Pastor's Column 6/9/2024

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. Giving a gift can open doors; it gives you access to important people!”

Proverbs 18:15-16, NLT                                                                          

“Going Forward In Life”

The path to a meaningful, healthy, and productive life is not as complicated as one would think. The Scriptures always provide us with principles and guides that can help us attain the things in life, which are more enduring and beneficial. What inhibits our ability to pursue and to attain true success, often is the misinformation we receive in the course of our development. When I worked with students in the college environment, I reminded them that success does not merely come from a person’s IQ (some standard measurement of intelligence), but from an attitude of “I Can.” That is, a willingness to listen, learn, and apply what we’ve learned to life. We are gifted in different ways; but each gift is a means through which, God is at work shaping and directing us to make a difference in the lives of others. The wisdom writer in the Scriptures, tells us that genuine intelligence is a quest to learn. Our willingness to learn is necessary if we are to venture in life with a definite purpose and a healthy character. The knowledge and skills we gain, will take us to places; and place us before others we hardly would have imagined. When I was a young boy, my parents were not of abundant financial means; but they managed to purchase a set of encyclopedias, which were near the family Bible. Once my uncle came to our house to check on us, when my mother was hospitalized for a long period of time. He saw me constantly reading those encyclopedias and the Bible. He said to me, “Don’t ever stop what you’re doing son. There’s no telling where the knowledge you gain, will take you.” Uncle Henry’s wise advice became a guide post for my life. Whatever one’s age or circumstances, we should never cease to learn something each day. Such is the stuff our gifts are made of. These gifts will take us far beyond our fears and doubts. As we journey forward in life, we will be led in places where God always honors us with His presence. We will say as the psalmist, “Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places. I’m overwhelmed by the privileges that come with following you,” (Psalm 16:6, Amplified). So am I!