As August enters the scene, so does the end of summer break. It’s a return to normalcy for parents and the start of another dreaded school year for students. I remember during my Kindergarten year riding the bus to school and asking a 2nd grader, “How many grades do we do this?” He promptly responded, “Twelve grades! You got a long way to go!” The absolute horror that filled my mind that day is indescribable. How could I possibly devote myself to TWELVE YEARS OF LEARNING?!? What a relief it is to know that I’m now 38 years old, and my days of learning are behind me.
WRONG! Albert Einstein said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Though our days of school may or may not be behind us, our days of learning are always before us. In Romans, Paul impresses upon believers the importance of learning: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, ESV).
The Christian life is a life of never-ending learning that daily leads to new life in Christ. It is information that leads to transformation. From Scripture, we learn of our sinfulness and need for a Savior. We learn how God sent His Son to save us. We learn how God calls us all to serve Him wholly, glorifying Him by making His name known throughout the world. But these are merely the basics. For the follower of Christ, there is so much more to learn about this world and God’s will. The Apostle Paul gives reference to church members who, by their selfish actions, proved themselves to be stagnant in their learning: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready…” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, ESV).
This fall, as we launch a new semester of church activities, LifeGroup classes, Wednesday night studies, and more will you commit to devote yourself to a lifestyle of learning? Let’s transition together as a congregation off of spiritual milk, longing to be nourished by the “solid food” of the Word of God. Though only a small percentage of us may be returning to school in the coming weeks, let’s all commit to being students of the wonderful message of the Gospel, being transformed into His image all the more.