Education is more than learning or memorizing facts.
Education is also more than just learning how to earn a living.
At Ambassador Colleges (beautiful Pasadena campus pictured on our
cover), the MISSING DIMENSION in education is taught. Students
learn to recapture true values, learn the meaning and PURPOSE of
life! Ambassador students not only learn how to earn a living,
they also learn HOW TO LIVE. Read, in this lesson, the real
importance of right education so necessary for lasting, true
success.
Education is in a state of turmoil today! Students are
dissatisfied, true educational values are lost, universities have
become faceless factories. But education is vital for true
success in life! Here is why, and how you can secure the right
education in your life.
THE NATIONS of the world have "perhaps 10 YEARS LEFT in
which to subordinate their ancient quarrels and launch a global
partnership to curb the arms race, to improve the human
environment, to defuse the population explosion and to supply the
required momentum to world development efforts."
If world problems and crises are not solved in ten years, if
nations do not begin to cooperate on a global basis, said U
Thant, "then I very much fear the problems I have mentioned will
have reached such staggering proportions that they will be beyond
our capacity to control."
But how did the world come to such a state of affairs? How
did such a worldwide crisis suddenly descend upon us?
The answer, when you understand it, boils down to the
problem of EDUCATION!
Because of a lack of sound education, because of national
prejudices, disagreeing histories, lies and political propaganda,
the world's nations have never been able to get together and work
to SOLVE man's mounting problems.
Despite universities and colleges, there has developed an
astounding "knowledge gap." Despite the phenomenal growth of
material knowledge in the past decade -- in which the world's sum
total of knowledge DOUBLED -- education and knowledge concerning
peace and the solutions to the world's problems was never more
desperately needed!
How can world crises be solved as long as 45 percent of the
world's children have no chance of receiving even a formal
education? How can India's problems of soaring population be
solved as long as over 68 percent of the Indian population is
illiterate? How can Africa cope with its problems as long as 80
percent of the population cannot read or write?
UNESCO estimates that 45 percent of all people over 15 years
of age in the world cannot read or write! In the non-Communist
nations alone, there are three quarters of a billion illiterate
adults!
Lack of education, worldwide, is a terrible CURSE
obstructing progress and ruling out any hopes of true success in
life for vast numbers of mankind!
Multiple millions are under this awful curse and have
virtually no hope of changing things during this life. Millions
are doomed to poverty, and millions more to mediocrity, because
of a lack of true, worthwhile, proper EDUCATION.
But lack of education is not only a global, international
problem. It not only poses a virtually insurmountable problem for
the world's nearly 140 or so nations with hundreds of differing
customs, languages, religions and beliefs, to learn to work
together in cooperation -- it is also a PERSONAL, individual
problem in the lives of millions even in the affluent nations!
Chances are even YOU are hampered to some degree in
achieving real, lasting, true success because of a LACK of the
RIGHT KIND OF EDUCATION!
Therefore, this worldwide problem should personally interest
and concern YOU.
Today, education in universities around the world is
becoming increasingly irrelevant. Students are dissatisfied.
Classes are becoming sounding boards for politics instead of
academic learning situations. Whole university campuses have been
shut down because of student rebellion and protest. In the spring
of 1969, over 200 American universities were struck by
demonstrating, rebelling students. In the spring of 1970,
hundreds more were shut down because of student strikes and the
threat of violence.
But the United States is not alone in facing this problem.
France, England, Japan, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and a long list
of other nations have also witnessed students on the rampage.
It would seem that students today -- or a great many of them
-- are not really interested in EDUCATION. All too many would
rather protest, demonstrate, and rebel. Surprisingly, educational
polls reveal that more than half the boys and girls who go to
college go for FUN for football games, social life, fraternities
and sororities -- not for academic reasons.
A comprehensive survey of college students conducted by the
Educational Testing Service revealed that 51 percent of the
freshmen want college for "collegiate" reasons -- in other words,
to have a good time. Only 19 percent admitted they go to college
for academic reasons -- to learn.
But frankly, being educated in one of the colleges in this
world DOES NOT lead to true success. How many college graduates
do you know who ended up working the pumps at a gasoline station?
How many, after four years in college, are really equipped to
succeed in their chosen occupation?
Dr. David B. Truman, dean of Columbia College, the men's
undergraduate liberal arts school of Columbia University in New
York City, said American colleges are turning out "the NEW
BARBARIAN, the educated illiterate" -- students who are
knowledgeable only in their own specialty. Said Dr. Truman: "The
specialist who is trained but uneducated, technically skilled but
culturally incompetent, is a menace."
Professor Claude Coleman, director of a Special Honors
Curriculum for Gifted Undergraduates at Southern Illinois
University, also criticized modern education in the United
States. He declared that American universities are turning out
"splendid splinters" instead of educated men and women. He
asserted American society is educating its best minds in the
wrong directions and with a false sense of values.
Charged Professor Coleman: "Nine-tenths of our faculties are
bores, simply because they become complete nincompoops outside
their specialties. They are not happy until their undergraduate
majors become as NARROW as they are themselves."
An illustration of the failure of modern college education
to REALLY educate and teach young students is the study of
geography. One year, 92 percent of all graduating seniors in a
university had not even been exposed to one course in geography!
An Eastern college submitted its entering class of 500 to a
geography quiz. Shocking as it may sound, 38 percent could not
even locate Alaska; 40 percent mislocated Communist China; 61
percent placed England on the European Continent; and 86 percent
could not even point to a location within 500 miles of the Rocky
Mountains.
The reason for the world's growing problems today, as well
as many people's personal problems, is simply the fact that
millions who have been "educated" have been inoculated with the
WRONG KIND of education. An UNBALANCED education! They have been
taught material, physical knowledge, but are totally ignorant of
SPIRITUAL knowledge!
Such an imbalance is guaranteed to wreck the lives of
individuals and destroy the future of entire nations!
Seeing the problem in its true perspective, Dr. Benjamin E.
May, President of Morehouse College, Atlanta, declared: "We know
more than we have ever known. We have more educated people than
at any time in history; we have more people with college degrees,
yet our humanity is a diseased humanity ....
"It isn't knowledge we need; knowledge we have. Humanity is
in need of something SPIRITUAL."
How true! Dr. May put his finger right on the problem.
Spiritual understanding is a fundamental part of the
knowledge which is lacking in this world's educational systems.
Too many are taught a conglomeration of "facts," and a smattering
of "ideas," but are not taught how to UNDERSTAND world problems.
They are taught "how" to do something, but not "why."
Warned Robert Hutchins, head of the center for the Study of
Democratic Institutions in Santa Barbara, California: "To omit
understanding from education, to confuse education with training
and the transmission of information ... is to guarantee --
insofar as an educational system can affect the outcome -- the
collapse of a civilization."
These are the truly fundamental, foundational questions that
need to be answered!
Right Education Needed
Obviously, the kind of education disseminated by this
world's educational institutions is direly lacking. It has led to
the world's present predicament. It has brought us to the world's
present state of global CRISIS, and away from true success!
How could anybody be successful in life if he pursues his
goals and objectives IGNORANTLY, not knowing how to achieve them?
How could a person achieve success if he plunges into life unable
to communicate intelligently, unable to read or write, or lacking
a solid, sound, foundational education?
In this lesson, we will learn that acquiring the RIGHT kind
of education is basic to achieving true success -- that right
education is indeed the SECOND BASIC LAW OF SUCCESS!
Let's begin to see what the Bible has to say about
EDUCATION. It probably says much more than you would ever
imagine!
LESSON 58
The SECOND Law of Success
Fixing and focusing on the RIGHT GOAL in life is the first
law of success. The second law is also vitally important. Without
it, success would be totally impossible.
The second law of success is EDUCATION, or PREPARATION to
achieve that right goal!
Without the education necessary to achieve the true goal or
purpose in life, one would be hampered and restricted -- hindered
from ever really accomplishing -- obstructed by his or her own
IGNORANCE!
You must not only have the right goal -- you must know HOW
to achieve it! You must have the knowledge required to arrive at
that goal. You must learn all you can about it.
Animals have instinct. They don't need education. Calves
know where to find mother's milk. Birds automatically know how to
build nests. But human beings MUST BE TAUGHT EVERY THING!
Dogs can be taught a few simple tricks. Dolphins can be
taught to bounce balls about, to dive over outstretched bars or
through flaming hoops -- but that is all. They are limited. They
don't have the potential MIND POWER that mankind has!
1. What are we commanded to do in order to show ourselves
approved to God? II Tim. 2:15.
2. Is the inspired Word of God profitable for spiritual
EDUCATION? II Tim. 3:16-17.
3. What did Jesus say we are to live by? Matt. 4:4 and Luke
4:4.
COMMENT: HOW can we live by EVERY word of God unless we KNOW
that Word -- unless we spend time STUDYING it, and drinking it
into our innermost beings?
4. Did David "hide" God's Word within his heart so he would
not forget it and sin against God? Ps. 119:11.
COMMENT: HOW could David make God's Word a part of him
unless he studied it diligently?
5. Does God's Word illuminate our footsteps, showing us the
right path to walk in? Ps. 119:105.
6. HOW do Christians GROW IN FAITH? Is it through hearing
and studying the Word of God? Rom. 10:17.
7. From whom does RIGHT KNOWLEDGE -- or EDUCATION -- come
from? Prov. 2:6. Should we grab hold of instruction? Prov. 4:13.
COMMENT: Right education or instruction, then, involves
learning the TRUTH of God. But it also includes learning how to
use the mental powers you were endowed with by God. It involves
learning HOW TO THINK! The basic trouble with most schools today
is that they simply pour textbook knowledge -- whether right or
wrong -- into the minds of children. Children are taught to
memorize facts, data -- but not how to use their minds to THINK,
to analyze, to weigh, to discern between right and wrong. All too
often, evolutionary garbage is funneled right into their pliable,
plastic, unsuspecting young minds. Without realizing it, they are
taught to look at life from an evolutionary approach or
viewpoint.
Goal-oriented education also involves personality
development, character development, leadership, experience,
knowledge from travel, personal contacts with successful men and
other people, observation and right associations.
Right education teaches the basic principles of life and
success. It teaches the overall principle that for every effect
THERE IS A CAUSE! Good results come from right causes; evil
effects are the result of EVIL causes or actions.
The kind of education disseminated at this world's
educational institutions is not geared to equip students for true
success in life -- believe it or not.
Cheating is rampant in classrooms. Dishonesty is rife.
Grades are all that count with far too many students. How they
get those grades simply doesn't matter.
Is it any wonder, then, that we have so many college
graduates who are able to do nothing more than run a gasoline
pump at a service station? Is it any wonder that many college
graduates are looked upon as misfits in business and industry?
PHOTO CAPTION: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? -- A chimpanzee can't think
and reason, but he can be taught to react to simple instructions.
Humans can think and reason. But instead of teaching children how
to really use their minds, most schools today simply pour
textbook knowledge into them through memorization of facts and
data!
Importance of Instruction
1. What does the Bible say about those who refuse
instruction? Prov. 5:11-13.
2. Does right instruction include reproof -- correction?
Prov. 6:23. Is it the WAY OF LIFE? Same verse. Does instruction
make a wise man still wiser? Prov. 9:9.
3. Is the man who refuses reproof making a serious mistake?
Prov. 10:17. What happens to him? Prov. 13:18; 15:10.
4. Should we love instruction and knowledge? Prov. 12:1.
What is a person who hates correction or reproof? Same verse.
COMMENT: The Moffatt translation says, "He who cares to know
cares to be set right, but he who hates to be admonished is a
STUPID creature." God says a person who hates knowledge,
instruction and education is STUPID!
5. What will eventually happen to the man who is reproved
often and finally hardens his will against receiving correction?
Prov. 29:1.
Self-Educated Men
1. Do wise men SEEK knowledge, education? Prov. 18:15.
COMMENT: Actually, the best educated man is the
self-educated man -- that is, the man who is really interested in
what he studies; who isn't merely trying to get a good grade in a
class; who studies hard, driving himself to learn about the
particular field he has chosen for his life's work!
PHOTO CAPTION: ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- Lincoln was one of the most
famous self-educated men. He taught himself the profession of
law, and later became President of the United States.
PHOTO CAPTION: THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- Former President of the
United States, Roosevelt was basically a self-educated, forceful
man. He succeeded as a writer, military leader, and great
statesman.
Abraham Lincoln never graduated from high school; never went
to college. But he pored over books at night, including Gibbon's
"Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". He drove himself to
study. He burned the midnight oil. He taught himself the
profession of law -- and finally, because of his self-education
and diligence, he became President of the United States.
2. Does right instruction include hearing a multitude of
good counsel? Prov. 11:14; 15:22. Does it also include walking
with wise associations? Prov. 13:20.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was not an outstanding student in his
school days. He was not overly impressive when he went to West
Point as a young army officer candidate. But he studied
diligently on his own. All during his army career, he studied
books dealing with the army and military strategy. He broadened
his education by associating with top-notch army officers. He
gained field experience in Central America, and continued
studying. He put his mind to what he was doing while he was doing
it. He gained valuable experience.
PHOTO CAPTION: DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER -- Another Successful,
largely self-educated man who devoted his life in service to his
country.
Eisenhower, because of his diligence and attention to his
duty, and his self-improvement on the job, became Supreme
Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe in World War II -- and
later became President of the United States!
Theodore Roosevelt was another who did not distinguish
himself at school, but he was an omnivorous reader throughout his
life. Almost nothing could interrupt his concentration while
reading. He was a man of wide interests. He had a wide background
of experience, including ranching, hunting, African safaris,
Amazon exploration in South America, as well as military
experience fighting in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
Roosevelt, also, was largely self-educated.
All these men, however, were successful only insofar as this
present life is concerned. They did not understand the great,
all-encompassing plan and purpose of God. They did not grasp
spiritual truth.
But a truly great opportunity has been placed before you.
God has revealed great and marvelous truths to YOU. He has
shown you His wonderful plan for all mankind. What are you doing
with this knowledge? Are you educating yourself, driving yourself
to learn all you can about God's way of life?
3. Does God say we should APPLY ourselves to instruction and
knowledge? Prov. 23:12; 22:17-19. Does this knowledge lead to a
wonderful REWARD? Prov. 24:14.
COMMENT: How plain it should be that right education is
essential to REAL SUCCESS. A person cannot be successful in life
unless he is willing to STUDY, to learn, to educate himself. This
does not mean he should concentrate his studies on some intricate
scientific subject only. It means the successful man needs a
well-rounded, balanced education! He needs to be knowledgeable in
many fields besides his own speciality.
Above all, however, it means he needs to be EDUCATED in the
study of God's Word. Even more important than physical knowledge
for success is SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE so he can live by God's
principles of success! Obeying the Word of God is the surest
route to true success -- it is the ONLY route!
In the final conclusion, spiritual SALVATION is right
spiritual EDUCATION in God's way of life, His plan and purpose;
understanding what repentance is all about; and studying and
understanding basic Bible doctrines about faith, repentance,
baptism, the resurrection, judgment. Knowledge about these
important subjects is the most important, most vital knowledge
ever published!
PHOTO CAPTION: MISSING TODAY -- The great men of this world
lacked one vital ingredient in their education. They did not
understand the basic foundation of all knowledge -- the Bible.
Inscription appears over south wing entrance of Ambassador Hall
on Ambassador's Pasadena campus.
You have been receiving the education that really counts
through this Correspondence Course. Have you been taking full
advantage of it? We know many of you have NOT! Perhaps you need
to go back to the first lesson and begin learning what you missed
due to lack of diligence and the motivation which results from a
full realization of your purpose in life, and the need to study
God's Instruction Book for attaining true success.
Education Is More Than Knowledge!
For a person to achieve true success, he must do more than
acquire "knowledge" of the facts. Knowledge is vitally important.
But far too many people don't know how to USE that knowledge!
Knowledge, unless it is applied and used wisely, is
worthless. To properly apply and use knowledge, a person must
grow in UNDERSTANDING and WISDOM.
A college professor might have tremendous KNOWLEDGE in
economics or history. But what good is it unless he can use it to
help solve people's economic problems, or help students gain
insight into the patterns and trends of history?
Many men have been failures because they had some knowledge,
but that was all. They simply couldn't apply it. For example, a
man might have the imagination and inventiveness to invent an
interesting gadget or device. But he might not know how to
develop it into a practical commodity. Somebody else might come
along, purchase the patent for the device, and mass produce it
for the public because he saw a widespread use for it. And he,
not the inventor, will make millions of dollars, pounds, or
francs from the other man's invention. And so many inventors have
died in poverty, while other men took their ideas or inventions
and used them to make millions.
To be truly educated, therefore, one must also develop his
mind so he can APPLY knowledge, USE it, make it practical and
beneficial.
Notice how the Bible bears this out:
Understanding and Wisdom
1. Does possession of wisdom provide riches, wealth, honor
and happiness? Prov. 3:13-18. Does wisdom lead to PEACE? Verse
17.
COMMENT: God shows that WISDOM is absolutely essential for
true success.
2. Just what is real wisdom? Is it the fear or awe of God?
Prov. 9:10 and Job 28:28. What is the Bible definition of the
"fear of the Lord"? Prov. 8:13.
COMMENT: Those who fear God, who stand in awe of Him and
FEAR to do evil or sin -- who KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS -- have true
wisdom! This wisdom comes from God (Prov. 2:6). It is a vital KEY
to success and prosperity!
3. Do other Proverbs show that wisdom is vital to achieving
peace, honor, wealth, fame, fortune and TRUE SUCCESS? Prov.
4:5-9; 8:11-12, 15-18. Will those who have real wisdom inherit
substance -- have their treasures filled? Verse 21.
COMMENT: How many truly WISE people do you know who follow
this TRUE WAY to lasting success and prosperity?
4. Notice what other two qualities are often associated with
true wisdom in the Bible. Is UNDERSTANDING one of them? Prov
4:5-7. Is the other one KNOWLEDGE? Prov. 2:3, 5-6.
5. Will those who have real understanding, knowledge and
wisdom be spared many mistakes, and kept from stumbling and
falling into failure? Prov. 2:10-12.
COMMENT: KNOWLEDGE is the accumulation of facts. Acquiring
RIGHT knowledge can be achieved by learning truth instead of
error. But most people in the world don't have right knowledge.
Their minds are filled with lies, errors, mistaken concepts,
false ideas -- a mixture of truth and error. Such a mixture is
poisonous. It's just like adding a column of figures; if one
number is wrong, the final answer will be wrong. Therefore, it is
vital to get RIGHT KNOWLEDGE in order to achieve real, lasting
success!
UNDERSTANDING is the quality of properly evaluating the
knowledge one has. It involves discernment. It requires seeing
the broad perspective, seeing how one's knowledge fits into the
overall picture. When a person UNDERSTANDS knowledge, he sees its
true significance -- its real meaning. Many people who have
knowledge still lack this vital ingredient of understanding!
WISDOM is the capstone of the three. Wisdom is the proper
and right utilization of knowledge and understanding. It is
putting knowledge and understanding to the right ACTION -- the
proper use! Millions who have a degree of knowledge and
understanding, fall miserably short of possessing true wisdom!
They don't know how to APPLY their information -- how to rightly
use the facts. When it comes to acting on their knowledge, they
are abysmally lost. Therefore, they never achieve REAL SUCCESS!
6. Who is the source of true understanding and wisdom? Prov.
2:6. What do we have to do to receive true wisdom? Jas. 1:5-6.
Learn How to THINK!
No matter what your job, it requires a certain amount of
education. The higher your job, the more education it requires.
Even a carpenter's apprentice needs instruction to do his job
well. To advance, and to finally become a fully qualified
carpenter, he must learn the necessary skills. The more
instruction and education he can master, the better carpenter he
will become. If he really applies himself, he might become a
foreman, a superintendent, or even a contractor or a builder.
How high you rise depends to a great extent upon how much
you learn -- upon your education!
True education is the soundest investment you can make in
life. But true education is not necessarily measured by how many
years you spend in school or classrooms. It does not depend on
the number of diplomas or degrees you earn. It is measured more
accurately by how well you LEARN TO THINK! Knowledge alone, as we
have seen, is not enough.
Said Ralph J. Cordiner, Chairman of General Electric: "Two
of our most outstanding presidents ... never had an opportunity
to attend college. Although some of our present officers have
doctor's degrees, 12 out of 41 have no college degrees. WE ARE
INTERESTED IN COMPETENCE, NOT DIPLOMAS."
Merely being a sponge, and soaking up facts, won't bring you
true success. A fact can be looked up in an encyclopedia, or an
almanac. Books and files contain facts. True success depends much
more on how well you learn to use your mind, analyze problems,
solve them, and THINK! (Not "Thimk!")
1. Did the kind of wisdom God gave Solomon include the
ability to think? Read I Kings 3:16-28. This is the kind of
thinking ability YOUR education should lead to!
COMMENT: God can add this ability to you as you yourself
develop your mind -- learn how to make decisions -- how to think.
Learning facts is important, for you must have facts in order to
properly arrive at sound decisions. But you must also develop
your capacity for thinking analytically, for meditating over
situations, for understanding concepts, and for applying that
information to real life.
Stretch your mind. Train it to think constructively,
positively.
Albert Einstein believed it was more important to use your
mind to THINK than as a warehouse for facts. A story has been
circulated about Einstein being asked how many feet there are in
a mile. He replied: "I don't know. Why should I fill my brain
with facts I can find in two minutes in any standard reference
book?"
Another story has been told about Henry Ford, inventor of
the Ford automobile. The 'Chicago Tribune' had called Ford an
ignoramus, and a libel suit followed. Ford was asked who Benedict
Arnold was, when the Revolutionary War was fought, etc. Ford, who
had no formal education, could not answer.
Finally, in exasperation, Henry Ford thundered: "I don't
know the answers to those questions, but I could find a man in
five minutes who does."
PHOTO CAPTION: THOMAS EDISON -- Edison was more concerned about
thinking ability than in memorizing a lot of statistical facts or
data. Consequently he invented many forerunners of the useful
modern conveniences we take for granted today.
PHOTO CAPTION: USE YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY -- You do not need to
purchase the books and magazines mentioned in this lesson. Your
public library contains most of them. Books not on hand can often
be ordered by your library from the state library, or the Library
of Congress. Public libraries are provided as a public service to
you -- so take advantage of that service.
Ford, like Einstein, was more concerned about THINKING
ability than in memorizing a lot of unimportant statistical facts
or historical data.
Too many people are like parrots. They can memorize very
well. They are like walking, talking encyclopedias. But they are
at a loss when it comes to THINKING, analyzing, making decisions,
solving problems, developing new ideas.
An example of THINKING occurred in the life of Thomas
Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb. Edison asked a young
mathematician to figure out the cubic capacity of a light bulb.
All week long the brilliant mathematician worked over his
figures. He measured the bulb, calculated the curvature of the
bulb, and pondered his data.
At the end of the week Edison returned and saw him still
poring over the problem. "Haven't you finished that yet?" he
asked. "Here, let me show you how to do it." Edison then took the
bulb, filled it to the brim with water, then poured the water
into a square basin. It took him a few minutes to get the answer,
whereas the "expert" took all week and still did not calculate
the final answer.
Readers Often Become Leaders
Henry Ford declared that young people should PREPARE
themselves with the training, knowledge and experience every
leader needs. Edison said he devoted every cent he could lay
hands on to scientific books, and materials for experiments. Many
famous men, including Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt, and others,
have admitted their whole lives were changed through reading a
book or several inspiring books.
Books, especially autobiographies and biographies of
successful men and women, can INSPIRE, STIMULATE, and MOTIVATE
YOU to greater achievement and success! Biographies of such men
as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Thomas
Edison, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, and a host of
others are very profitable reading.
The right kind of reading may awaken slumbering ideas in the
back of your mind and provide an incentive or a goal to achieve.
The study of the lives of great and successful men has aroused
dormant abilities and aptitudes in thousands of other men and
women who previously were stumbling along in life.
Don't waste time reading trashy novels filled with sex and
sensual filth, or comic books, often filled with violence and
gore. Be selective in your reading. Choose profitable, useful,
educational books. Choose good books on history, ecology,
pollution, the population explosion, and other world problems;
visit the non-fiction section of your local library. Read such
books as "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "Too Many", "Famine
-- 1975!", "Our Precarious Habitat", "The Hidden Persuaders",
etc.
Also, keep up with world news. Don't be ignorant of world
affairs. Read a weekly news magazine for reports on global
affairs. Strive to obtain a broad-based, balanced, top-level
education so you are conversant with world affairs, international
relations, and the problems facing our world.
Read books on getting things done, such as "How to Get More
Done in Less Time", "The Technique of Getting Things Done",
"Streamlining Your Executive Workload", and others which will
help you make the most of your time, learning to redeem vital
minutes which you normally would waste during your lifetime.
You "don't have time"? Then you need to MAKE TIME! Arrange
your life so you can spend profitable time every day READING
worthwhile books, magazines, and the important news. Don't
neglect this vital secret of successful living!
When you study the life of a truly successful man, you'll
find that invariably he was an omnivorous reader. His reading
helped him get ahead. It inspired him with new ideas, challenged
his imagination, spurred him to action. But tragically, most
people today have forgotten or neglected the vital art of
reading. They waste hours viewing television, that greatest
mind-robber of all time! They allow the narcotic effect of the
"boob tube" to satiate them, to effortlessly fill their minds
with drivel.
What about you?
To read more, follow these helpful tips: keep good reading
matter handy; use routine travel time for reading whenever
possible; read while waiting for appointments; use spare minutes,
perhaps at lunchtime; read before going to sleep. Do your
heaviest reading when freshest. Choose your reading material with
great care. Don't waste time on nonentities.
Read with a purpose -- not aimlessly. Concentrate. Pause
from time to time to summarize the material to yourself and THINK
about what you're reading.
Read faster. Skim unimportant sections and trivia. You might
even take a reading course for faster reading, if you wish. A
good book to improve your reading speed could probably be found
at a local library, saving you much money on a reading course.
When you read your own books and magazines, feel free to
mark the material. Underline important sections, put stars or
asterisks in the margin -- whatever you need to do to call your
attention to that material in the future when you may wish to
refer to it again or review it.
Reading will help you prepare for your future work, and will
contribute greatly to your success in life, whether you are young
or old. You are NEVER too old to learn, to grow in knowledge, or
to prepare for the future! Because of poor eyesight, some few
might not be able to read AS MUCH as they should. But if you have
good eyesight and health, then don't make excuses for yourself.
PHOTO CAPTION: BE INFORMED -- The successful person is a
well-informed person, keeping abreast of current events and world
problems. Books, newspapers, and news magazines are ideal sources
of this important knowledge. Used in conjunction with your Bible,
you can better fulfill the command to "WATCH" in Luke 21:36.
Remember, readers often become leaders. Leaders are
invariably readers. And readers are also more successful in life.
What about you?
PREPARE for Your Calling
Ostensibly, four or more years of a college education should
prepare young men and women for life in the world.
But it seldom does. The world's educational system
invariably turns out men and women prepared for nothing but
eventual failure in all too many facets of life. Why?
Because it is narrow, unbalanced, restricted. It does not
encompass the WHOLE of life. It neglects the spiritual!
Even the "successful" men we have mentioned in this lesson,
from Ford to Einstein, were only "limitedly" successful. That is,
they did NOT achieve true success because they were SPIRITUALLY
ignorant! They did not understand the basic purpose or plan of
life -- why they were born, what life is all about.
God did not reveal His wonderful TRUTH to them!
But God has revealed that marvelous truth to YOU. You have
been studying it for the past 57 lessons of this Correspondence
Course. The purpose of life has been made PLAIN to you -- so
plain a child can understand.
You have been receiving vital SPIRITUAL education that this
world lacks sorely. You have been receiving the information you
need in order to be a true, outstanding SUCCESS in life -- both
spiritually AND materially!
What are you doing with this priceless spiritual education?
Is it merely knowledge that is soaking into your head? Or, is it
practical knowledge which you are USING in your life?
Remember: Knowledge is only of value as it is USED!
God will hold you accountable for all the priceless
knowledge He has permitted you to receive. Your potential, with
this knowledge, is far higher than that of any president or king,
or even the angels in heaven. God expects you to put the
education you are receiving to use in your life to develop holy,
righteous, spiritual CHARACTER! He wants you to grow in the grace
and knowledge of Christ so that eventually you can be born into
the very Family -- or Kingdom -- of God, as His very own Son!
God is going to ultimately place you in charge of vast
responsibilities, if you are born into His Kingdom! You are now
being EDUCATED for that supreme purpose.
What are you doing with this education?
Study the KNOWLEDGE of God
1. For what reason did the prophet Hosea say that God's
people were destroyed? Hos. 4:6. Had they REJECTED knowledge or
right education? Same verse.
2. What did Christ say the Pharisees had taken away from the
people so they could not enter God's Kingdom? Luke 11:52.
3. Were the Scriptures written for our LEARNING? Rom. 15:4.
Does God want us to abound more and more in the knowledge of His
way, and literally be FILLED with the knowledge of His will?
Phil. 1:9 and Col. 1:9. Are we to continually INCREASE in His
knowledge? Verse 10.
COMMENT: Are you OBEYING the laws which you find revealed in
God's Word? Are you putting them into practice? Are you striving
to learn all you can about the Supreme Goal in life -- the
purpose for which you were born?
Are you studying God's Word -- the Bible -- daily? Are you
sometimes even studying it on your knees, drinking in every word,
absorbing its vital message?
Christ said man shall live by EVERY WORD of God. How can you
really DO that, unless you STUDY His Word, meditate on it, and
think deeply about it?
The Apostle James wrote: "For if any one only listens to the
Word without obeying it and being a DOER of it, he is like a man
who looks carefully at his own natural face in a mirror; for he
thoughtfully observes himself, then goes off and promptly forgets
what he was like. But he who looks carefully into the faultless
law, the law of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in
looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets, but
an active doer who obeys, he shall be blessed in his doing -- in
his life of obedience" (Jas. 1:23-25, Amplified Version).
These words are timeless. They apply just as much today as
when the Apostle James originally was inspired to write them.
4. Did Christ Himself LEARN by the things He experienced or
"suffered"? Heb. 5:8. Are Christians also to LEARN by their
experiences in living the Christian life? I Pet. 2:21.
5. Is KNOWLEDGE one of the attributes true Christians are to
inculcate into their character? II Pet. 1:5-9. What does God
command Christians to GROW in? II Pet. 3:18.
COMMENT: Diligent study of the Scriptures is needed to
really GROW in usefulness in God's Work! Too many are NOT
diligently studying their Bibles. Too many have only the foggiest
notion of how to explain Scriptural doctrines to others who are
interested. Many cannot even locate basic verses in their Bibles!
What about you? Are you able to explain the basic doctrines
of the Bible, having studied this far in the Ambassador College
Correspondence Course? Could you simply and clearly explain to
someone who asked you the truth about heaven, or hell, or law and
grace, or the resurrection? Can you simply and easily disprove
the immortal soul doctrine taught in most of this world's
churches today?
Do you study your Bible regularly? Or do you just pick it up
occasionally when you don't have anything better to do? When did
you last read through the entire Bible? Or have you ever?
It's time to stop kidding ourselves -- to stop assuming we
know all we need to know about God's Word. If we want to please
God and truly be SUCCESSFUL in life, then we need urgently to
faithfully STUDY THE BIBLE DAILY to continually drink in of its
message, absorb its teachings, study and remember its doctrines,
and apply in our lives its principles of wisdom and success!
Don't deceive yourself. Only those who sink their roots
deeply into God's Word, and take spiritual nourishment from it,
will grow in grace and knowledge will DEVELOP in spiritual
understanding and character -- and will finally enter the Kingdom
of God as one of His born SONS!
God commands "STUDY"!
Are you obeying that command?
USE This Knowledge
The first two laws of success naturally go hand in hand. You
must set your aim -- fix your GOAL. Then you must EDUCATE
yourself to achieve that goal -- you must study, learn, push
yourself to master all the instruction that pertains to that
goal.
The men of God in the Bible studied God's Word. They were
familiar with God's instruction. Christ thoroughly knew the Word
of God so that when Satan tempted Him, He was able to resist
every temptation by referring to the proper Scripture.
Are you STUDYING this Correspondence Course, THE PLAIN TRUTH
magazine, TOMORROW'S WORLD magazine, and all the booklets and
literature you receive from God's Work? Are you applying this
wonderful spiritual knowledge in your own life?
We hope and pray you are. The rewards are far greater than
your mind can begin to fully comprehend! As the Apostle Paul
stated: "For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a
dim, blurred reflection of reality as in a riddle or enigma, but
then when perfection comes we shall see in reality and face to
face!" (I Cor. 13:12, Amplified Version.)
PHOTO CAPTION: Bible study should be an integral part of every
Christian's life. Man cannot function properly as God intended
unless he diligently studies the Instruction Manual sent by His
Maker.
Titans of finance, businessmen, presidents and chancellors
have not understood the great purpose of God. Again, as Paul
declared, "None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and
recognized and understood this; for if they had, they would never
have crucified the Lord of glory."
Paul continues, "But, on the contrary, as the Scripture
says, What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not
entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared -- made
and keeps ready -- for those who love Him, that is, for those who
hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and
gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed" (I Cor.
2:8-9, Amplified Version).
But God has revealed these priceless treasures of knowledge
to you! You have been privileged to understand and to grasp the
Supreme Plan of the ages.
May God help you put this precious knowledge to instant and
constant USE so you may qualify to inherit His glorious Kingdom!
Next lesson: The vital THIRD LAW of success -- Good Health
-- will be covered in detail.
