Some say “you are what you eat.” But maybe they should say “you are what you think”. How you think determines who you are. Who you are determines what you do. What you do determines what you have. This is why God is concerned with how you think.
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
When you regularly renew your mind through scripture you are able to test every bit of information against God’s word. By this testing, you can discern what God wants and more confidently do what God wants. By renewing your mind and honing your testing, you will know what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Profit
Renewing your mind is very profitable.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
2 Timothy 3:16
The Bible addresses every important topic of life. God especially has much to say about investing in your Spirituality, Physical Life, Knowledge, Experiences, Relationships, Heritage, Possessions, Finances and Time. What God wants for us is not hidden as some coded mystery. He has spoken plainly in His Word, which is able to make one wise.
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding
Proverbs 3:13
Strive
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to stake a claim in the gold rush of 1849? Or help build the Most Holy Place of Solomon’s first temple which alone was overlaid with 45,000lbs of gold? Scarcity and utility give the yellow metal time tested value. While mining for gold is hard work, it can really pay off. Did you know there’s a rush for something much better right now and you haven’t missed it yet!
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Proverbs 16:16
Sifting through the rocks and sand may seem like a lot of work, but extracting that nugget of wisdom is totally worth it. Anything in life worth doing is hard work, and gaining understanding is no exception. Like physical exercise where there’s “no pain no gain”, the benefits of working out our mental capacities only come through forcing your brain to think in new ways that may be a bit uncomfortable. As you get better at mining this precious commodity of wisdom it becomes loads of fun as well!
Mine
Renewing your mind through scripture and profiting from knowing God’s will through His Word requires an abundant mindset. Mining for knowledge means always learning, thinking and doing new things. This takes effort. But if you reset your mindset, learning becomes a joy!
I read an average of three hours a day, and I have done that for over 30 years. I read the newspaper every day, I read the Bible every day, and that way I know what both sides are up to.
Zig Ziglar
God has endowed many throughout history with wisdom for any topic you’re interested in. We are blessed to have many different ways to learn, like books, blogs, newsletters, videos, podcasts, mentorship and more. A personal favorite of mine are podcasts, because you can listen while doing things where reading is not possible. You can listen to The Whole Steward while driving, working out, walking the dog or getting ready in the morning.
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.
Proverbs 1:5
There are so many ways to learn, the only thing that could really stop you is a poor mindset. But when you reset your mindset, God will bless your efforts.
If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.
Zig Ziglar
Filter everything through the lens of Scripture to guard against thoughts not aligned with God’s perspective. Be constantly curious and always testing against the plumb line of what God says.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8
Convert
Lastly, convert what you learn into action. Wisdom is simply “applied knowledge”, “actionable learning” or “skillful living”. To benefit from your mental workout, you must apply what you learn. Spend quiet time every day pondering how your knowledge aligns with your goals. Force yourself to make what you learn change the way you live. Realign your goals and actions with the good things you learn. Then will you grow in wisdom.
Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
Proverbs 8:10-11
There is so much to learn in our limited time we’ll never come close to gaining it all. Since you have to pick and choose, here is a quick test to guide our learning and actions.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Take care to align everything you do with the Instruction Book for life. You embody true wisdom when you apply a good understanding to how you live. God tells us clearly in His Word how to do this. When asked about the great commandment, Jesus gave this summary:
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
This means serving God and others with everything you’ve got. Be sure what you’re learning helps you keep the greatest commandment.
Reset your mindset!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
Reflect
- What is your attitude toward learning?
- How are you converting your learning to wisdom?
- In which area do you need to learn more diligently?
- Spirituality, Physical Life, Knowledge, Experience, Relationships, Heritage, Possessions, Finances or Time?
