Americans love self-improvement books, seminars, and audio messages. We buy them by the millions. There is a self improvement book on any subject! Just go into a bookstore and you will find books on how to grow rich, have a better personality, accomplish your dreams, lose weight, grow muscles, gain self confidence, become a better public speaker, etc, etc.
I have noticed a trend in the Christian book store. They are full of self-improvement books. Books that will help you grow rich, have a better personality, accomplish your dreams, lose weight, grow muscles, gain self confidence, become a better public speaker, etc, etc.
Hmm… I did see one difference in the Christian bookstore from the regular bookstore. These were ‘Christian’ versions. They had God or the Bible somewhere in the title.
I am sure that these self-improvement books in the Christian bookstore were good but I started to wonder if the gospel in America had not been changed to what would appeal to American’s self focus.
Is the gospel being sold as a better self-improvement method?
What is the gospel?
The gospel is about finding God. It is about discovering who He is. Is this not enough? Sure, as we walk with God we do ‘improve’. But if improvement is our motivation for becoming a Christian are we selling out the gospel?
Your thoughts?
Craig Cooper 
Motivational books frequently appeal to selfish ambition, desire for prosperity, happiness, or to fix the problem at hand .Those things are on God’s agenda too but His approach starts with the “Love Challenge” of learning to walk in love, surrendered to the Father’s will and learning to love those He sends across our path. Some people just seem to need a lot of books to get what’s at hand. We’ll all get there. God is Faithful!