May 5, 2026

Business by the Book

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow…

Growth is natural to most things. Lilies are planted so that they can grow and bring beauty to those who enjoy them. Many have said that if something is not growing it is dying. If that be true there is no standing still in life, we are either growing or regressing. Successful people in all walks of life have a common nature to grow.

It is one thing to grow physically and another to grow intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. When a person eats more food than their body needs for energy they grow in weight. Physical growth seems automatic; it is something that needs no thought, effort, or work unless of course muscles are trying to be built. But the natural state of growth is natural for the body. Growing in knowledge however is done on purpose, with planning, effort and mental exercise.

The desire to grow in knowledge and skill in the profession of one’s choosing fuels success in that profession. For example, it is one thing to understand how to play a video game and a person may figure out a way to make a living playing the game, selling the game, or shipping the game, but learning how to create the game or understanding the computer software that makes the game possible will bring a person to a new level in being employable in the video game industry. The number of people who can play a game is huge; the number of people who can create the game is very small in comparison. Building the game will bring a person much more financial gain than simply playing the game.

Why do some physicians make more money than others, or some engineers, or sales professionals, or CPA’s, or stock brokers? Because over a period of time they grow in their knowledge of how to apply their trade. Too many obtain a job and fail to grow in that job. They are content with simply doing enough to get by and get paid. There is always a difference between these employees and the ones who have an unflappable desire to grow in, and on, the job. The difference oftentimes is the amount of their paycheck.

There is a difference between ten years of experience and one year of experience ten times. The difference is growth. What about your profession, your job, your industry, do you have a plan to grow? In today’s fast paced, ever changing, and ever evolving business culture growth is mandatory in order to stay one or two steps ahead of the competition. Make no doubt about it, business is competition, but that is a topic for another devotion on another day.

Dr. William Howe