L-E-A-R-N. These 5 letters come together to make a word that most people agree is one of the most important things that a person will ever do. Moms and Dads excitedly post their baby’s milestones on Facebook and other Social Media. I will be the first to admit that I kept my camera in hand, waiting to capture those special moments: those first words, those first steps! In most countries, there is a huge system in place to make sure children learn how to read, write, do math and other basic skills. Most of us are very well aware of the things children should learn; in accordance with our local, state and country guidelines. Today, let’s take a look in God’s word to get a glimpse into what He says about learning.
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Joshua 1:8
The Lord’s direction to Joshua and what he was to tell all of us is crystal clear: study the Bible continually. You’ve already read it through, cover to cover? Well, read it again. Continually means without ceasing. Our lungs must breathe continually. Our heart must beat continually. We all know what happens when these things stop. Our heart and lungs work involuntarily, but we must put effort in studying the bible continually. It is most definitely voluntarily. It’s no wonder we have many people that don’t believe Jesus exists, have they continually put in the time to get to know Him?
“My son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind.”
1 Chronicles 28:9
King David, described as ‘a man after God’s heart,’ was speaking to the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army, generals and captains; ultimately those he considered his brothers and his people. Specifically, he called out to his son. Suffice to say, we can read the words of David and know that he is also pleading with us today. “Learn to know God.” Learning to know implies learning to learn by developing one’s concentration, memory skills, and ability to think. Therefore, David is telling us we must concentrate on God, memorize His words and think about Him often. We learn to know who someone is by spending lots of time with them. Think of all those people searching for their soulmate. They originally swiped right, but IRL, it wasn’t a match!
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”
Plato
Humans do not learn to know each other online. They don’t learn to know each other until they spend time, face to face, living in the same space with one another. Philosophically speaking, playing together. The same goes for learning to know God. How much time are your spending every day learning to know God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
Colossians 3:10
Here, Paul is urging the churches in Asia minor, a small city called Colossae, to “learn to know their Creator and become like Him.” You know how when you spend time with someone who has a quirky little saying, then you start saying that same little quirky saying? When my daughters wanted to learn to play baseball, we joined a team here in town. Coach Archie would always say, “Awesomesauce!” Before too long, I was saying everything was, “Awesomesauce!” Those hours I had spent on the practice field and in the dugout had literally made me more like the coach. They say it takes about 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. I urge you to do a 66 day challenge! It can look like this: talk to God for 1 minute. Read your Bible for 7 minutes. Sit in the still, quiet for 2 minutes and allow God to speak to you. Can you do it? A mere 10 minutes a day? If you’re already spending time with Him daily, that’s great! I am proud of you! If you don’t have an accountability partner and would like one, reach out to me.
I hope that in the few minutes you spent today learning about learning, that you learned something! L-E-A-R-N!!
Let’s Pray:
Father God, I love you. You are worthy! I want to learn to know You. I want to learn who You really are. I want to learn Your voice. I want to learn Your heart. I want you to be excited to share with the world how happy You are for me when I learn about new about You…..just as I am excited to share with the world how happy I am with my children when they’ve learned something new. Send the Holy Spirit to be my teacher, to lead me and guide me in all that You have for me. Thank you for all You do and all You are going to do! In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen!
Featured Image provided by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay