Why Serious Study Might Be the Key to Your Spiritual Growth
The real purpose of studying isn’t to make you smarter. It’s to enrich your understanding of reality so that you can love God and others at the highest level possible.
Remember long, long ago when homes had actual studies and public libraries were more than just hot spots for free Wi-Fi?
These days seem to be in our rearview mirror for good. A 2023 survey of 1,500 Americans found that 46% had not read a single book in the past year. Instead, many consume information through Google, AI platforms, podcasts, YouTube, and social media. In the process, they are more informed but less formed.
It's no secret that fewer and fewer Christians today understand basic biblical concepts. Few have read the Bible from cover to cover, so they are unaware of many stories or biblical principles that a previous generation of Christians considered fundamental. They haven’t soaked their minds in the wonder of the Sermon on the Mount, the practical life lessons of the Book of Proverbs, and the rich theology found in Romans. Instead, they’re often more concerned with niche topics that align with their cultural or political preferences.
Yes, I know this sounds like “get off my porch” language, but it’s become an increasing problem that needs to be addressed. When Christians lack depth, they are much more likely to live with anxiety, be in relational conflict with fellow Christians, and fall prey to false teachings.
What we need is a resurgence of Christians who are serious about holistic studying. I emphasize the word "holistic." Caleb Colton noted, “He that studies only men, will get the body of knowledge without the soul; and he that studies only books, the soul without the body. He that to what he sees, adds observation, and to what he reads, reflection, is in the right road to knowledge, provided that in scrutinizing the hearts of others, he neglects not his own.”[1]
That's a powerful quote. So what is study? Richard Foster writes,
Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enabled to move in a certain direction. Remember, the mind will always take on an order conforming to the order upon which it concentrates. Perhaps we observe a tree or read a book. We see it, feel it, understand it, draw conclusions from it. And as we do, our thought processes take on an order conforming to the order in the tree or book. When this is done with concentration, perception, and repetition, ingrained habits of thought are formed.[2]
Studying makes you a person of depth. But how do you become serious studier? What’s the secret when you have no motivation and face so many distractions?
