Read Proverbs 4:18–23

The older I get the more serious I am about study and preparation. From my early days as a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, I was convinced of the importance of rigorous preparation, deep reading, and a solid theological and biblical education. In fact, I’ve sometimes wished I could’ve had more training—spent more years pursuing an even more scholarly set of skills.

Billy Graham, whom I’ve admired for years for his enormous effectiveness in preaching the gospel, when asked if he’d do anything differently if he had his life to do over, is said to have replied, “I’d spend three times as many years training for ministry, than actually doing ministry.” I’m with him.

Yet there is a balance. Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer and theologian, said, “He who has prayed well, has studied well.” What did he mean? He meant we must not neglect the spiritual preparation of our hearts.

Solomon understood this principle too:

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over. My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:18–23)

Solomon offers terrific advice! Especially in our day when such high premiums are placed on advanced degrees and high-powered credentials. Make certain you’re paying as much attention to your heart—spiritually speaking—as you are toward the development of your mind. Take time for prayer, for meditation on the Scriptures, and for simply listening to the still small voice of God. Do all that, and others will want to sit at your feet and listen.

Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

The full devotional can be purchased at https://www.tyndale.com/p/good-morning-lord-can-we-talk/9781414380681.