Ageless Wisdom

Jeremiah 6:¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, [the ancient paths,]…” (NLT & NIV, emphasis added).

Attempting to gain wisdom solely by your own experiences limits your growth. Stand on the shoulders of giants and learn from the lessons of others. You have to stand on the shoulders of giants, and you have to learn from the lessons of others. I have been pastored mainly by two people. Firstly, by some Pastor and then by my Pastor, Pastor Eskor Mfon of blessed memory. I learnt from both of them; I learnt from one how not to do ministry, and I learnt from Pastor Eskor how to do ministry and many other things. The thing is that even if you think they were not successful, these people have learnt why they have not been successful. But they don’t have enough time to put things straight.

However, you can learn from them. My grandmother would say that a child can have more brand-new clothes than an old man. But the child cannot have as many rags as the old man. Rags are more powerful than Louis Vuitton bags and a Gucci suit. And it is because rags have lived, so they can tell a story. Rags have scars; they can infuse wisdom. Do not insist on learning everything by yourself and/or by experience. Refusing to learn from others’ hard-won wisdom confines you to reinventing the wheel rather than reaching new heights. You are busy solving problems that other people have solved. In software engineering, for instance, there is no need to write code that someone else has written. Simply take the code, use it, and develop on it.

If you keep insisting that you are not going to drive a car until you build your own car, you will probably be finishing it around the time heaven is calling you home, that is, if you finish at all. You want to learn how to build your own car, make your own tyres, body work, get your own engine, etc. There is no need to reinvent the wheel; take what has been done and add value to it. It is only a foolish person who wants to prove that he is smarter than his father. So, he needs to tear down everything his father has done so that he can show that he is smarter. When, in fact, he has just shown how foolish he is. If the long road of painstaking personal experience is your only teacher, you will never have wings to soar to the heights of true greatness.

Ask for the old, godly way, the ancient paths, even in your walk with God. Jude 1:³ “…ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (KJV). There is the faith that was once delivered; earnestly contend for that faith. Do not embrace New Age gospel.

Prayer (song): Holy words long preserved, for our walk in this world. They resound with God’s own heart, Oh let the ancient words impart. Ancient words ever true, changing me… Amen!