Written By Ben Dankaka
Meditation – Hosea 4:6
For over 15 years, I have been in the education sector, trying to encourage young people to develop reading habits. My campaign on reading culture is predicated on my belief that self-education is one of the best ways that anyone can use to rise to the top. My emphasis is on anyone. Indeed, anyone, whether rich or poor can rise to the echelon of their careers through self-education. So I promote reading, which is the main way people can educate themselves. I discovered this a long time ago when I had to study for my senior school certificate examinations. Although, I never attended a class on Christian Religious Studies and English Literature, I prepared for the exams by reading the recommended books at home. No one tutored me. When the results were out, I got my highest grades from those two subjects. Ever since, I have relied on self-education to excel in order things.
I am not against school or any other formal education; I am only trying to say that self-education can benefit everyone, including those who do not have access to quality education or formal training. You may not have the money to study in some of the most expensive institutions, but if you are determined to learn, you can educate yourself through a reading habit. And whether you are in school or not, self-education is one of the best ways to become knowledgeable about a lot of things.
Today, many people grieve and live in abject poverty, not because they’ve been cursed but for the reason that they are wallowing in their own ignorance. They are perishing, not as result of a lack of education but because they lack a certain kind of knowledge. Do you know that one can go to the best schools, and yet be ignorant about a lot of things? You can come from a privileged background and still be ignorant of ways to live effectively. I have also learned that a person may be highly educated and not know God. The Scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”.
Notice that it didn’t say, the people perished for lack of education. The people of Israel were perishing because they lacked knowledge. In that verse, God wasn’t referring to education as it wasn’t the problem at that time. The Israelites already had some form of education. There were those that had some form of education in writing, singing, tent making and all sorts of craftsmanship. There were also educated priests and judges. The majority of the people were also well-educated on their traditions. So what was the problem? They lacked knowledge about the nature of God. In other words, they were perishing because they didn’t know how to live the kind of life that God wanted them to live. Are you in a similar situation?
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to live an effective life. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Kings 22:1-11
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.