Quite a few
years ago now, Rev. Billy Graham was asked what he would do differently if he
knew he had only three years left to live. In the middle of his prime as a
Christian evangelist known around the world, his response was he would spend
the first two years in intensive study and the final year in public evangelism.
With all he had been through in preparation, he felt he still had much more to
learn.
I can agree
with Rev. Graham’s assessment. You are never too old to learn. Recently I went to
an all day conference I figured would be just a refresher course on dealing
with people. The speaker, a seasoned missionary who had spent many years in
Europe, had a lot to say this local minister needed to hear after all. This old
dog learned a few tricks as well.
How old do
you have to be before you don’t need to learn anything new? A lot older than I
am. How much do you need to know before you don’t need to learn something new? A
lot more than I know.
That tried-in-the-fire
missionary had learned much through trial and error, through mistakes and consequences.
He made the comment there is too much for us to learn that we should have to
learn it all through personal experience. We need to take advantage of what
others have learned ahead of us.
2Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word
of truth. (English Standard Version)
When the
Apostle Paul wrote to his young assistant Timothy, he encouraged him to study extensively
to be prepared for every situation he could foresee. He was to seek God’s
approval, the only Judge worth considering. He was also to be sensitive to how
he handled the message of the Gospel, “the word of truth.” There was no need to
modify it or soften it, just do it with integrity.
Another
emphasis Paul put on continuous learning can be seen in his words a little
later in this same letter. Facts are important for decisions. Knowing history and
options in a situation is important. Life skills, however, allow us to live in
society with honesty, integrity, and healthy pride. The Bible, “the word of
truth”, is the source to use for gaining those life skills.
Paul says,
2Timothy 3:16) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for
teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction
for right living, 17) so that the person
who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good
deed. (Good News Bible)
Knowing how
to live changes with every year we live. New perspectives on life, new social
circles, or a new context for living can change the way we react to the world
around us. The actions must change sometimes out of necessity, but the
principles that guide our actions must never change.
Study the
truth, Paul told Timothy, and learn how to share it with honesty and integrity.
With the truth a person will not only be able to recognize truth and error
within and in the world. That person will also know how to provide correction
for others which will not bring personal embarrassment or shame.
Approaching
retirement does not mean one will soon no longer need to learn about the world
or how to get along with people. Perhaps the opposite is more true. The more we
have learned about the world around us and the people who inhabit it, the more we
need to know about them and how to be true to ourselves while interacting with
them in a positive and constructive way.
May the
words from the writer in Proverbs be a guide all our lives:
Proverbs 3:13) Happy is anyone who becomes wise---who comes to have
understanding. 14) There is more profit in it than there is in silver; it is
worth more to you than gold.
