“If you are too busy to read, you are too busy.” – Richard J. Foster
I still remember the old bookshelf in my office at the church I pastored for almost twenty years.
It wasn’t fancy. But it held treasures—stories of faith, wisdom from voices long gone, and the
words of Scripture. The clergy room didn’t have extravagant furniture or ornate decor that some of my friends enjoyed. It had books. Many books. And I read them. I studied them. I believed I could not be a true shepherd if I never received nourishment myself.
In our fast-paced, digital age, slowing down to read might seem outdated. For Pentecostals
and Charismatics—people who celebrate the fresh wind of the Spirit—reading and studying and doing research are not distractions from spiritual life. They are essential parts of it.
Luke tells us something easily overlooked about Jesus:
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52, NIV )
Jesus grew. He learned. And if the Son of God saw the value of learning, why shouldn’t we?
The Holy Spirit and a Teachable Heart
Some people think being Spirit-filled means there’s no need to keep learning. After all, if the
Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13), why bother with books?
The Book of Acts tells a different story.
When Apollos, a passionate and eloquent preacher, arrived in Ephesus, he preached with
boldness. But he didn’t know the full message. Priscilla and Aquila—wise, Spirit-filled
believers—took him aside and explained “the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26).
Apollos was open to learning. And because he was teachable, his ministry grew stronger.
The Spirit doesn’t make us know-it-alls. He makes us learners.
We often want God to reveal everything at once. But wisdom doesn’t usually come in a flash—it
grows, day by day, as we listen, read, and learn. The process itself can help us grow closer to God and become more like Him.
Our churches need that kind of growth. Followers of Christ, who claim to believe in
vibrant worship and the miraculous, must also be known for wisdom. And wisdom comes from a
life grounded in Scripture and strengthened by the voices of others who walk with God.
Guarding Against False Doctrine
Reading is more than gathering information—it’s a form of spiritual protection. Paul warned the
Ephesian elders that after his departure, “savage wolves will come in among you and will not
spare the flock” (Acts 20:29).
False doctrine is nothing new. It crept into the early church, and it threatens the church today.
One of the best ways to guard against it? Knowing the truth deeply. And that requires both the
Scriptures and sound teaching from wise mentors.
Discernment doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from staying close to the truth
and refusing to drift from the essentials. Too often, Charismatics fall for shallow, feel-good messages that stir emotions but lack biblical depth. Reading thoughtful, biblical books—especially those that challenge our assumptions—helps us stay anchored.
Listening to theological, Bible-based teachings, receiving from podcasts and audiobooks, opening pages for personal times of reading and reflecting, journaling our own study and confessions and ideas—this is the life we are invited to live. This is the journey we are called to travel.
Books as Therapy and Formation
Beyond information, books provide something else: healing. In my own life, reading has often
become a form of personal therapy. When my world felt chaotic, I found calm in the pages of
wise authors who had walked through their own storms. After almost dying of encephalitis, then living with severe brain damage and epilepsy, I had to learn to read and write again. I had to learn to think again. I had to learn to preach again. Speech therapy, hard work, and the empowerment of God’s Spirit all helped me rewire a damaged brain and let God do what seemed impossible.
The miracle didn’t just happen with anointing oil. It happened, and continues happening, through effort invested and pages turned.
I’ve found comfort in the Psalms when anxiety tried to define me. I’ve learned from writers who
have experienced loss, yet still held on to hope. And I’ve discovered that slowing down to read is
a spiritual practice in itself.
Paul, imprisoned and nearing the end of his life, made a striking request to Timothy:
“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:13)
Even as death approached, Paul wanted his books. He knew that growth never stops.
A Call to Slow Down and Read
When I wrote my book Things We’ve Handed Down: Twelve Letters I Leave for You, I wanted to offer an invitation for readers to slow down, to read, to study, to learn. What are we passing on to those who come after us? Shallow faith or deep wisdom? A hurried life or a reflective heart? My latest book, Contentment: What You’re Searching for Is Already Yours, came from personal study about the topic: what is contentment and how can we live it better?
I want to pass down a faith that values the power of the Spirit and the wisdom that comes from learning. Don’t you? I want to model a life that slows down enough to read, to reflect, and to grow. Don’t you?
So, I’ll repeat Foster’s challenge: “If you are too busy to read, you are too busy.”
The Spirit is still speaking. Through Scripture, through ministers, through mentors, through our hard work of study, and through words handed down. Let’s be people who never stop listening and learning. Let’s be people who slow down, read, and grow—together.
Take time today. Open your Bible. Pick up a book that stretches you. And as you do, remember
that growing in wisdom is not a distraction from the Spirit-filled life—it is an essential part of it.
And who knows? The book you read today might be the very thing God uses to shape your
tomorrow.
BIO:
Chris Maxwell served nineteen years as lead pastor in Orlando, Florida, after five years of youth ministry. He just finished his 20th year as Campus Pastor and Director of Spiritual Life at Emmanuel University. He speaks in churches, conventions, and schools, and is the cohost of Next Step Leadership podcast. Chris has been the editor or ghostwriter of over forty books and is the author of twelve, including Contentment: What You’re Searching for Is Already Yours, Things We’ve Handed Down: Twelve Letters I Leave for You, Pause with Jesus, and Equilibrium: 31 Ways to Stay Balanced on Life’s Uneven Surfaces. Chris also serves again as a lead pastor in Royston, Georgia, speaks as an Epilepsy Advocate for a medical company, writes with the Evangelical Press Association, hosts the IPHC Ministerial Credentialing Process videos, works with the leadership council of LifePoint Conference, and helps as a consultant with Encephalitis 411. Chris and his wife Debbie have three sons and ten grandchildren.
Website:
chrismaxwell.me
Facebook:
facebook.com/PauseWithChrisMaxwell
Twitter:
@CMaxMan
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Podcast:
https://nextstepleadership.buzzsprout.com/
