LeadTip #17 Be a forever learner

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; And a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:5

To be a successful person and leader you must gather an arsenal of knowledge and wisdom. Wise people are not know it alls, but rather humble and hungry learners.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

For increase to happen it is important to understand you must give God something to work with. God will bless and multiply what you bring to Him. Like the boy who gave Jesus his two fish and five loaves, God will multiply your efforts.

The Bible clearly teaches laziness, apathy and the burying of talents will not produce increase. This is also displeasing to God. Leaders are forever readers, learners and doers. They understand the importance of gaining wisdom and the Biblical principles of sewing and reaping, and faith without works is dead.

God honors productivity, hard work, and effort. These are as much spiritual disciplines as prayer and Bible reading. Learning and gaining knowledge without application is unproductive and unfruitful, and can lead to intellectual pride and arrogance.

If you want a good marriage, it is not enough to just know about marriage, you must learn about it, think about it, pray about it, seek the Bible about it, spend time ministering to your marriage, work hard at areas needing improvement, connect with and learn from other successful marriages, and never stop learning and working at it. It is the same with building a career, a business, a ministry and all aspects of life. This is wisdom!

Take a personal growth check-up right now. What are your reading, what are you learning, and what are your working on? Who do you have around you providing wise counsel? You are called by God to be the head and not the tail, to live an abundant and purposeful life that blesses others. This happens through learning, which produces knowledge. Application of knowledge is what develops wisdom and the Bible says wisdom is supreme. But it all starts with learning, so be a forever learner!