I am progressing toward the end of my natural life. Don’t get alarmed, I’ve still got a few miles left in me yet. But the end is a lot closer than the beginning.
When you are looking at a far-off horizon, you really can’t see very much. You can imagine what it may look like, but you’re not sure. Sometimes as you draw nearer, objects turn out to be something completely different than what you imagined in the distance.
While celebrating Elaine’s 60th birthday, we were talking about how we understand a lot of things about life better than we used to. I remember sitting for several hours with a small group of leaders as we listened to the life story of W.J. Ern Baxter, who in his day pastored the largest church in Canada, left that to be Bible teacher for a man called William Branham, who had probably the most extraordinary healing ministry in the world, left Branham over issues of false doctrine, and landed in Fort Lauderdale in the early 1970s as one of the “five teachers,” as they were called, who laid the foundation for the modern discipleship movement out of which tens of thousands of churches have been planted all over the world. Apologies for the long sentence!
And the sentence was just a lead-up to the response Ern made to a question from a young pastor. Given that he had recounted a large number of things that had gone wrong and what he had learned out of them, the young man asked if there was any real substitute for age and experience when it comes to learning wisdom. And I think you can imagine the answer he gave.
As we approach the horizon, things do become clearer. The horizon is God’s eternal kingdom, which every day we are closer to entering. We see more of that, and less of the world we are leaving behind us. We look back and realize our mistakes, but we also give thanks that we have reached a level of wisdom and understanding we never had before.
But here is the critical application. If there is no substitute for years in the obtaining of wisdom, the best thing we can do in the body of Christ is to listen to the wisdom of our elders. Sadly, of course, some folk are no closer to wisdom at 70 as they were at 17. But many others are.
My one rejoinder to Ern that day, if I could replay the incident, would have been to say that if we listen to the wisdom of those who have gained it, we may at least avoid making some of their mistakes.
That presupposes I am willing to be as transparent about my stumbles as I am about my successes. The man I owe the most to in terms of discipleship is a man so wise I learned even from his stumbles! And I am busy transmitting his wisdom to others, who have now met him even though they don’t know who he is.
Our perspective is only perfect when we see face to face. The Bible tells us one day that will happen, and the perspective, who is in truth a Person, will be so perfect he will transform us into his likeness.
Until that day, let’s journey onward, keeping our eyes fixed on the horizon, the One who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and the Giver of all wisdom.
And let’s keep learning every day we’re on this road.
CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH DAVID & ELAINE CAMPBELL IN HELPING TO SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVE MINISTRY.
AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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