Study To Write

I remember the teacher vaguely. His voice was a monotone, iterating vital concepts I grasped lightly. The flies were buzzing by the dirty windows, and it was hot and humid in our classroom. I looked out the windows, hoping to see a valid distraction. Students rested on elbows or pretended to write notes as they listened for the mercy bell that would deliver us all.

I think this describes a common attitude in schools, colleges and universities, and many corporate training venues. It applies to workers in many settings, and it applies to managers and supervisors all over the world. When we feel like this we have lost our way. We don’t attend school at whatever level to “make it” or “get through it”. Study must be for purpose, on purpose. We ought to be deliberate and intentional, trading our time and attention for information that promises dividends. That is true for schoolwork. How much more does it apply real work?

Ecclesiastes 12:12 (NKJV) And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

Study without purpose, without a reason you believe in and want to achieve, is boring. It wearies our flesh and fogs our thinking.

We should be studying diligently. God has a wonderful plan for your life, already scripted  and laid out for you. Studying the wrong things, or unimportant things, leads us away from God’s will. Yet, God is the Redeemer! He can make use of wasted years and blown opportunities. But only when you trust Him and obey Him and pursue Him at least as passionately as you pursued those earlier studies.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 (KJV 1900) And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

“Study” here means to strive for, to have an earnest desire for, to have an ambition for. When we desire something or have an ambition to achieve or acquire something, we will “learn the ropes”, develop competency, and study to get what we want. Notice the output of study is work. We must learn to “do our own business”. Studying leads to production, output, results. Studying is necessary to achieve our goals. Studying is required because we all begin at zero and add knowledge and experience over time. Study to build your case, develop your core competencies, prepare your unique value proposition.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

 “Be diligent” is study in the King James Version. It means to do something with intense effort and motivation—‘to work hard, to do one’s best, to endeavor.

Our first priority in any study should be to please God. We study for His approval, not the professor, not our parents, not even for ourself. God’s approval is worth more than the approval of all professors and all bosses!

Study to write is a phrase God gave me. For me, a main purpose of study is to distill and express the things I study. The main avenue for me is to write, but it is visible in decision making, lifestyle, and attitude. Interaction with information you don’t know yet must change you. Since it will change you, select study with the desired outcome in mind.

Whatever you study for do it with all your heart. My grandfather used to say “If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right”. Do not waste the opportunity to learn, and be enriched by what you learn. Then maximize your return on investment by applying what you learned. Knowing something and not acting on it is failure.

Prayer for Repentance and Salvation.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Saviour, I invite you to ask Him into your heart. If you knew the Lord but have not been hungering for Him I invite you to consider your ways and repent. He is faithful and righteous to wipe your slate clean when you confess your sin to Him! (1 John 1:9)

1 John 1:9 (NASB95) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He gave His life for you, and you honour Him when you give your life for Him. It is the right thing to do!

1 Corinthians 6:20 (AV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You must give yourself to God for Him to come into your life and help you change. He will not force you! Ever. But oh! The joy and peace and hope He gives you!

Romans 12:1–2 (NKJV) 1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You must acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord, and you must believe He was resurrected from the dead by the Father.

Say this prayer out loud.

Heavenly Father I turn to you and acknowledge You as the Almighty God, eternal and sovereign over all. I have been rebellious, selfish, and deceived trying to live without you. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to redeem me from death and sin, and that He rose from the dead, alive forever with You. I ask you to forgive me of all my sin, known and unknown. Please come into my life as my Lord and my Saviour. Thank you for forgiving me, and redeeming me from sin. I choose to trust You and put You first in every area of my life. I will love You and serve You with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my resources, for the rest of my life, beginning right now. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!

If you prayed this to the Lord, please let me know! I have some resources to share with you, and will help you on your journey with the Lord.