Good article from Sermoncentral.com
What is your plan for personal growth?†The first time a pastor friend and mentor asked me that question, the blank stare that answered him told him all he needed to know. My plan for personal growth? I didn’t have one to speak of. I thought that praying hard and trusting God was all the plan I needed. But I didn’t say that to my friend. I stalled. He pushed further. “Is your own growth something you’ve thought about? Planned out?†I told him that no, I didn’t really have a written, intentional plan for my personal growth. His next words stung. He said, “Well, then I can just about predict how much God will be able to use you…â€
Our brief conversation that day changed my life. As I thought about what my friend said, I started to see his point. I began to realize that if God was going to be able to use me at the next level, I had to go to the next level. I had to intentionally prepare myself to be used. Over the next few years, as I learned to take my own personal growth seriously, God showed himself faithful in honoring my effort. To this day, one of my most consistent prayers continues to be, “God, make me into the person I need to be to do what you want me to do at the next level.â€
