I understand how "less is more" can be beneficial. With focus and attention on the quality of one superior product instead of quantity of many inferior products, you can't help but end up with results that benefit both the company and the consumer.

Now in life, I agree with keeping things simple, but only to a point. Let me explain. Keeping your life simple with as few distractions as possible can contribute to many areas of growth and expansion in your life, including finances.

Cutting unnecessary expenses leaves you with more money. Avoiding wasting time on unnecessary things gives you more time. But, we have to evaluate this "less is more" idea when it comes to our potential.

When it comes to our own individual potential, it is never good or "more" to settle for "less" than what we can be. To earn less, to try less, to develop ourselves less or to learn less will never gain us "more."

The Creator never intended for us to settle! He never intended for us to live a life being "less" than what we could be! His desire is for you to reach your full potential!

So how do we do that? We keep growing more and more!

I have a two-year old tangerine tree in my backyard. It has not reached its full potential; it is still growing. It's now about five feet tall. And, believe it or not, there are two tangerines growing on it. It is producing fruit.

Can you imagine if I walked over to that tree and it said to me, "Mike, I've done all that I could. I'm just not going to grow any more. I'll do my best to see to it that you get a couple of tangerines each year."

Well, after getting over the shock of the tree talking to me, what do you think my reaction would be? I would certainly have to talk right back to that tree! "You have no idea how much potential you have! Do you know how many tangerines you can produce each year, year after year? Do you know how tall you can grow? Do you know how much shade you can provide?"

"Take a look across the yard at that lemon tree! It's now 5 years old, and take a look at how tall it is! Look at how many lemons it has produced this year!

In our lives, we should strive to utilize as much of our God-given talent and ability that we can. We should continue to learn and grow. We should endeavor to expand our lives to the end that we are able to reach out and help someone else do the same with their life.

So much of life is just waiting for you!

But, I would also like you to consider that, "more is less." A person can become so inundated with knowledge and information that they never take any time to apply it. They have more knowledge than they know what to do with. They have taken more classes than they can remember. They can give you a long list of books that they have read. Yet, the quality of their life ends up less because they never take any real action.

It's great to learn and grow, but we also need to apply what we learn. That's when the real growth takes place. It's all about being a doer, and not just a hearer!

Life is a balance. Make sure that you don't shortchange yourself by thinking less of yourself. If you think less of yourself, then that is what you will manifest in your life: less than what you should be experiencing.

God has given you free will to think about yourself whatever you choose to think. But, He has also declared His opinion of you. And here's a shocker, His opinion of you is not based on what you do, or don't do. His opinion is based on what He did for you in the completed work of Christ!

Because of that completed work, in His sight, you are lovely and acceptable, holy and without blame. He made you more than a conqueror and there is nothing that can separate you from His love. Thinking any "less" than that will certainly not get you "more."