Thursday, October 25, 2018

3 Pillars that Encompass All Education

As I study through the Bible I continually see a three prong format for learning and educating oneself.

What is Education?

Educate means:

To bring up, as a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important duties of parents and guardians.




Again today I saw these three pillars of education in Philippians 1:9-10 which says,

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment (understanding, judgement), that you may approve (discern) the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ."

I see this layout in so many verses throughout scripture. I also see it when we decide to sin.

For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 John 2:16

"Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." James 1:15

Go to BlueLetterBible.com and search the word "understanding" or "wisdom" or "knowledge" and you'll see this over and over throughout scripture!


You can't have a true education if you don't have all three of these pillars. Like a three legged stool, it will not stand up and be able to hold anything if education doesn't include these three things.


What are the 3 Pillars that Encompass all true educating?



Did you figure them out yet?




(1) Knowledge ~ What does it say?

(2) Understanding ~ What does it mean?
(3) Discernment/Application ~ What does it mean to me?


To truly receive an education, you need all three of these pillars. 



You cannot simply obtain facts and figures and call that an education. I think most would agree that route memory isn't truly education.



Likewise, too many believe that having knowledge and understanding of something is adequate. 



I believe having knowledge, understanding and a discerning and thoughtful application of the knowledge and understanding is TURE education.






Let's take history for example.


I can know many things about the history of my country. I can know the Founding Fathers names, the dates of important events and so forth. 

Then I can even understand how those events came about. I can read the journals of these men and I can grasp a better understanding of what made them think the way they did, what influenced their decision making process and so forth.

However, it's when I come to this final step education becomes education: how does this apply to me? to my country now? how does what I learned provide a solution to the problem I am now facing? 






Still don't track with me? 

What about in our study of God's Word?


Sure I know the Israelites exited Egypt and God parted the Red Sea and all that...


Okay, I understand they did it because they weren't free to worship God in the way they wanted to; they were slaves, they were mistreated, they were fed up with it. I understand God chose Moses and placed him in a royal family with the upbringing he had to specifically lead them out of Egypt.

But it's not until I realize that God wants to free me from a life of bondage of sin and death, that God specifically chose His son Jesus Christ to deliver me from Egypt. It's not until I realize I need to conquer the promise land of a life sold out for Jesus Christ and fight the giants of sin and pride and selfishness to get victory in the things God's called me that REAL education happens. I need to share this message with my family, friends and the world!

God's Word is very clear on increasing in all knowledge, understanding and discernment. 


This is how you teach your kids to learn. 

This is how you educate them. 



Take any subject and apply these 3 pillars and they will receive a deep education. 



Math? 

Know how to do it, understand why you do it that way, and then apply it to real life. That's how math is truly learned. 


Science?

Learn about the types of rocks, animals, or chemical compounds. Understand their make-up, their usefulness, their origins. But, take that understanding and create something, discover something, build something... that's education.


Music?

Memorize a sheet of music. Understand music theory and how things are created. Then create your own compositions, play things by ear, improvise and apply those learned skills into something you physically created. 



God's Word truly DOES have all the answers to life and godliness... 1 Peter 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:16


Only homeschooling is specifically designed to foster this type of learning environment. 

Be encouraged to slow things down and give your kids the EDUCATION that most Americans... most of the world is lacking!

No comments:

Post a Comment