We hear a lot these days about “Self-Help” programs and the like. It isn’t uncommon to read slick advertisements in a magazine, or view flashy commercials on TV, seeking to capture the minds and imaginations of folks who are dissatisfied with something about themselves or their lives. I don’t deny the worthiness of man’s desire to improve himself in the areas he finds lacking. Certainly, if one can realistically do something to better himself or his quality of life, there’s nothing wrong with trying to do something about it.
Perhaps you’ve seen the commercial that boasts, “Learn to Speak Fluent Spanish in just Ten Days.” Or maybe you’ve seen my personal favorite, “Let us Show you how to Burn Fat while you Sleep.” While I don’t wish to imply that all “Self-Help” programs are fraudulent, some of them tend to stretch the truth a bit. (To put it mildly.) Nevertheless, whether legitimate or not, such programs seem to draw lots of attention from those hoping to improve themselves in some way, as well as producing a sizeable income for those who offer them. Speaking of the continual growth of the self-improvement industry, Melanie Lindner, in an article entitled “What People Are Still Willing To Pay For,” for Forbes.com said:
Americans spent $11 billion in 2008 on self-improvement books, CDs, seminars, coaching and stress-management programs—13.6% more than they did back in 2005, according to Marketdata Enterprises, an independent Tampa-based research firm that tracks everything from adoption agencies to funeral homes. Latest forecast: 6.2% annual growth through 2012.1
In the area of one’s relationship with God however, self-help or self-improvement is not an option. This is especially true when considering one’s eternal destiny. God isn’t concerned with our futile efforts to appear good by the standards of society, for the world’s standard of goodness can never please a holy God. God’s Word says, “…There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10b—KJV). The Apostle Paul went on to say that, “No one does good, not a single one” (Romans 3:12b—NLT2 ). You see my friends, God isn’t interested in remodeling the sinner’s life; He’s after a complete renovation. Therefore, it takes more to get to heaven than a spiritual tune-up; it takes a spiritual transformation; and that takes place only by turning from one’s sin and turning to Christ in faith for forgiveness and salvation.
Ian L. Wilson illustrates my point quite well with the following:
London businessman, Lindsay Clegg, told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.
As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.
“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”
Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.3
Dear friends, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Have you repented of your sins? Have you invited Jesus Christ into your heart by faith? If so, the new will be seen in you.
1Melanie Lindner, Forbes.com
2Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.
3Ian L. Wilson
