Most recently I completed a course in Income Tax Accounting. This course proved to be one of the most difficult courses I have every taken. I don't know if it was because I had been out of school for so long or because of the content but in the beginning I struggled with it alot. I remember the first day of class. I sat down in a class of about twenty-five, nervous but anxious. I have always loved school. The instructor walked in and handed me a syllabus. I glanced over it. He began to speak and the words that stuck out to me the most were "This can be a difficult course if you do not study. While most of you will wait until test time to open up your books, I recommend at least two hours a day, reading and working the homework problems and examples in the book." He went on to say that, "After the first test about seventy-five percent of you will come to me crying. You won't understand why you made the grade that you did. I will ask one question, How much time did you spend studying? I won't be surprised at the answer. So if you are serious about getting a good grade in this course, you will put in the work."
These words really hit home with me and maybe they mean something to you. I know that many of you reading this blog have decided to embark on a new chapter of your life. You have a strong desire to grow spiritually. Some of you may be on the journey with me for twenty-one days of spiritual renewal. You opened up the Bible and begin to read and did not understand at all what you read. But you kept reading. You didn't quite understand the wording and you definitely didn't see how it applied to your life. This may just be your first or second day and you have already been tempted to give up. Let me give you some encouragement - DON'T! The Bible was written to be understood and we have the best instructor at our disposal, morning, noon or night. I practice three steps that have helped me in my understanding of the Word. First, before I begin, I pray. I ask God to show me what to read. I ask him to open my ears to hear his voice. We are told in Jeremiah 33:3, 'Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things that thou dost not know'. That tells me in order for me to truly understand the Word I must consult the author. Ask God to show me what he wants me to know. The second thing I do is read out loud. And then I read it again. And sometimes I read it a third time. After which I am silent. One of the greatest tools to memorization is repetition. I have often times amazed at the things I am able to recall during times of crisis simple because I read it out loud several times. Just like when I was studying for each exam in Income Tax. I read and reread the chapters and believe it or not when test time came I was able to recall the necessary information each and every examination. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't start out the semester that way. You see, I was one of the individuals who got my first exam back and my grade wasn't that great. I believe I was overwhelmed. But it only took that one exam. I immediately changed my approach. I set up an appointment with my instructor for some one-on-one help because the lecture was good but when faced with doing the homework it was what I learned on my own that helped me with the concepts and helped me to better my grade with each test. Much like it is with our lives. We have been told at the beginning of the course that we will have tests and trials. We are also told how to prepare for those tests. Some of us follow the instructions and others are like me and we do a little to get by and when the first test comes we don't do as well as we would have liked. We go to church on Sunday and we leave feeling good. The choir sang and the preacher sho' did preach. We feel like we can handle anything. But when the test comes on Monday, we realize that we weren't as prepared as we thought we were. What we must learn to do when this happens is change our approach. We must dig deeper into our class materials - The Word of God. Every one of us is capable of being that 'A' student. So after we pray and read, then we must be silent and listen. Wait for God to reveal what he wants us to know. Draw from the examples of faith in his Word. Finally after you have done these things then pray again. Thank God for his revelation. Believe me when I tell you it works. It took me only one time in my class to not achieve the results I wanted to change my approach. And when I did and my final grade was posted, I had received one of the highest grades in the class. Some of my fellow classmates did not make it. Remember I told you we started out with about twenty-five students. We ended up with about fifteen or sixteen. Some students didn't want to put in the work but the ones who did are better because of it. One step closer to receiving the fruit from their labor. Don't give up my brother and my sister! You have the material! You know the author personally. You don't even have to receive second-hand knowledge. You are in control of what your final grade will be. 1. Pray 2. Read 3. Listen 4. Pray again
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. At times I am overwhelmed by what I read and I want to give up. Help me to pull from your strength to continue on. I may not have done so good in my class. I'm no longer making excuses. I am determined to finish strong and receive the prize that you have set me for me. Thank you for those things you have already began to reveal to me during this time of study. I know that with you I CAN do all things. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
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