After World War II there were two countries whose economies had been completely destroyed and whose products had been branded with the letters MADE IN GERMANY, and MADE IN JAPAN. These brands were designed to deter people the world over from buying these products, and in the case of Japan were quickly synonymous with poor quality.
While Germany received help through the Marshall plan, Japan received help, when General MacArthur brought in a quality control expert by the name of Dr. Edward Demming.
Dr. Demming came in and suggested to the fledgling economy that they had to make a simple choice, namely to improve something about themselves and their product every day. However small this improvement might be, the challenge was to find something to improve upon on a constant basis; the promise was that their economy would be revived within 10 years.
The people of Japan believed him and over the next 10 years their economy revived, as a matter of fact it turned completely around and within 30 years Japan became on of the world’s leading economic powers. They took the Swiss watch and improved upon it, they took western electronics and improved them, and they took the American and European automobile and improved it, sometimes small changes, minute improvements, yet enough to edge out their competition and to soar to new heights of excellence and economic prowess. What was once a label for poor quality had become a signet of excellence: Made in Japan!
What about us? Are we willing to constantly reevaluate our lives? Are we willing to be teachable? Are we humble enough to be learners and to allow others to show us a better more effective way?
1 Thessalonians 4:1 states; “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”
As we can see the issue is not that they are not at all doing the right things, Paul is affirming them; yes you are in fact living this way already, you are walking according to the calling by which you have been called (cf. Eph. 4:1). The point Paul is making is that they ought to constantly improve, to do this more and more. To improve, to learn, to grow, to be a little more loving and a little more concerned, to display moral excellence and a character that is consistent with Jesus’ call upon our lives, to walk out our salvation more fully, that is what Paul is exhorting his readers to. To put it into different words, he is saying ‘Know Jesus better and Love Him more’!
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2 comments:
WOW. This is great stuff!!!! I might steal this for my next talk.
I think the questions posed are very simple ones and at first glance are easy to give a resounding "yes" answer. But upon further contemplation, they are much more difficult to actually live out in our daily lives. It is easy to stay in a comfort zone and not want to move from it. While we say we want to change, and constantly grow in Christ, are we willing to be obedient to his word and calling and actually change things about our lives; to actually do things in the "Real World" for God? There are many risks, challenges, sufferings, and awkward situations God uses to shape us. I think that if we are truly willing to constantly grow and change, then we need to be willing to face the challenges. Paul says in Romans 8:37 that "In, all these things [challenges] we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" The challenges in life can be used for us to gloify God as he grows us and shapes us.
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