“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:20)
You may be good at what you do. Indeed, you may be better than most, but without the help of others you will never be as good as you could be. You will never reach your highest potential without a good adviser. It’s impossible.
Why would a world-class tennis player need a coach, especially one who is not as good on the court as he or she is? André Agassi answered the question this way: “Tennis requires subtle adjustments crucial to winning and my coach, Gill, is the best at making them. The older I get, the more valuable he becomes.” Why is that? Because age and experience don’t necessarily make you better; often they just deepen the rut you’re in.
In life, as in sports, you never reach the point where you don’t need good input. Yet many of us operate under the misguided assumption that because we lead, we don’t need to be led. We make the mistake of measuring ourselves against others instead of our own God-given potential and in the end we never become what we could have been.
Self-evaluation is important, but the evaluation of others is crucial. A good coach measures your performance against your strengths, not somebody else’s. That’s because he or she knows what you’re capable of and they will push you to your limit. And by the way, good coaches are constantly on the scene observing, not back at the office waiting for a report. That’s because they are personally invested in your success; a win for you is a win for them.
The disciples needed Jesus, Ruth needed Naomi, and Timothy needed Paul. Who or what advises and influences you? Unfortunately, many Christians I speak to are driven by politics and are so judgmental and condemnatory and refuse to pray for those who disagree with them. Again I ask, who or what advises you?
Prayer
Lord, I ask You to influence me in ways I have yet to know, through Your Word and through the fellow Christians You bring into my life. Don’t let me become so set in my ways that I don’t see new opportunities to serve You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
