The Proverbs say it very well: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom comes from God. It is not learned in classrooms of higher learning or even through life’s experiences, but through the revealed truths of God. His way is wisdom, and wisdom requires understanding his way. So where are you going for wisdom? Whose school have you been attending? Who shapes your definition of the meaning and purpose of life? Who tells you who you are and what you should be doing? Who do you go to with your problems? Who instructs you as to how they will be solved? Who helps you to determine your life’s direction? Who tells you what is important in your life and what isn’t? Who shapes your relationships? Who clarifies your thinking in moments of difficulty? Are you really a faithful student in the school of the Lord, or do you just audit now and then when it’s convenient? Let me suggest the characteristics of a student in the school of the Lord.
Willingness and openness are the essential characteristics of any good student. Why, you may ask? Because learning not only shows me what I didn’t know, but it points out the places where what I thought I knew was, in fact, wrong. I cannot tell you how many defensive students I have met in my many years of teaching. “Defensive student” is actually an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp or low-fat butter. You can’t be defensive and be a student. You have to have a teachable heart. You have to be willing to be told that you are wrong. You have to submit yourself to someone who knows better and knows more. Defending what you know won’t lead wisdom or understanding. Willingness to listen, consider, and change are in the heart of every good student.
We live in a world with many voices. All of them are interpreting your world and all of them are vying for the allegiance of your heart. Colossians 2: 8: “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.” You must sit at the feet of the Master and listen to his voice, to be certain that what you are taught is wisdom. Learning is a life-long process in his classroom where you take what is taught and walk it out in your life.