For those who think that Pastoring is a sit and serve type of calling you gotta another think coming. If you doubt me I have a 2003 Impala with over 230,000 miles on the odometer followed closely by a 2009 Malibu reading 108,000 on the dashboard. Oh there have been a few vacation miles but mostly ministry and included in those ministry miles I have attended my fair share of church conferences. Why I even have the nametags to prove it. I don’t know when I started doing it but at some point I began to hang the nametag lanyards in my offices at the house and at church. And do I have a bunch of em! Everything from leadership events to church growth seminars along with missional gatherings filling in the gaps. I have always loved to learn and have gleaned much over the years in seeking to learn more. One of our founding fathers Benjamin Franklin had a few poignant words regarding wisdom, “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance”, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” “Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn." You know as I sit here in my office looking at the cluster of nametags hanging from my bookcase I sort of see them as a roadmap to learning, or at least the road I have traveled. I also think that each of us whether they be represented by name tags or not have followed a pathway to learning what we have learned.
Solomon sure had it right when he told us, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Now each of us has received advice over the years and perhaps you have a top ten favorite list that you have tried to implement in your life. I have at least ten and one of them is this, “Be a lifelong learner”! Oh but Tim, with all the technology today why do we have to work so hard at learning? Well, let’s take a minute and look at the importance of being a life long learner and let me do it by asking myself a few questions.
Question #1 Have I really tried to learn? I can tell you that my desire to learn today eclipses my desire as a High School student. Sad to say, I was more interested in baseball, cars and Terri than I was in learning. Funny, but I now have a great desire to learn and I think that part of the key to learning is wrapped up in the want to! There's a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, "What do you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile. Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates." Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful..." Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. "What do you want?" "Air!" the young man screeched. "I need air!" "When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge." Question #2 is this, what have I put into practice? James tells us that when we know to do good and don’t it becomes sin to us and he also admonishes us not to be hearers of the word but doers of the word as well. Someone once said, Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly. Sure we learn lessons from experience, but we will learn nothing if we do nothing! The greatest wisdom is to know God, the greatest joy is to be found in doing God’s will. Listen to Paul’s words, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. But just learning is not enough. In fact the apostle Paul’s emphasis this when he says there is the danger of, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. What a tragedy! To have a great education, experience knowledge through incredible avenues of learning and never come to the knowledge of truth. You see, I am convinced that not only will good people miss heaven because the do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ but I also believe that smart people will miss heaven as well simply because they have never experienced a personal relationship with their creator through Jesus. Speaking of truth, Jesus defined that for us, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” So are your learning? If so, what are you doing with the knowledge you have received?
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