If your Christian faith is leading you to read your Bible and learn more about Jesus, that is a positive step. If it leads you to read books, listen to podcasts, and dig deeper into the Bible’s meaning, that is a positive step.

But the moment that journey makes you feel pride in all you know, you’ve taken a misstep. If it fills you with a sense of superiority that you have a “deep” faith, perhaps deeper than other believers, that is a misstep.

When your faith is truly growing, you will not be filled with pride and arrogance, but humility and selflessness.

Paul told the Christians in the city of Philippi to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Php 2:3-4)

Genuine faith does not make you better than others; it makes you more like Jesus.

This one-word descriptor is more significant than we give it credit for.

I asked someone how they were feeling, and they said, “Very sad today.”

They could have used words like inconsolable, devastated, miserable, or distraught. Instead, they chose a simple word that genuinely reflected their emotions. They weren’t trying to impress me with their vocabulary. They were trying to express that things were not okay.

That interaction has made me listen more closely when someone uses the word “very.”

Sometimes, that one word is a quiet attempt to get your attention without shouting.

Life is hard, but pay special attention to those who feel it has become very difficult.

A preacher whose opinion I respect said he takes his sermon, puts it into ChatGPT, and asks it to “review his sermon and make suggestions to improve it.”

It sounded like a good idea. So when my sermon was almost complete, I tried it to see if I could make any small improvements. Honestly, I was not prepared for what happened next. It produced a list of 10 suggestions to improve my message. And it may be my imagination, but each one felt progressively more hostile.

First, it suggested wording changes; then it began to critique the overall development of my sermon. By the fifth suggestion, it told me the middle part of my message was “redundant and potentially boring.” The final suggestion left me questioning my abilities as a preacher.

I waded through each possible change and made a few of the helpful ones.

The next week I tried it again. I have repeated this process for the past month. I research and write my sermon. Then, when I feel I have done my own work, I ask AI to help me improve it like a trusted teacher.

Here is one thing this whole process is teaching me. I am learning how to receive constructive criticism. Over the years, everyone I have asked has always had positive things to say about my work. But using technology without emotional strings has been a game changer. I still don’t think it is right in every assessment, but it does give me an unbiased critique.

You might think you have thick skin when it comes to evaluating your work, but until a computer tears it apart, you can never be sure. AI is teaching me how to handle constructive suggestions without destroying a friendship.

One of my life goals is to be a blessing to other people. I want to pour into them and make their life better in every way. I want to offer help and hope to each person I encounter.

I want people to be happy when they see me come and sad to see me go.

And not the other way around.

That might sound so easy to accomplish, but I am finding it difficult to achieve.

What is one thing you could do this week that future generations will thank you for?

Maybe you need to start saving some money.

Maybe you need to purchase that land.

Maybe you need to plant a tree.

Maybe?

I am sure you need to tell someone about Jesus and the hope he offers. Share how your life has changed and how it has made you a better spouse, parent, friend, and community member. Show them you care and are willing to walk with them through whatever transformation they need.

I am deeply indebted to the people who poured into my father’s life, because their work shaped me, and that impacted the people I now lead in my Church.

The people in my Church may not know my dad or the people who influenced him, but their impact reverberates in my life and echoes out into the future. Never underestimate the value of impacting a life, both now and into the future.

The only limit to your spiritual growth as a Christian … is you.

There is always more to learn, do, and become. Our knowledge of the Bible can keep expanding, and we need to apply every part and allow it to transform us.

One great question to ask each week is: How can I grow this week as a follower of Jesus? An even better question to ask at the end of the week is: How did my life change this week to become more like Jesus?

Thousands of positive answers fit these questions, and the only limiting factor is how much effort you put into them.

It is very likely that the person you think slighted you was not thinking about you at all.

It is possible that the person you think is ignoring you might just be busy.

It is conceivable that the person you believe doesn’t like you might be distracted by other things.

It is difficult not to take things personally when you are dealing with other people. But the truth is most often that the person you think is plotting against you is not thinking about you at all. They are merely busy and distracted by the events of their own life.

Show grace to others the way you want to receive it.

One challenge for a Christian is to see their world as a mission field for Jesus.

If you are a believer, you need to understand that God has placed you in a specific place, at a specific time, with specific people, so you can make Jesus known.

You have the opportunity to share God’s grace and goodness with those around you. You can show them God’s love and concern, and the love and concern of Christians. You can bring light and life to the people you see every single day.

People often think sharing their faith is a pastor’s or missionary’s job. They may be the mouthpieces who communicate God’s truth, but you are the person positioned to make the real impact.

God isn’t calling you to let your week go by passively while you wait for Sunday. Sunday is when you gather with other missionaries to be equipped for the work God has called you to do every day. God has called you to be his ambassador in your family, work, recreation, and life. Each week, as you leave Church, you enter the mission field.

I recently read (and I forget where) that organizations hold two separate meetings every time they meet.

The first one is formal. Everyone sits at the table and shares their thoughts. Oddly enough, everyone might seem to agree.

Then there is a second meeting. This one may be with the three or four people who remain after everyone else has left. It might also be at the local restaurant where a few friends gather after meetings, in an elevator, or at the coffee machine the next morning.

This is where people drop their filter and share honest thoughts about what was discussed at the formal meeting. People are willing to complain, question, and affirm when there is no fear of repercussions. This is where true thoughts are shared, and an idea gains traction or loses steam.

One challenge of leadership is being successful in both types of meetings. Leaders who accomplish great things in business and in Church can generate support in both formal and informal meetings.

While watching the game, a player made a mistake. After the play, he looked at some of the other players and said, “My Bad.”

It was a simple way of expressing that he accepted responsibility for the mistake.

But it meant more than that; it also meant, “and I will not let that happen again.”

Sometimes, in life, we need the courage to stop and acknowledge our mistakes. It must always be followed by a willingness to change. We are to stop doing the wrong thing and start doing the right thing.

It is a step in the right direction to say, “my bad,” but your actions need to show that you truly thought your actions were bad.