| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Resilience” Our Bible verse for today: “I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 (CSB) Our thought for today: “You’re not as strong as you could be.” The other day in my reading I came across a reference to a university study that demonstrated that in our lifetimes most of us will only develop and use about 10% of our capabilities. The study covered our capacities for intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. Among other things, it referenced our powers of observation (we only notice and pay attention to 10% of what is around us); our powers of understanding (if we really applied ourselves, we would be able to understand at a much deeper level); our physical powers (think back to the illustration of Navy SEAL training from an earlier devotional); and it includes our spiritual powers (this is what Paul was referring to in Ephesians 3:16 above). This particular study was actually not new or unique. Many such studies have been conducted over the years and they all consistently come to the same conclusion – we only develop and use about 10% of our capabilities and therefore we’re not as strong or as well-developed as we could be. Not even close. This is why we should always have a plan to learn and grow and improve. During every moment that you are alive God is at work molding and shaping you into the person He wants you to be. None of us has “arrived” in life. We are all works in progress. That’s why we should always have a plan for our personal development and improvement. The spiritual is the most important and the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, participating in group studies, paying attention to sermons, and participating in acts of ministry, are essential elements in our spiritual growth. Likewise, there are things we should all be doing to improve our intellectual, emotional, and physical capacities. No matter your age, there is always room for improvement and growth. There is so much wasted potential in all of our lives! We could all be better, stronger, more developed, in every area of life. This isn’t something we should get obsessed with, agitated about, or driven over. But we shouldn’t be lazy or indifferent about it either. We should want to be the best we can be. Resilient Christians become and stay resilient because they are intentional about improving and growing. You can be stronger than you are, in all areas of life. You have a lot of untapped potential. I encourage you to have a plan to help you develop and use more of it. We’ll think a little more about this tomorrow. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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