tried to reject God’s instructions to him about his purpose. I believe this encounter would have remained ever fresh in the memories of Moses while he lived and it must have helped his personal development significantly.
Moses at Work
I am listing below bible passages that share other personal development experiences of Moses when he began to work for God and I would like you to read through these bible passages.
- Moses’ return visit to Pharaohs’ palace (Exodus 5: 1)
- Moses in front of the Red Sea (Exodus 14: 13 – 14)
- Moses interceding for Israel (Exodus 32: 21)
- Moses ignoring rebellious people (Numbers 16: 22 and 44b)
Personal development plan is not possible without God
How did you find that? Did you observe the various stages of the development of Moses? Did you also observe the relevance of the God factor in his personal development? Did you also discover the relevance of purpose discovery in his development? A personal development plan is impossible without God! This is the reason for the Christian personal development plan.
Now, I know some folks reading this out there will kick against my submission above especially if they are not Christians. They will quickly advance a reason that there are many people who have developed themselves and helped others but who were or are not Christians or who don’t acknowledge the existence of God.
Well, I have a simple answer to that and I’ll share it with you in the last section of this post titled, The End Point of Your Personal Development.
What the Bible says about personal development
Let’s do some little definitions here. What does the bible say about personal development? What is God’s views about self-development? Is it necessary for Christians to have a Christian personal development plan?
What is Personal Development?
According to reports on the Wikipedia website, personal development is a process of individual self-development and the development of others. It is a continuous search for principles and methods to improve yourself, skills, etc. It is a conscious pursuit of personal growth.
The definition continues, “It is not limited to self-help but includes formal and informal activities for developing others in roles such as teacher, guide, counselor, manager, life coach or mentor. It can be carried out in the context of both the individual level and institution level”. I agree completely with these definitions except for the fact that the God factor was not given the rightful place in the definitions.
What is Christian personal development?
Christian Personal Development is therefore a process of allowing God and His principles to guide your conscious pursuit of personal growth through the expansion of self-awareness and knowledge, the improvement of personal skills, and the development of others. Moses’ personal development from his fumbling start with God in Exodus 3 and 4 to becoming one of the world’s most effective leaders and servants of God could only be possible because he allowed God and His principles to shape him.
What is a Christian personal development plan?
Christian personal development plan is a deliberate process, plan, or strategy that’s put in place in order to ensure consistent, healthy, and Godly self, spiritual, professional, and vocational development.
Central to an effective Christian personal development is the Word of God and the help you receive from the Spirit of God.
10 secrets of a good Christian personal development plan
With the above introduction to this post, I believe I can go-ahead to start discussing the 10 secrets of a good Christian personal development plan. The content of the next section of this post will greatly help you or encourage you to put in place a well-designed Christian personal development plan for yourself.
Check out the 10 secrets of Christian personal development below at a glance:
- A Connection to God is Necessary
- A Flow from God is Needed
- Make Your Home In God
- Your Development is Natural and Sure
- His Principles and Methods Are Necessary
- God Needs Your Good Development
- He Loves You, No Matter What!
- Be Useful to Others
- Chosen to Manifest
- The End Point of Your Development
Secrets 1: A Connection to God is Necessary
“I am the Real Vine and My Father is the Farmer… And every branch that is grape-bearing He prunes back so it will bear even more. (John 15:1-2)(emphasis mine)
Jesus showed here the role of God, the Father plays in personal development. God prunes every branch that is connected to the Vine (Jesus) to produce more fruits. Remember our definitions from the experts in the last chapter. Personal development is about improving personal skills, enhancing the quality of life, and contributing to the realization of dreams and aspirations.
A connection to Jesus as the “branch” and the “pruning duties” of God the Father are important factors for any meaningful personal development. We just saw from the story of Moses how God was the main factor that made a carefree, confidence-lacking, and palace-trained individual to become a careful, miracle-working, and one of the most effective and productive leaders the world would ever have.
Paul also had the same experience in the New Testament. The turning point for his positive development was his encounter with Jesus in (Acts 9: 3 – 4),
“As he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly a light showed around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me’”.
A once – upon a time persecutor of the Christian faith ended up writing nine books of the New Testament promoting the same course he once hated and persecuted!
His books in the bible are mentoring lots of lives today! Paul recognized the God factor in his personal development and declared,
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
My personal development
Several years ago, I couldn’t have imagined myself doing what I am doing today. Though my parents were moralists but never really got committed to a church. We (the children) were not really trained to go to church or become Christians.
In the higher institution, I never really got committed to a church fellowship. I never studied the bible. My plan was to finish school, get a job, have a family, and just enjoy my life doing things my own way.
However, the God factor came in strongly and turned things around. My dramatic personal development as anchored by God since I became a Christian has amazed me. When I look back, I have always seen the hands of God in my personal development over the years.
You Have a Great Opportunity
If you are reading this and you desire a positive or Godlyor Christian personal development plan but you have not become a child of God through the confession of Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you need to say a simple prayer below:
“Father in heaven, forgive my sinful past. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins and His shed blood has wiped away my sins. I believe He is the Son of the Living God. I accept Him as my Lord and Saviour. I want Him to begin to rule in my life as from now on. I believe I am saved. Thank you God for hearing my prayer”.
Congratulations. The first step in meaningful personal development is a connection to God through Jesus Christ. You have just achieved that so please move over to the next section of this post.
Related: Inspirational Christian video for your personal development
Secret 2: A Flow from God is Needed
Have you ever seen a healthy tree with healthy branches, leaves, and fruits without a root that connects it to the soil? Surely, we all know that the tree receives its nutrients from the soil through its roots.
The tree, in turn, passes these nutrients to its branches, to the leaves, and then the fruits are produced. Jesus Christ called Himself the true Vine and said every branch connected to Him should bear fruit (John 15: 1).
Please note the underlined word, should. The branches must bear fruits because they would surely receive nutrients for fruit production from Him, the Vine. Now we know that Jesus receives these nutrients from God the Father because in (John 14: 24),
He said,
“….and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent me”.
He also showed this connection in (John 5: 30) when He said,
“I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me”.
He always showed us that His connection to the Father, just like the tree to the soil, is the source of the ‘nutrient’ or strength that we need to be fruitful or successful as Christians. I want you to note from Jesus’ statement in (John 15: 2),
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away…”
Every branch in Him! This implies that it is possible to be a Christian and not bear fruit or have a positive Godly personal development!
The million-dollar question is: “Why a branch would be connected to Jesus and not bear fruit? The simple answer is: “Though the branch is connected it is not allowing a flow of nutrients from Jesus (the Vine) to it!” For any meaningful personal development, a regular flow is needed from God to you even after you have satisfied the condition treated under the last chapter.
God Made You
“You (God) created every part of me. You put me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139 : 13) (GN). “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous” (Psalm 139:14) (LB).
The Psalmist in the passages above understood and acknowledge God’s role in putting the bits and pieces of him together. It’s right to say that the one who is the Creator is qualified to know how an individual can achieve meaningful self-development and also carry out effectively the role of helping others to develop. Allowing a regular flow from Him is about giving room for a daily cordial relationship with Him which will allow a regular flow of information from Him to you that can be of use to you in your personal development. Moses’ personal development was greatly helped by this practice. He was always with God receiving the relevant information that can help him develop effectively. Paul’s personal development also was greatly helped by this regular flow.
This regular flow also helped fisherman Peter (Luke 5 : 3, 10) to become a fisher of men (Acts 2: 41).
God Has the Pruning Tool
I started out in ministry using an abandoned palmtop computer (to type e-books) and upload to an abandoned website (to give out the e-books) and a small browsing phone to announce the e-books on social media and all over the internet. However, I have observed how God had made me grow or develop both as an individual and as a group since that time. Jesus said, “….every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit” (John 15: 3b). God is in the business of developing people who allowed a regular flow from Him to them to develop further in all aspects of their lives and mission on this earth. The pruning tool is ever ready to work on you if you will allow it! God is the only One who can truly develop. The first foundational pruning was done when you gave your life to Jesus Christ, allow a regular flow from God and His pruning tool will continue to work on you.
Secret 3: Make Your Home In God
“Live in Me. Make your home in Me just as I do in you…” (John 15: 4) (MSG)
The passage above began the interesting revelation of Jesus on the topic of abiding in Him. I call it the “great abiding instructions”. Right from this passage or verse to the last word of verse 17, Jesus kept on emphasizing the need for Christians (please note that) to ABIDE in Him or make their home in Him!
Now, this is similar in message to the last section but this section will be describing more information than what the last section shared with you. You can’t get a regular flow from God as taught in the last section if you are not abiding or making your home in Him! If you don’t make your home in Him, you can’t have meaningful personal development!
Jesus’ Abiding Statements
Let us look at Jesus’ use of the abiding statement by Jesus from John 15: 4 – 9
- “Abide in Me and I in you…” (verse 4)
- “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him…” (verse 5)
- “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered” (verse 6)
- “If you abide in Me and my words abide in you” (verses 7)
- “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in my love…” (verse 9)
The question is, “How come Jesus gave this much attention to this secret and mentioned it in 5 verses from a possible 6 verses?”
Connect and Abide
Jesus knew that getting connected to God through Him or becoming a child of God by confessing Him as Lord and Saviour is not all there is to any meaningful personal development. It is the important starting point but of equal importance is the need to abide or stay in Him come rain come shine!
Most Christians have missed it at this stage! Most people give their life to Jesus and take them back afterward! When you gave your life to Jesus you made Him the LORD of all over your life.
You made Him your complete owner! You took a decision to stay always in Him and with Him for your personal development all through your life in whatever situation you find yourself in.
Can a branch enjoy the nutrients of the tree regularly or constantly if it stays in the tree today, leaves tomorrow, comes back again the day after, leaves again, and on and on?
This inconsistent and double-minded branch will surely not have meaningful personal development. The same applies to you and me, we must abide in Christ to have Godly personal development. You must be in today, tomorrow, whatever time no matter the situation!
I believe one of the biggest fights the Christian community needs to step up her arsenal to fight is the issue of abiding in Christ. Quite right, millions of souls are being won to Christ every day due to increased evangelism activities but how many are truly abiding or staying with Christ?
Jesus states clearly in John 15: 6 what will happen to those who don’t abide, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered: and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned”
Secret 4: Your Development is Natural and Sure
The soil produces the environment for the roots of trees to obtain nutrients for trees. The soil will not eat the fruits produced by the trees.
Likewise, God does not have to develop, He is the Source and Creator of development Himself but He represents the natural environment for anyone to abide in and develop naturally. You should try and observe the development of branches of a tree.
Growth and development are natural and sure. If the branch remained attached to the tree, it does not have to bother about how it will develop. Its development is guaranteed.
The branches develop until it begins to produce leaves and then fruits. Its development is under the control of the tree environment it is attached to.
This was the reason why Jesus said in John 15: 5:
“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer…” (MSG).
There are countless instances of people who have abandoned the natural growth environment in God and have developed artificially. These ones have run after personal development without any consideration for the God factor.
They have grown and developed personally for the wrong purpose that will not be useful to God and His plans for the world. Some have even used tricks, deceits, and dishonesty to develop themselves. A good example is the late German dictator, Adolph Hitler who developed himself in order to wipe out the entire Jewish race from the surface of the earth!
If you are outside the natural growth environment of God, you will not have any meaningful personal development! Even if your intentions are good but you are outside God, you will still end up not fulfilling the purpose for which God created you and also His plans for this earth.
Therefore, if you desire a natural and sure personal development you must ensure, just like the branches to the tree, you positioned yourself in the God environment. Let Him dictate and instruct your personal development moves, plans, and goals.
He did that to Moses and others in the bible. They developed personally under His leadership until they grew old, fulfilled their purpose, and left the earth.
I have stayed in this natural, sure, and God environment for years now and I will continue to do so. You are reading this book from me because God has allowed me and led my natural development as a person to date.
Just like I mentioned earlier, many years ago, I would not have thought I would be someone who will be doing what I am doing today. My stay in the God environment has allowed this natural development.
Related: Gain free access to all our Christian self-development resources
Secret 5: His Principles and Methods Are Necessary
I have already shown the necessity for a branch to stay connected to a tree if it will ever become fruitful. You also read the importance of a tree has its roots connected to the soil if it will ever be able to provide the necessary growth support to the branches.
Jesus showed this severally in His statements in John 15 as we have seen so far. Now if the tree’s roots must be connected to the soil in order to be able to provide the needed growth support to the branches, what then does the soil give to the trees’ root that is transferred to the branches?
The soil transfers ‘nutrients’ to the roots and then to the tree for its branches which make them produce leaves and fruits. Without these ‘nutrients’, the tree will not be able to provide the needed growth support to the branches.
How does this apply to you and me and the topic of discourse in this post? John 15: 7 shows the relevance and the meaning of the soil’s ‘nutrients’ to our search for personal development,
“If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you…” (emphasis mine).
Can you see the underlined word in the passage above? The transferred “nutrients” are God’s Word! You can’t truly abide in Christ for meaningful personal development if you are not a lover and doer of His Word.
If you are connected to God as a born-again Christian and you are not a lover and doer of His Word then you are not ready to have a Godly and meaningful personal development! Jesus severally showed His connection to the Father during His ministry here on the earth as I mentioned earlier. In John 5: 30, He said,
“…as I hear so I judge…”.
Before He prayed at Lazarus’ tomb, He waited for two more days and said’
“Thank you father..”(John 11: 41)
when He eventually got there.
His Principles Are in His Word
Moses was an accomplished servant of God. The bible says God showed Moses His ways (Psalm 103: 7). His ways are His principles or methods which are in His Word.
Moses was always at the feet of God digesting His Word, commandments, and principles. I am not surprised the Bible says,
“But since then there has not risen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34: 10 – 11)
It Goes Beyond Your Born Again Status!
You are not to stop your personal development at the level of just getting born again; you must be practically connected to Him through His Word. Remember that He is your Maker; He is the only One who knows how you can develop effectively. His Words, methods, principles are the ‘nutrients’ He wants to share with you to help you develop effectively.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16: 9).
The Lord needs those He can help to develop whose hearts are connected to Him through His Word. David developed effectively and fulfilled his purpose because he was connected to God, not with his throne or his dance or his wealth but with his hearts.
I am not surprised God called him:
“a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 16: 7).
He had a heart-to-heart connection with God because he was a lover and doer of God’s Word.
However, Samuel made this statement to Saul who stopped his personal development by disobeying God,
“I will not return with you, for you have rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15: 26).
I have observed how God has directly instructed me on seminars, conferences, bible schools I have to attend. He had also shown me the titles of books I have to read.
He gave these instructions at each of these periods because He knew I needed them at those times to develop personally. I have obeyed those instructions because I knew the relevance of a connection to His Word for my effective personal development.
Secret 5: God Needs Your Good Development
I believe strongly that God has an agenda for this earth. The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ will crown this agenda. In the meantime, God needs people who will develop adequately using His principles and who will help make this world a better place until Jesus comes.
God once lived on this earth as Jesus and now He wants to live in as many people as possible in the form of the Holy Spirit. God needs Spirit-filled people who will submit their personal development under the influence and authority of His Spirit and make the world a better place until Jesus comes.
Jesus declared in John 15: 7 – 8,
“If you abide in Me and My Word abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this, My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit…”.
God shows who He is on this earth when you and I bear much fruit (develop adequately) and help others to develop adequately. The only way to influence the earth for God is if there are more people on the earth who have embraced Godly personal development and are excelling on their God-given purpose on the earth.
Sometimes, when I look at how God has really helped me through the ministry of my mentors, I have thanked God that they took a decision to have Godly personal development. They took a good decision and have influenced me and others. If we (their mentees) take good decisions, we will influence many others adequately and it goes on and on. It becomes viral!
This is this way God can show who He is and what He has for the earth. We must not disappoint Him. In your own little way, vote for God, His Word, and His plans for your life. Help others to vote for this good decision too. This is the ultimate way to have meaningful personal development.
Secret 6: He Loves You, No Matter What!
Jesus really enjoyed the Father’s help during His ministry on this earth. He fulfilled His purpose of coming to the earth. All the other servants that I have mentioned in this post also enjoyed God’s help during their stay on the earth.
They developed adequately and fulfilled their purpose. These people enjoyed God’s support because they dwelt in God’s love for them. They were sure of His love for them. They related to Him based on this conviction.
They were never afraid to go into His presence for instructions even when it appears He was not available. In return, God poured out useful information to them that helped their personal development. Jesus showed in John 15: 9 that,
“I have loved you the way my Father has loved Me. Make yourselves at home (or abide) in my love” (emphasis mine) (MSG).
When you gave your life to Jesus you received God’s love for you. It’s a gift and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (Romans 11: 29). Whatever you will pass through, don’t lose your grip on this truth.
The devil will do everything to make you believe otherwise. Your resolute belief in this is what you need to enjoy all that God has for you for your personal development.
A fellow once shared with me how he stopped obeying God’s commandments after he experienced a terrible setback in his career because he felt God no longer cares or loves him. He was wrong.
God allowed the setback so that He could gain his attention by giving him instructions that will take him to the next level in his career! Jesus said He abides in the Father’s love because He obeyed His commandments (John 15: 9).
You will also do very well if you obey God’s commandments to abide in His love. You can’t have a meaningful personal development if you don’t abide or stay at home in His love! Obeying His commandments is Jesus’ recommendation for abiding in His love.
No matter what you will go through in your personal development journey, you should understand that if you are a Christian, Jesus loves you and will always do that! In order to enjoy all the benefits of His love for you, you must stay at home in His love. This ensures the release of the methods, principles, and ways to you that will make your Christian personal development plan meaningful.
Secret 7: Be Useful to Others
Let me take you back to the definition of Christian personal development as I shared earlier in this post.
“Personal development is a process of individual self-development and the development of others. It is a continuous search for principles and methods to improve yourself, skills etc. It is a conscious pursuit of personal growth. It is not limited to self-help but includes formal and informal activities for developing others in roles such as teacher, guide, counselor, manager, life coach or mentor. It can be carried out in the context of both individual level and institution level”.
The underlined statements in the definition show how your personal development is incomplete if you don’t reach out to others.
You will improve your personal skills and have personal growth but you must not stop there. You must reach out to develop others. You can have the opportunity to do this at any level you find yourself. Jesus says,
“…This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you…” (John 15: 12).
In essence, Jesus was saying that the commandment that you must obey to abide in His love for your personal development is the love you show to others.
How do you show love to others, Jesus showed this in verse 13,
“This is the very best way to love, put your life on the line for your friends” (MSG).
He actually demonstrated this Himself. He died for our sins despite the fact that He committed no offense or sin. His sacrifice is the sound and moral basis for our quest for personal development.
Jesus lived His life for others; you and I must live our lives for others too. Helping others to develop is the crown of our personal development. Of what use is your development if it is not going to be relevant to others.
From my investigations of people who have Godly success on this earth in both bible and post – bible days, I observed how they have used their lives and resources to serve God and help others.
If abiding in His love is necessary for your personal development and the last section shows that obedience to His commandments is necessary to abide in His love, then this section is showing you that His main commandment you must obey is to love others (be useful to others).
According to the Message translation of John 15: 17, Jesus calls it the root command,
“But remember the root command: Love one another”.
Put your life and resources on the line to help others develop effectively.
How to Help Others
There are countless ways whereby you can help others. I’m listing 10 ways to help others below:
- Take a firm decision to be of use to others.
- Check out your neighborhood to see anyone you can influence for Christ.
- Check out your neighborhood to see anyone you can pay his or her school tuition.
- Check out your neighborhood to see anyone you can give an academic scholarship.
- Don’t push away anyone who needs your help and encouragement.
- Set up a Non-Government Organization that will cater to the needy.
- Set aside a percentage of your income apart from your tithe for the use of Christian missions.
- Visit motherless babies’ homes or orphanages and share gifts with them.
- Share the gospel offline and online.
- Ask God for your purpose and begin to work on your discovery.
You can ask God’s Spirit to share more creative ways with you.
There Are Benefits
Jesus shared an interesting benefit of helping others when He says,
“You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I am no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No I have named you friends because I’ ve let you in on everything I ‘ve heard from the Father” (John 15: 14 – 15) (MSG).
People who put their lives on the line to help others have been relocated to the “bedroom” of God where He shares His deep secrets with them. The deep secrets are the ‘soil nutrients’ that will further help your personal development. The crown of your personal development is what you can give out to others in terms of values.
Secret 8: Chosen to Manifest
The need to embrace Christian personal development or have a well-designed Christian personal development plan is a journey every Christian must undertake. If you are a Christian, it’s a must; you have no choice!
The simple reason why this is so is that God has chosen, appointed, and empowered you to be productive or bear fruits on this earth. The One who made you and the earth is saying,
“Look you have everything you need to develop effectively and help others in your lifetime. This is because I have chosen you to do this. It is not your inadequacies or weaknesses that should matter to you but the choice of you that I have made”.
Jesus mentioned this in John 15: 16 when He said,
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”
You are God’s supreme choice to undergo a Christian personal development journey in your lifetime. You are to use God’s principles to improve your skills, get information about your potentials, do exploits and help others to know what you know or discover themselves and stay focused on God in your own unique way. I hope you will not disappoint God.
Your Own Desires Met
Apart from God sharing deep secrets with you as a benefit for embracing Christian personal development as shared under the last section, Jesus also shares another interesting benefit when He declared in John 15: 16b,
“… that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you”.
Those who help others are paving the way for themselves to receive help from God. A wise man once said,
“You will always have your needs met if only you can help others to meet their needs”.
Secret 9: The EndPoint of Your Development
Earlier, I described helping others or being of use to others or rendering useful services to others that will make them develop effectively as the crown of your Christian personal development. In this section, which is the concluding section of this post, I will be describing what I call the ‘endpoint of any Christian personal development.
The inspired writer of the Bible book of Revelation, John the beloved shared this secret in Revelation 21: 1 – 4
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I John saw the Holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’”
In the passage above we have news that shows the clear distinction between a Christian personal development plan and any other personal development plan. Of what use is your personal development if you will not be part of the scene described gloriously by John the beloved above.
What a setting and scene that will be. If anyone lives on this present earth, completes lots of useful projects, helps society to become better, and helps lots of others to develop effective but is not part of the scene described above, then such person has wasted his or her time on this earth!
What will herald the scene described above is an event called Rapture, where the trumpet will sound signaling the end with Jesus appearing in the sky in all His glory with His angels and those who are saints who have accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour and have not turned their back on Him will be ‘harvested’ to meet Him in the sky (Matthew 24: 29 – 31).
Others who are not part of this category of people will be left behind and will end up not being a part of the scene described above. The endpoint for any meaningful personal development is for you and me to become citizens of heaven when Jesus comes back. I pray this will be our lots in Jesus name. Amen.
Don’t listen to lies
Therefore, don’t listen to those who claimed it is not necessary to become a Christian to develop effectively or affect lives positively on this earth. They will tell you that there are many who have lived on this earth and have done great things with their lives and projects but who did not give their life to Jesus Christ.
The only duty of every man God created is to, “fear God and obey His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12: 13). When anyone passes through this earth without consideration to do the will of God, he or she has developed without putting this important endpoint into consideration.
This will surely have an adverse effect in the end. Jesus is coming back soon. It is sure because He said it and most of the things He said would happen before He comes back have started happening. So you must begin preparation to let Him meet you developing effectively and doing His will.
God bless you.
I hope this post has added lots of value to you. If it has, I would like you to share it with your friends on social media. I would also like to read your comments here. let me know how you have designed your Christian personal development plan.
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