Intellectual Well-Being

When Jesus was asked for His view on what the great commandment of the Law is, He responded saying:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  Matthew 22:37

Notice the combination. It is not that we are to love the Lord with our heart and nothing else, or our soul alone, or even just with our mind. Rather all three are cited together as they are to work together toward a holistic love of God.

In Proverbs 1, we begin to get a flavor of the wisdom that God blessed Solomon with.

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We will always be learning and growing in wisdom. That is the nature of our lives from beginning to end. Being open not just to learning for the sake of learning, but rather seeking to grow humbly in the wisdom of God for the benefit of others, we put our learning to constructive use. Knowledge is a give, but our intellectual well-being is more than just knowing a lot of stuff.

Thoughts for Reflection

1. What kinds of learning about God and His creation are you the most excited to engage in?

2. What does it mean to love the Lord, heart, soul, and mind in your life?

3. What areas of learning do you hesitate the most to spend time with and how can God encourage you to seek His truth in those areas as well?

Downloadable Reflection Guide