Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Continuing Professional Development. CPD. What a pain! When I was a solicitor, even after I had qualified, I was expected to undertake a certain number of hours learning every year to keep my right to practice law. In the first five years after being commissioned as a Salvation Army officer, I was obliged to carry out 160 hours of added learning.
Why? Because learning never stops! There is always more to learn. Being teachable is a lifelong choice we should make. When Moses encouraged God’s people to choose life over death, he made it clear that this meant “to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways” (Deuteronomy 30:16). You can only do that if you learn what they are! But you don’t just learn them once and then decide you’ve made it. God has so much more to teach you.
God wants us to learn something new every day. He wants us to grow. We should be able to look back over the past year and see that we have become different because of what we have learned. Lifelong learning will make me a better leader. It will make you a better worker, parent, spouse, and friend.
Author Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ends with Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. Lifelong learning is the way to sharpen your saw. Learning and relearning to keep God’s commands and to walk in his ways will make create growth and change in your life and make you more effective as a follower of God. What will you learn today?
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
- What’s one specific way you could “sharpen your saw” today?
