Books by solid Christian authors can be a wonderful source of wisdom. The Scriptures teach us that Jesus gives teachers to his church (Ephesians 4:11). And, many of these teachers do so by the written word. Like the prophets of old, some teachers write and some preach and some do both. We do well to read their works. The retort is often given that only the Bible is to be read for edification in the christian life. But that is not what the Bible says. The Bible teaches us that reading truly is one of the greatest sources of wisdom for the believer.
Consider the Apostle Paul. When he was left to die in prison he longed to read books (2 Tim. 4:13). If Paul found reading constructive, how much more should we?
How many books did you read in 2019? How well did you steward your gift of literacy?
Now, I don’t just mean that you should read books pertaining to what you may think of as spiritual or religious things. Think of the very things that are going poorly in your life or perhaps the things you wish were going better: relationships, marriage, business, lifestyle, finances, health, etc. and read about these things.
Jesus gave you the shovel of literacy, but you’re going to have to dig. Dig until you feel something solid. Dig until it hurts.
One final note: depending on your current state of wisdom, you may or may not be able to choose books wisely. So, ask the pastors that Jesus has given you for a recommendation. (Ephesians 4:11).
