They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. – Psalm 84:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 18, 2025): Psalm 84

British inspirational speaker and writer, Marcus Buckingham, makes the argument that "you will excel only by maximizing your strengths, never by fixing your weaknesses" (Marcus Buckingham). I have listened to Buckingham speak and read some of his books, and I have made the journey to agreeing with him. The problem is that that is not how we live. It seems counterintuitive to invest effort in areas where we are already strong, while essentially ignoring the places where we are weak. Personal improvement always seems to mean strengthening our weaknesses.

However, Buckingham strongly maintains that by working on our weaknesses, the best we can hope for is that we can be average. But if we take the effort that we might spend on our weaknesses to make them average, and place that same effort into areas where we are already strong, then we might be able to excel at something. I believe that if we want to make a difference in our world, we need to try to spend our time in areas where we are strong. And when we understand where we are strong, then hopefully we can gather people around us who can help us where we are weak.

David might also agree with Buckingham. In Psalm 84, he says that "Blessed are those whose strength is in you" (Psalm 84:5). And one of the pieces of evidence of this blessedness is that this person goes "from strength to strength." They excel at what they do, trying to keep in the sweet spot of their personality, with the help of God, who has given us those strengths. When our strength is in God, he helps us function in the areas where we are personally strong.

It goes against the way most of our lives work. We often begin the process with our strengths, but as the journey continues, we transition to our weaknesses, trying to become better in the areas where we are weak. However, spending time in areas where we are weaker often leads to premature fatigue. But if we are following the plan that God has for our journey, we will move from strength to strength, delaying the onset of fatigue.

For the church, this is an essential concept. God has brought us together in community. We all have different strengths, but together, working in our strengths, God can change our communities, making the church an unstoppable force of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 85