“Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.”

Proverbs 23:12 (NLT)

Your journey of lifelong learning starts with a choice. It’s a choice only you can make. It’s an incredibly important decision that’ll impact your entire life.

The Bible says, “Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12 NLT).

I made this commitment to keep learning when I was 15 years old. I began saying that I would learn as much as I could. For many years I read at least a book a day. Books open the door to every subject imaginable!

Your education doesn’t stop when you graduate. I’ve heard people say, “I’m glad I’ve finished my education so now I can start my career.” Tell that to God, and I imagine he might laugh. God has so much more he wants to teach you. Your education should never end.

Learning isn’t just a stage of life. It is your life! God wants you to learn something new every day. So don’t stop—ever.

Start working on learning a new skill this year. God wants you to keep growing. You should be and can be different and better a year from now than you are today.

It’s in your best interest to do so. Lifelong learning will make you a better leader, a better parent, a better spouse, and a better friend. It’ll make you more effective in your job. It brings both success and profit.

If you think you don’t have enough time to make this kind of commitment, think again! God made you to be always growing—physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and vocationally. He expects you to make the time to grow.

Look at what the Bible says: “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 NIV).

If you’ve got an ax with a dull blade and you’re chopping wood, it’ll take a lot more energy to do the job. If your ax is sharp (which represents skill in this verse), then it doesn’t take as much effort.

The Bible is saying work smarter, not necessarily harder. You’re never wasting time when you’re sharpening your ax.

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Talk It Over

There are many ways to keep learning. How do you prefer to learn new information or skills?
If you pictured yourself in one year, in what ways do you want to be different? What do you need to learn on the way to making that happen?
What one, specific step can you take today to start a habit that will help you become a lifelong learner?

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