“Study God and his strength, seek his presence day and night;” 1 Chronicles 16:11 MSG
When you seek to understand something because of its importance, you study it. This is why we have so much research work today on subjects that help explain our world.What I choose to study is different from yours because of our interests. And so, when we stand shoulder to shoulder, the question isn’t who knows this subject better, but who knows their subject better? In other words, you’re tested on what you study.David had just gotten the Ark of the Covenant back, and he was overjoyed. Part of his song was the anchor scripture above. Why? Because he was deeply interested in knowing more about God.Because of how much reverence he gave God, he wasn’t ready to just stay at the surface-level knowledge. He went deeper. He burned the midnight candle and was awake at dawn, just proving his reverence.The result? David was a better warrior and leader. But most of all, a lover of God. By just reverencing God, several parts of his life were positively affected. This should be the same for you and me.
How can we apply this to the work we do?
We have an area of specialization, an industry we are interested in, and a career path we want to follow. But not everyone reverences it enough to go on a knowledge quest.For many of us, once there’s a stable job with a good income, we stay there, unwilling to put in the extra effort of learning new things, taking exams, and developing our craft. Eventually, we will become obsolete and lament that AI will take our jobs.There came a time in my career when I realized that I was old-school. I knew the work, but I wasn’t up to speed with new technology. As I saw younger people spring up with less knowledge but better results, that became my wake-up call.So, what did I do? I took a new certification, re-evaluated my interests, and specialized more on one thing. I identified what I was curious about and started a new journey of discovery and learning.It’s tempting to feel like an expert and bask in old glory. But with the speed of new tech inventions, you either get curious or go home.
“Day and night, I will study the following subjects…”
This could be the Bible or something related to what you studied in school. The idea isn’t to just make a random list, but to write down what you know you’re interested in.List out subjects that intersect between your profession and passion and subjects that make you become a better person. But let everything lead to a goal you have set for yourself.
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