While on campus, one of our brothers was sharing a testimony of how God helped him in his exams, despite the limited time he had to prepare. His words, “I read until I was read (red)” became a common statement then in the fellowship. It spurred everyone up to a life of study.

Friend, developing a studious life is a personal responsibility. Nobody can transfer their knowledge to you. That you have a sound and studious husband does not make you a sound wife automatically, and that you have a sound and studious pastor does not automatically make you a sound Church member. At best, they should inspire and challenge you.

Read wide. Impact and relevance answer to being widely read. Know something about everything and everything about something. Knowing something about everything makes you a generalist and knowing everything about something makes you a specialist; you must be specially general and generally special.

That you are a pastor does not mean that you should know next to nothing about politics and governance, health, law, sports and even the entertainment industry. You cannot operate at the top of your game if you don’t learn widely. Focus on your calling but gain knowledge widely so you can be effective in the same (2 Timothy 2:15).

God cannot use you beyond your level of knowledge and exposure. Learning puts you at a place of advantage. You can connect easily. This may be the reason God used Paul more than He used Peter; one was a widely read lawyer, the other was a Fisherman who even found it difficult to understand some of the things that Paul wrote (2 Peter 3:15-16).

Moses’s mental capacity was instrumental to his success in life and ministry. He was mighty in words and in deeds (Acts 7:22). Or how could he have written the first five books of the Bible (the events of which he was never a part of) if not that he was schooled in the best University of those days in Egypt?

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria