Are you heading back to school? This week will be very busy for many households as they transition from the summer routines and head back to school. While students all over the country return to their campuses, we as Christians should also be continuing our education-in fact, we should never stop. The phrase “back to school”, in itself, implies that at one point everyone stopped school and now it is time to return. As believers, we should be lifelong learners rather than taking breaks and having to return.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The studying was to present himself to God so he could minister to the people, not so that he could present himself to the people as a minister of God. As Christians, being a lifelong learner isn’t an option, it’s a mandate. This varies from society where typically people advance through 3 stages:

1. Acquire Knowledge (school, college, etc)

2. Practice Profession (work, career)

3. Retire

Acquiring knowledge through education, studying, and learning is not a stage we advance from, but rather a stage we should grow in our entire life. Also, with regards to lifelong learning, we must not limit ourselves. Certainly we must be lifelong learners of the Word, but we also can’t neglect to be learners in the areas God has called us, as well as learners in life, and even learners in our weaknesses. Proverbs 2:2 encourages the reader to, “incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding” and Proverbs 3:3 goes on to say, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”

Wisdom can simply be defined as skillful living. Why shouldn’t Christians be recognized for living the most skilled lives-Jesus is wisdom and he lives inside of us? One of my favorite quotes with regards to wisdom is, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad”. Knowledge is something that can be acquired in a moment of time, but wisdom is something we grow in for the rest of our lives. As everyone heads back to school this week, let the Lord lead you as to how He would have you head back to school in your own life as you become a lifelong learner who is constantly growing in wisdom.