Renewal through Reading Books

Another way of challenging and renewing our thinking is by reading books. It is important to find books that will enhance our passion for God and develop the gifts that He has placed within us. As we gain a clearer picture of the call that God has placed on our lives, we can read books that will develop us in relevant areas. There may be many resources available to us, so we need to choose the books that are relevant to our ministry and calling. For example, reading books on leadership can renew and transform our thinking, so that we have a more positive and effective ministry. Reading biographies of significant Christian leaders, like Hudson Taylor and John Wesley, can be very helpful as we will see the development processes through which they have gone, and enlarge our vision of what God can do.

There are greater opportunities available to us than we may imagine. We do not need to limit our reading to Christian authors. For example, reading biographies of secular leaders can help to sharpen our thinking. Reading books with which we do not agree can help us to clarify and articulate what we do believe. Whatever we choose to read, we should not feel bound to finish a book if we are not benefiting from it. Our time is too valuable to invest in areas that will not produce fruit for eternity.

It is important to reflect and evaluate the books that we read, so that we learn from what we read. For true learning to take place, we need to implement change in our lives. Writing a summary of a book can help us to reflect on and apply the principles in the book, so that we can draw up an action plan on how we can implement change in our lives.