HT: Challies
Archive for the 'Wisdom and Decision Making' Category
Haddon Robinson:
If we think about it, peace cannot be the proof that we’re in God’s will. If ever anyone was in God’s will, it was our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Bible tells us that just before His crucifixion, Jesus, sweat great drops of blood. With strong cries and tears He asked that, if possible, this cup be taken from Him (Luke 22:41-44). At that moment Jesus fulfilled the will of His Father in Heaven, but if these are the marks of a man at peace, it’s certainly a strange kind of peace.
Look at a contrasting example. If ever anyone was out of God’s will, it was Jonah. God commanded Jonah to go to Ninevah, which was to the north and to the east. But Jonah, the reluctant prophet, immediately headed to the south and to the west, and boarded a ship sailing out into the Mediterranean. After the boat put out to sea, a tremendous storm arose, and the pagan sailors were terrified.
But Jonah didn’t worry – - he was asleep in the lower deck of the boat. He had peace, perfect peace, i the midst of the storm. Yet the prophet was completely out of the will of God.
These accounts of Jesus and Jonah demonstrate that inner peace cannot signal whether or not we are in God’s will, Scripture simply does not hold up such a theory.
Not necessarily.
Earlier this week, I observed that wisdom should grow with age. One of the comments balances that post in a wonderful way. The below comment is from Pastor Jess Miller and is worth reading.
This is an interesting post Chris. I have had the privilege in my Christian experience to sit under the ministries of two age groups of pastors. The first was a man in his 70′s. He played the wisdom card a lot, but as time went by it became apparent that he made many foolish mistakes that revealed a lack of godly wisdom that eventually led to the demise of his church.
The other two pastors I have had were both under the age of 40. As a matter of fact, one was under the age of 30! I was actually older than him! Each of these pastors have displayed wisdom in their ministries that far exceeded that of the older pastor. The older pastor’s church is down to about 20 people, where God has clearly blessed the ministries of the other two.
That really got me thinking about the concept of wisdom and how it is acquired. I do agree that godly wisdom should come with age, but as you stated in your post, that is just a general principle that does not alway correspond with reality. True wisdom comes from God, and He often has gifted younger men with wisdom beyond their years because they humbled themselves and sought Him for it.
I think that it is also important to distinguish between different kinds of wisdom. For instance, I may go to an older man in my congregation to seek wisdom on buying a house because I know he has wisdom in that area. However, I may not seek that man’s wisdom for leadership decisions in the church because, although he is older, he may lack wisdom in that area.
With that said, I agree that young pastors need to be continually seeking God for wisdom and confessing that they are unwise so that He can grant it to them. They would also be wise to find older pastors to whom they can turn for help and advice. I heard a man say once, “I’m an idiot, who by the grace of God knows he’s an idiot, and that makes me wise.”
Thanks for your post!
It’s not necessarily a sin to be under 20 years of age any more than it is a sin to be a pastor who is under 40.
Having said that, there are unique temptations for those who are young. One of these unique temptations is to presume one has the wisdom which can only be attained over the course of life.
In our church, we are doing a series on Christian decision making. It’s an extended exposition of Romans 12:1-2. The ongoing metaphor is to picture Christian decision making as a saw that must be sharpened. Wisdom is the saw Christians used to cut their way through life.
If you have no wisdom, then your saw is dull. Even if you have the best of intentions, and work as hard as you can, if you have no Christian wisdom, then making Christian decisions is like trying to cut down an oak tree with a butter knife.
While not all people develop sharp saws at the same rate, it is a biblical principle that only as we get older do we really develop wisdom (Proverbs 16:31, 20:29). Young people may be physically strong, but those with gray hair are wise.
If you are reading this and you are a teenager, don’t despair that you are working with a dull saw. That’s part of being young. But, be sure you lean on your parents and/or others who have sharpened their blades over the years.
If you are a young pastor (say under 40), don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers. But, remember there is a lot of sharpening of your blade that needs to take place. Listen to advice and accept instruction. Eventually you’ll be wise (Proverbs 19:20). Seek wisdom. Keep looking for it. Pursue it like it is treasure (Prov 1-2).
Stating the obvious, we don’t see blind spots. That’s why they’re called blind spots. So, rather than being defensive when someone points something out, let’s listen to advice and accept instruction – - that in the end we can be wise (Proverbs 19:20).
Proverbs 17:10 – A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. That is, a man of understanding doesn’t defensively deny blind spots when they come his way. He allows them to shape his character.
Brauns highlights for 2010 (D.V.!). We are thankful for your prayers.
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Okay, the move to Switzerland is temporary. Our church is giving me a sabbatical this summer (not to be confused with vacation – - see a Matt Schmucker article on sabbatical here). As a part of the sabbatical, our church has been awarded a Lilly grant which means that we will be spending 5 weeks in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland (as seen in this picture).
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I am writing a book with Moody the goal of which is to motivate equip churches looking for a pastor to call a pastor in a Word-centered way. This was the subject of my doctoral thesis. Can anything be more strategic for local churches than to call a pastor in a Word-centered way. You can read a portion of my doctoral thesis here – - but, remember this is written in an academic way, whereas my book will be written for people in local churches.
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The Romans Project continues on Sunday mornings, but in the Fall, I will preach a new topical (but expository) series: Direction for the Journey: Confidently Stepping Forward in Life. These are such uncertain, confused times. Believers so often struggle to know what to believing about God’s will. This series will show people how to confidently step forward in a Christ-centered way.
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One of my most significant goals for the next 5 years is to see God continue to develop men in our church as leaders. This week I am meeting three times with men. I am focused on this goal.
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Our oldest daughter turns 16 this year . . . Since we brought her home from the hospital yesterday, this is an adjustment for me.
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I will be preaching mostly to the Bricks, but also:
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At a special conference on forgiveness in the Milwaukee area on March 20.
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At a double ordination service at Morningstar church March 28. I have never preached at a double wedding, let alone a double ordination.
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As a keynote speaker at the Peacemakers National Conference, September 16-18, near Washington D.C. (Here for the Peacemakers blog).
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The O.H.I.O.* principle has been very helpful to me in time management.
OHIO stands for:
Only
Handle
It
Once
In a time management seminar, I learned:
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When going through my mail, sit next to the trash can. Immediately pitch extra mail. Only handle it once.
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Schedule bills to be paid and record them appropriately. I find online banking to be a great time saver. Keep other material only if you can put it in a place where it will be later accessed.
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Develop a good filing system so that when important information like tax documents arrive, you can immediately put them in the right place.
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Avoid the basket full of assorted papers in which bills can be too easily lost. One late payment can cost a significant chunk of money.
I still haven’t arrived perfectly in OHIO, but I’m getting closer every day. And, it is saving me a lot of time.
*A book on forgiveness notwithstanding, I’m still bitter about a Hawkeye loss at the Horseshoe in 1986, in a Christian sort of way. So, I’m conceding nothing to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Christian decision making is a topic that generates a lot of interest from believers, and rightly so. Here is one of the better posts on this subject I have read. Think carefully about this one.
In our culture we expect to make our own decisions. But decision-making must have a communal dimension.
First, we need the community to make good decisions. God does not have a specific will for our life that we have to somehow discover. The Bible speaks of God’s sovereign will (all things are under his control, good and bad) and his moral will (the revealed way of life to which he calls us all). Sometimes God guides in specific ways, but more often we make decisions with the wisdom that comes from fearing of the Lord and with our priorities set on God’s kingdom. The problem is we often find reasons for doing what we want to do. We need one another to help us see when our reasoning is corrupted by our sinful hearts.
Second, we should involve the Christian community in decision-making to the extent that our decisions affect the community. . .
The rest here.
HT: Z
