You have a limited amount of time, no matter how long you think you’re going to live, and you’re born with certain talents that are natural plus a limited amount of abilities to supplement those talents. There’s nothing more detrimental than to get distracted from living with a focus on developing these abilities and making the most of the time you are given. You are created as God’s masterpiece, as His masterpiece, your part is personal development through which you provide Him with a palette to paint every day as a masterpiece.
1. Recognize Your Part
If you want to guarantee that your future is full of possibilities and opportunities you must make personal development a high priority. Personal development is your part. You have to own and recognize this truth. No one else can do this for you. Not even God. He has done His part when He created you and gave you the talents. He continues to do His part when you live in the discipline of personal development by empowering you with His mighty inner strength from His unlimited resources through His Spirit.
2. Add Discipline For Your Personal Development
There is incredible power in a simple decision, but a decision alone will not lead to personal development or future opportunities. While a decision is a first step it must be married to discipline in order to lead to possibilities. Discipline is an incredible gift God has given us for successful personal development. Following through on the daily disciplines necessary to live as the masterpiece God created you to be is not easy, that is why it’s important to lean on His strength and power.
You have talent, maybe many talents. That’s important to know and believe. However, unless you are willing to develop those talents, each opportunity you face will be wasted. In my early twenties, I was leading music at a week-long youth camp. As an extremely creative person, by nature, I always struggled with discipline. I didn’t like routine or deadlines. I wanted everything to be fresh and new. That week was life changing for me. I don’t remember the name of the main speaker, but she pulled me aside one day, looked me in the eyes and said, “Jeff, God has given you a great talent of creativity, but unless you learn some discipline He will never be able to use you.” I used to think God gave her great discernment, but looking back I think everyone who knew me could see it; she was just the first one to have the guts to tell me. And she was right. Discipline is paramount for personal development and personal development guarantees future possibilities.
3. Realize The Benefits
Personal development not only leads to future opportunities but it opens the door for God to work in your life as His masterpiece today. The more you enlarge your life through personal development the more you enlarge your horizon. Realize the benefits of living each day with the goal and task of personal development. You may not see the results immediately, stay the course. A masterpiece takes time to paint. When you feel discouraged remind yourself that each day you live in personal development is a day that opens up the doors of opportunities for God to paint your life as His masterpiece.