Wisdom is not simply the gaining of knowledge. It is the ability to understand that the knowledge that we have comes from God. With that starting point, we are able to apply the knowledge we gain to the circumstances of our lives in an appropriate way. Because of our relationship with God, we are able to understand the knowledge we gain. That is why Proverbs tells us that the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. This reminds us that understanding who God is and what He has done, is the foundation to our learning process. It puts everything in perspective, and allows us to deal with difficult circumstances with discernment. It also helps us accept favorable circumstances with humility. May we seek out wisdom as a great treasure, and may we live our lives with great discernment. … READ MORE

Why is education important? 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Wisdom grows out of knowledge, and knowledge brings understanding. This is the principle that we learn from the book of Proverbs. Education is the tool that we have in our society that brings that knowledge to us. School has reengaged in many of our communities, and the process of structured learning is beginning again. How much formal, structured learning is enough? Interestingly, 2 Timothy 2:15 is addressed to Timothy, who is beyond “normal” formal education. It is the proud and arrogant who believe that they no longer need to study and learn. New information (to us) is always being presented, and it is important that we continue to learn so that we can grow and mature. Continuing education is a process that keeps us up to date, and challenges us to evaluate what we already know. We need to understand that what we know or do not know is not bad, but our understanding can become better and more mature. That is the goal of education. Not to puff us … READ MORE

The last thing I ever wanted to do in school was to learn about things that I believed were useless to me. I struggled to understand the importance of knowing phonics, and learning the difference between a noun and a verb. The challenge of writing a 3 page paper seemed overwhelming to me. How would knowing history, be a key to better serving God and growing in my role in society. In my mind, these things were nothing but things that would enable me to win trivia contests. Yet, little did I realize that the more I understood the world around me the better I would understand the Word of God. A big part of understnding God’s truth is understanding what He has said. I came to realize that our command of the language arts and sytax is critical to our understnding the Word of God. God has given us His Word in written form, and the better our understanding of written language the greater our ability to come to understand what He has given us to know. Our ability to write a paper, and put words together into coherent thoughts have taught me that God has given me instruction … READ MORE