Take my advice open your ears!
“God gave you to ears and one mouth? Why? So you can listen more than you talk!”
Acts 27: 21-26 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' 25So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
John Harper was about to give some good advice like Paul. It was the night of April 14, 1912. The R.M.S Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made movable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.
On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.
That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not. Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."
That was the best counsel from the sincerest heart you will ever hear! Harper can say with Isaiah “The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.” {Isa 50:4-6}
This is a sober email BUT…Will you just open your ears and turn off your I-pod for a minute?
Think of it: You are on the Titanic and someone walks up to you says, “THE BOAT IS SINKING!” What? You say, “No it isn’t, you’re crazy. You’re just trying to make me go to church. You want my money!” NO! Really! The ship is sinking!” You are incredulous and speak, “Listen talk to some gullible person! I’m not buying it! In hindsight of all we know about the Titanic we would say, “What an Idiot they should have listened!”
Paul tried to tell them in Acts…but they still did not listen. So, why is it we just do not listen to advice? Why do we wait till we are in the frigid water that we discover what was said was really true? I guess it is human nature.
We are in a “know it all” age! People cannot take advice and counsel. I guess the problem is our world so jaded and fed up with players. There are so many manipulators and megalomaniacs that people just turn off the sound. The unfortunate thing is that when you turn off the sound to the car horn you may not hear the train horn when it crosses that track in front of you. Avoiding even small bits of wisdom may land you in a world of hurt.
Have you noticed many people have their ears filled with all kinds of sound? They stick those blasted headsets in their ears to avoid anyone talking to them. When you take you skull candy ear buds out of your ears, still the speakers are blasting music around you with negatives messages. Just listen sometime. The other day at the gym the song was blaring, “I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter. I had to fall to lose it all But in the end, it doesn't even matter!” So there you go nothing that happens in life matter, I cannot learn from it because it does not matter. What a negative message it is no wonder people are not listening to anyone. We hear so much, that we hear nothing…nothing of value that is.
Many people are free with advice and counsel but they do not follow their own recommendations. I guess that people react with avarice toward counsel because the people giving it do not have their best interest. A fool is considered wise when he or she listens up! Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Paul was in the same situation with everyone he counseled. In other words, his advice was affecting him as well as them. It definitely gives weight to someone’s advice when they are going through the same situation with you. The kicker is that Paul told them this trouble and storm would come! But they did not listen. Therefore, instead of experiencing blessing they experienced loss. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” God wants us to succeed and avoid loss. Isaiah 48:17 states, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” If we just listen to God leading us will profit not lose!
So, like Paul was right? Shouldn’t when you see that someone was right the first time, listen when they speak the second time? The bottom line of this story is that if they had listened they would have not lost so much. Paul tried to warn them but they just did not listen to the Man of God that was put into their life. They would have “spared themselves damage and loss.” Instead of experiencing God delivering and rescuing power they could have experienced his blessing. So today take some advice from God’s word! Take good counsel and accept correction — that's the way to live wisely and well. {Proverbs 19:20}
How profitable is wisdom and good advice? What is the value of good counsel? Listen to Proverbs 8 in the message version: "I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street. The Fear-of-God means hating Evil, whose ways I hate with a passion — pride and arrogance and crooked talk. Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out. With my help, leaders rule, and lawmakers legislate fairly; with my help, governors govern, along with all in legitimate authority. I love those who love me; those who look for me find me. Wealth and Glory accompany me — also substantial Honor and a Good Name. My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus. You can find me on Righteous Road — that's where I walk — at the intersection of Justice Avenue, Handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life — armloads of life! {Proverbs 8:12-21}
So you see wisdom is a lady? In the proverbs there are two ladies: an immoral one and a one that is wise. They both want to be embraced and loved. But one gives life and the other gives death.
It is exciting to think that God want to give us wisdom, sanity, knowledge and discretion…through common sense and good counsel and even the power and insight to carry out the plan he gives for us to fulfill. If we hate evil, pride and arrogance we are wise. Wisdom gives us not only advice but the power to live it out! If you embrace wisdom she will hug you back.
You want wealth, substantial honor, benefit that is better than a raise or year end bonus? You want great returns on you investments? LISTEN TO ADVICE! We at our church have created a culture of counsel not condemnation. Have you?
One last word that I think is fitting seeing October is Pastor Appreciation month. There are some people who think they listen to God but do not need the advice of a pastor. To you I say, “How can you say I listen to God who you cannot see and not listen to a man that you can? Especially God’s man or woman! Please consider this: Good counsel and common sense come from God’s leaders.
Hebrews 13:17 Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?
Your Pastor, Mike Gibney
No comments:
Post a Comment