You might have read a personal development book within the last year or two. Have you ever read a book on spiritual personal development? What is the difference between the two? Personal development books are also called self-help books. Spiritual personal development is not "self-help." Spiritual personal development is "God-help." In that one change of words, from self-help to God-help, is a world of difference.
Spiritual: Spiritual personal development focuses on giving us the tools we need to become mature, spiritual, and productive disciples of Jesus. Spiritual personal development focuses on our spiritual nature. If we feed our spiritual hunger, then the character of God's Spirit will grow in our hearts.
Personal: First, spiritual growth is a personal matter. Although we live with each other in community, each of us has a personal relationship with God that we must nurture. At the end of the day, each individual disciple is responsible for his or her own spiritual growth. Second, we all grow in different ways. We also grow at different speeds. In this way, spiritual growth is personal.
Development: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Luke 2:52 Jesus grew. Growth is good. Since Jesus grew, we need to grow as well. We need to develop into the people that God meant for us to be. God wants us to mature. He is fully committed to helping us grow into solid, mature, fruitful disciples of Jesus.
Do you have a plan for your spiritual personal development? Most of us don't. This web site will help you develop a plan for your spiritual personal development. It will help you ascertain your spiritual gifts. It will teach you how to make wise, spiritual choices. It will teach you various spiritual disciplines that will help you to connect with God and to feed your spirit. It will help you to set and to achieve spiritual goals in your life.
A wise man once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Let the journey begin!
Dr. G. Steve Kinnard
Author Bio
Dr. Kinnard is a teacher and evangelist with the New York City Church of Christ. For more inspirational articles on spiritual growth visit The Way of The Heart.
