Some time ago, someone asked one of our brothers, saying, do you know that investing in real estate recently has really high returns, but that is monetary gain. Here, I am telling everyone that investing in oneself is very good: because growth is the most important thing for a person. This kind of return is much higher than that of real estate.

The Concept of Growth

Actually, growth is a form of investment. A person's vision can measure whether they are growing or not. The abundance that growth brings to people is very significant. Our sisters, like YN, XF, LD, and JJ who shared their testimonies today, have all experienced great rewards from God, because they are willing to grow and constantly break through themselves.

When I was at work, I heard a story about a supervisor's employee who committed suicide because he didn't do anything and couldn't do anything well. This is very painful. In fact, when I was a supervisor, I would punish some employees in this way, which is very painful. If you just eat and drink at home but do nothing, it is very tiring, and your whole body will ache. But if you are willing to work, you will quickly relieve fatigue. Growth is not a tiring thing, but a very joyful thing.

If a person hasn't grown at all in half a year, it is very uncomfortable. Last night, someone came to my office, and I asked him how he was doing. He said he had been very uncomfortable recently because he hadn't grown. Growth is very important.

The first is to learn. Growth is not about inventing something, but learning from others and building a foundation. This is a very important thing. You will never grow if you don't learn. I once promoted someone to a leadership position and told him to come to me with any questions. I waited day after day, but he didn't come to ask me. In fact, brothers and sisters, if you don't learn, you won't have any questions.

That day, I asked him about the books I had recommended to him, The 5 Levels of Leadership and Winning with a Twist. I asked him, What is 'The 5 Levels of Leadership' about? He stammered and couldn't really get to the point. Everyone needs to know that it's not about reading and then doing, but that something is very important in the learning process, and that is sublimation. Some people learn, but they don't understand in their hearts, like their hearts are covered in oil. If you don't sublimate, you can't use it. I am now talking about the concept of growth.

If you listen to me, you must learn to sublimate. In fact, the five levels of leadership are: first, rights; if you are a factory manager facing employees, if they don't do what you say, they will be suppressed by rights, which is a very low level, and the effect is not good. The second is relationships, the third is results, the fourth is people, and the fifth is influence. Actually, we need to train ourselves more. When I study this book, I encounter problems. I read related spiritual books on leadership, John Maxwell's books. The most important principle is influence. We must sublimate and improve our learning ability.

Learning to Grow in Understanding

Everyone must know for sure that you cannot deny understanding. Reason and spirituality are inseparable parts of religion. If you walk alone, then that is a cult. Learning is a matter of understanding. Paul once said: But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:19) This is because he wants everyone to understand that understanding cannot be replaced.

Like things at work, as an analyst, if you don't know how to process data, don't learn Excel spreadsheets, and don't manage data, then you really don't understand. Things of understanding are very important. To invest in growth, you must invest in understanding and spirituality. Professional fields cannot be abandoned. If you are an architect, you must learn architectural books. If you only read the Bible, that is self-deception. I am talking to you about planning and learning. For example, programmers learn code little by little. In daily life, it is very necessary to learn to live and sort out your own things. This is a process. We must start to separate out time to plan our own things.

If you understand learning and sublimate planning, it is very powerful. In the past, I invested a lot in my own growth. Serving and working are very busy. In this process, I will take time to invest in my growth. When I find that my reading speed is not enough, I will start training. No matter how busy you are, can you take one to two hours to learn, sublimate, and plan? Brothers and sisters often fall into an environment where they are constantly serving but don't have their own learning time. In fact, I suggest that brothers and sisters don't just pray there in the spirit. If you don't give yourself time to grow, that is not the best thing.

Strategies for Serving - Starting to Growth

I want everyone to lead people in prayer. It is important to grasp the key to things and change people's minds. If you need a long time to pray, then go pray. I asked a sister who read the book The 5 Levels of Leadership, she stammered. I told her to start taking time to separate herself to improve herself, so that the effectiveness of shepherding will also be improved. How to squeeze out time? This is a kind of awareness.

A few days ago, when I was talking to a sister about our topic today, I asked her, do you delay anything by squeezing time every day to go to work, serve, and study? She said she didn't delay anything, because she didn't have time to delay, and she was all in high-efficiency things. I often see some people serving, and the phone calls are very long. I asked her, if you can take ten minutes, don't take half an hour. If you can do something in half an hour, don't take two hours. If you can take time every day, you will really improve efficiency, and the effect will get better and better. I give everyone a concept that it is not the longer the time, the better.

Improving Efficiency - Saving Time

Brothers and sisters, I tell everyone that things that take a long time are not necessarily better than those that are done quickly. For example, when I trained people to scrape the wall, it was very slow at first, but the wall was uneven, and people who did it quickly were skilled, and the effect was very good. Everyone must squeeze out time to learn. I once asked her, have you studied any books? She said no, she was just doing scientific research. Among our brothers and sisters, there are some who are learning Korean and transcribing my sermons into Korean. Her efficiency is very high. Our Cantonese column also has some brothers and sisters who are constantly working on it. In fact, they don't delay anything by doing these things.

I have tried it. The time utilization rate of a person is about 10% to 20%, and 70% of the time is wasted. If you really make full use of your time, learn some key and classic things, and then learn professional skills, learn shepherding, and learn to grasp the essence of things, if you really focus on doing these things, you will definitely start to have problems. There will be problems in the process of doing it. People constantly need to grow, and advancement and growth are endless.

Summary

What I am telling everyone is a framework concept. If you want to do it, you can definitely do it. Everyone separate out time to improve your spiritual height, understand spiritual truths, and finally be able to ask key questions. People can only really take time to learn, ask questions, and solve problems, so that they can improve the efficiency of learning and work. The church is a platform for a person to grow. We are all willing to invest time to provide for the growth of brothers and sisters. We find some ways to help everyone grow. Everyone must be willing to learn. Some pastors may train someone severely. What is that for? It is for people to grow.

Everyone needs to know that growth brings joy, and growth is the key. May God bless everyone.