A man named Burgess noted, “Readers are plentiful, thinkers are rare.” We live in an age where the reading of books is being replaced by reading from a computer screen. There are benefits that have come from the advance of technology, but taking the time to digest what we read and think about it has become rare. Paul realized the great value in concentrated study and admonished Timothy of its value (2 Timothy 2:14-15). Paul said that the words of God were profitable for correction and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16).

Thinking while reading demands that we reread and perhaps mark a passage so that we can return to it. It has been said that our minds learn the best when we are fully engaged. That is not only reading, but writing, making notes, underlining, repeating and working to digest the information that is coming in. When our hands, facial expressions and body are involved, we have the better chance to really be a thinker. Being a reader is good, but unless we are thinking about what we read, the benefit shrinks. Be a rare one.