Pursuing Intellectual Growth for God’s Glory

I recently had an experience that reminded me of the need to stay mentally sharp and pursue intellectual growth. The month of June was hectic. First, my wife and I spent a week working at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in the Chicago area. Then we spent a week with my parents and siblings in Missouri. I even worked remotely for a portion of it. When we returned home to California, while trying to catch up on work, there was the EFCA One Conference to attend for the University. I also needed to prepare and preach two sermons the following Sunday as pulpit supply. You may think there is enough in all of that to stay intellectually sharp, but being busy is not the same as intellectual growth, even if you are using your creative faculties.

Busyness keeps you from performing your best because you cannot give adequate time to your endeavors. When working at that speed, you tend to fall into what you already know how to do. There is no time to try to grow. Busyness like that also takes you away from other creative and intellectual outlets you usually pursue. My tight schedule is why this blog saw a slight lag over the last month. It would have been extra sparse if it were not for Rob Golding supplying a few articles.

Life is returning to normal again, and I hope to return to my routine soon, but one thing I notice when I face times like these is I start to grow mentally stagnant. It is similar to being away from the gym for a month. It does not take long before you feel its effects. So how do we stay in intellectual shape and pursue mental growth?

The first thing we must do is recognize that there are new levels of growth we should pursue. I once had an experience that showed me this from an athletic vantage point. In college, I and two other friends used to play racquetball quite a bit. We were in shape, and we played hard. The competition was always tight among us, and you never quite knew who would win.

One day I went to the gym without them, and an older guy was looking for someone to play with, so I volunteered for an hour-long session. I was in shape, and he was not. As I entered the court, I thought, “I will win, but I’ll take it easy on him.” He crushed me! It was a perfect example of pride going before a fall. His understanding of the game was on a level I did not even know existed. I learned more about racquetball in that hour than in the previous year.

I had a similar experience this past month intellectually. I spent some time with Dr. David Pao, the Dean of TEDS. I had the opportunity to hear him give a lecture where he unpacked some teaching from Habakkuk and Micah. Once again, I was reminded that there is so much more depth to the word of God, and I had grown comfortable swimming in the shallower waters.

About 15 years ago, my friend Christopher Neiswonger encouraged me by saying, “You need to start reading heavier books.” Obviously, he was not talking about the physical weight of books. He was talking about books that strained me mentally—books that pushed me beyond my current abilities.

Following his advice helped me grow significantly. I started spending time with books like Carl F. H. Henry’s God, Revelation, and Authority. When I read books like that, I felt I only understood about 50% of what he was saying, but what a 50% it was. It opened my eyes to new realities, reminded me not to get comfortable where I was, and to always push for growth.

It is time to get back to that practice. Along with reading your usual books, always have one that makes you work to mine its riches. Mental exertion is good for us. It is like lifting weights, it may be tiresome at the time, but the muscles grow stronger. It also keeps us humble, knowing we do not have it all figured out yet. Some people are operating on an entirely different level, and we can also grow in that direction.

There is much more to spiritual maturity than intellectual growth, and it is possible to have one without the other, but how much better would it be to have both? The Lord has given us talents and abilities. The intellect is one of those gifts, and we should invest in it to see it increase for his glory.

-D. Eaton