Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Friends and Associates”
Our Bible verse for today: “A wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance … The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:5; 7 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We should help each other to be lifelong learners.”
“Leaders are learners.” I’ve had that precept drummed into my brain from my earliest days in the military. Even at the lowest ranks of the military there is a heavy emphasis on study, training, learning, and growing. And the more you advance up the ladder of leadership, the more you are expected to continue learning and growing. Why? Because leaders are learners. In order to be an effective leader you must never stop learning. We were taught that the greatest leaders of all-time aggressively pursued knowledge their entire lives.
To my surprise that same refrain was repeated over and over again in seminary. Learning and growing was not to stop on the day you received your diploma. Learning for a Pastor needs to be a lifelong pursuit.
The same premise holds true for all of us, regardless of what leadership positions we do or do not hold. As children of God we are to be lifelong learners. That’s what Solomon was writing about in Proverbs 1:5-7. A wise man or woman will strive to constantly learn and grow. Listen, discern, obtain guidance, and grow – it should be a lifelong pursuit.
In that same passage Solomon teaches that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” In other words, it is right thinking about God that launches us on the lifelong quest of obtaining the knowledge that matters the most – knowledge of God Himself, His ways, and the way in which He wants us to live. That kind of learning begins only once your heart is right with God.
We can and should help each other with this. Our churches must be places of learning about God. That may sound obvious but nowadays much of what is preached and taught in churches across the land is watered down half-truths, or feel good pop psychology, or the name-it-and-claim-it health and wealth gospel. As church members we must insist that only straight unaltered Biblical truth be taught in our churches.
We can also help each other in this pursuit of Biblical knowledge by enthusiastically talking to each other about what we’ve been learning recently. We can tell others about the current sermon series being preached in our church and invite them to join us for it. We can invite others to learn with us in Bible studies groups or by joining us in an annual Bible reading program. We can tell parents about the children’s and youth groups at our church and encourage them to bring their children.
Lifelong learning about the Lord and His ways, is a crucial part of the living the Christian life. We should help one another to be lifelong learners.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 