These articles are written to encourage Christians, and to be used by churches for their weekly bulletin.
All I ask is that credit is given with my name and the web address, bible101.substack.com
“Back to School.” Even after nearly two decades since my last school year, those three words still instinctively make my heart sink just a bit.
That’s a leftover effect from when I was a kid, and those back to school sale commercials signaled that the end of my freedom was drawing nigh. Soon I’d be back at a desk again, pencil in hand, plodding through another school year.
Though I’m thankful to not be taking algebra anymore, I did eventually come to realize that learning was fun, and that it need not stop with the daily bell or the final walk across the stage at graduation.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to settle into life routines as adults and lose the hunger for knowledge that keeps us learning. There are many reasons to be a lifelong learner, but that goes double for Christians.
We get to learn the Word.
One of the greatest joys of Bible study is that you soon realize you will never run out of things to learn. On a literary level, the Book is spectacularly complex and always makes study worthwhile. On a personal level, the way it shapes us as we read it should always keep us going back for more.
We get to learn who God is.
Every day is another chance to grow more familiar with our Creator, Lord, and Savior. What a privilege it is to get to know Him!
We get to learn about others.
Part of being a Christian is developing a curiosity about other people. Loving and serving one another requires being familiar with one another and paying attention to each other’s needs. It’s another privilege to know each other enough to get to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.
Even if school days are well in your past, learning should never end. Every day we get a chance to learn things that make our lives better, and we should take advantage of the opportunities.