The last time, I shared briefly about how we must not copy the unbelievers, we must instead be ready and bold to lead the way, setting the pace in doing right. One great influence on what we eventually do is our preferred company. You’ll most likely be influenced by those you are around mostly and copy them… I want to share with you briefly one wisdom the Lord has taught me as I grew as a young man!
Walk with and Learn from the Elders!
There is a story in 1 Kings 12:1-18 which I encourage you to read to glean some wisdom.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him.
King Rehoboam made that mistake. He ignored the counsel of the elders and took counsel from his mates! He was more ‘comfortable’ with his mates, he felt the elders were too old and would not understand. He probably said to himself like several young people say to themselves, ‘Our generation is different from yours, let me ask my friends’.
Many young men remain at the level of their peers and therefore are influenced by them because they move with and only learn from their peers. We blackmail the Elders as ‘Old men’ and ‘old school’ and forget that wisdom usually lies with the elders. Now let me clarify first that I am referring to Godly elders…but even the elders that may not be born again, usually are a bank of natural and local proverbs, that carry great moral and life lessons.
What I found!
You become an elder faster as you walk with elders! You begin to think and act with wisdom above your peers. You begin to do things that your peers will marvel about, not because you are better than them but simply because you listened to and are deliberately learning from wise elders. I discovered I made less mistakes in my life as I sought to move with the elders, they showed me pitfalls to avoid, they showed me danger signs to watch out for…I learnt wisdom from relating with the elders!
So my Counsel is…
Walk with the wise and you will be wise! Be friends with your classmates but look for elders to learn from, you’ll benefit from their godly experience. Don’t despise the counsel of elders, parents, brothers and sisters around; instead value it, take it, listen to it, learn from it and grow thereby!
Pro 13:20
“Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.”
Wow! What is quite profound for me is that as a young person in my 20s I can become an elder for my peers!lol. The word elder is usually exclusive to age and experience. But now are you saying that you actually do not need to be 60 years old or have walked with God for that long in order to be an elder? This one needs digestion for me because I thought that counsel cannot make you an elder, you still have to grow old…what also struck me was the difference in the two counsels. I would have thought that the older men would have been hard headed and would have advised Rehoboam to toughen the treatment. also that the northern tribes have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day. The people did not even want to give the following kings a chance
The Portraitess…Yes in a way, there’s some level of maturity (Experience that comes with age) needed, to be referred to as an ‘Elder’! But like I said, you can grow to become an elder ‘faster’ as you deliberately watch and learn from Elders around you…and yes, an elder to your agemates! Why not?
my own understanding of the word “elder” in Christianity is he who grows deeper in the Lord and has gained maturity in Spiritual matters.
Somebody might have been a believer for 50 years without being an elder, yet somebody that is just 10 years in the faith might be an elder
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