Someone Once Told Me of a prayer for self-improvement that went something like this: "Lord, please make me the kind of man my dog thinks I am." There's nothing like having a high goal. By the looks of things on book sales charts, plenty of people are heading to bookstores in search of ways to make themselves better. I noticed a fairly busy "self-improvement" aisle myself in a large bookstore the other day.
A few aisles over was the "religion" section. It wasn't as crowded. The one person there was looking through the selection of Bibles. I wonder if he, too, was on a quest for self-improvement.
That could be. What the Bible offers self-improvement seekers is extraordinary. If you doubt that, read the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 through 7 in the book of Matthew). It would be impossible to fully measure the influence for good these teachings have had on the lives of men and women throughout history. This one sermon has been recognized by many as the most penetrating and awakening discourse on how to live a moral and spiritual life, and the benefits of doing so.
For evidence, one need look no further than the remarkable life of the man who delivered the sermon. Christ Jesus knew from experience the healing and regenerating effect his message would have on those who followed it. These weren't human platitudes he was delivering. The sermon was a message backed by divine, life-changing power. And the people who heard it were astonished. "For he taught them as one having authority. 1
What the
Bible offers
self-improvement
seekers is
extraordinary.
Perhaps you're searching for purpose, or wanting to know how to deal with adversaries. Maybe you're working through relationship troubles, or you need guidance on reconciliation. Do you have questions about long-range goals, how to communicate, or how to pray? There is practical guidance on all these matters, as well as on being loving, on forgiveness, and on purity.
To illustrate, consider some statements that Jesus made in his sermon and how they relate to overconcern about the body and about one's self-image. "Take no thought for your life," he said, "what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" 2 He follows that instruction with real-life examples, with some thought-provoking questions, and with a powerful reassurance that when one puts God first, all other needs in one's life will be taken care of. He certainly proved that to be so.
Perhaps the most profound aspect of these teachings is that, instead of being a burden to follow, they are liberating. That's because the source of Jesus' illuminating message was God, divine Truth. The Sermon on the Mount is a timeless message that shows us who we're truly created to be in God's likeness—whole, good, spiritual, perfect—and how to conform our lives to this likeness. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," is the essence of the Master's message.3
The explanation of the divine law and power that underlay Jesus' teachings is found in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a bestseller that is also available in bookstores throughout the world and that delivers a life-changing message. The book's author, Mary Baker Eddy, learned from her own study of the Bible that the spiritual power which healed and transformed lives centuries ago is still present to heal sickness and improve lives today. She writes, "The only way to this living Truth, which heals the sick, is found in the Science of divine Mind as taught and demonstrated by Christ Jesus." 4
It's tremendously
freeing to make
spiritual discoveries
about ourselves.
When the approach to self-improvement proceeds from and holds to a spiritual basis—our inherently perfect selfhood as the image of God, Mind—the course of action is one of spiritual discovery and of living what we, in fact, already are. Then, from this new perspective, we see the fallacy of all the assumptions and so-called laws of a mortal, material selfhood that have been impeding our growth and making us discontented. We learn that bad character traits, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and physical disorders aren't any part of our God-given selfhood, even though we may have believed they were. So, instead of just managing personality shortcomings, we have God-derived authority for dropping them, permanently; and this enables us to express more of the divine nature.
It's tremendously freeing to make spiritual discoveries about ourselves, and from this standpoint to have truths, not mere theories, to help us be better individuals.
If you've been looking for powerful and practical self-improvement help, why not explore this very special portion of the Bible. The Bible's inspired message, together with the light that Science and Health throws on it, if acted on, will deliver on its promise of improving your life.
(National Bible Week in the U.S. is November 21-27)
