There is a little girl here at Hope Church that, when talking about adults, says “growing-ups” rather than “grown-ups”. It’s a cute little mistake in words but there really is something to that. What if we were to all see ourselves as “growing-ups” rather than “grown-ups”?

The Apostle Paul had a similar outlook when it came to his own maturity. In Philippians 3, Paul talks about his former position and prestige and self-righteousness. He says that he excelled above his peers in all these things; in other words – he made it! He had achieved what most people could only dream of. But then he goes on to say this:

“But whatever gain I had, I counted loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Now, this sounds like a tall order – and that’s because it is! But Paul didn’t say these things as if he were boasting, listen to what he goes on to say afterwards:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”

Paul confesses here that he is not “grown-up” he is “growing-up” into the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He even goes on to say that those who mature will think the same way. Therefore, the true mark of maturity in Christ is not that we are complete, but it is the recognition that we have so much more maturing to do. Conversely, it is immature of us to view ourselves as fully matured. If we view ourselves as being mature it, ironically, causes us to be – and remain – immature. We can only grow when we realize that we need to. So maybe we should follow that little girl and start calling ourselves “growing-ups” as a reminder that we are all still in the process of “growing up” into the image of Christ.

Let’s face it, advice is, sometimes, a hard pill to swallow. In this devotion we’ll see how learning to listen to advice (even if it’s unwanted or downright bad advice) can ultimately benefit us in the long-run.

First, lets’ take a look at what most often stands in our way of listening to advice. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” According this verse, what most often stands in our way of listening to advice is our own pride. When we boil it down the reason we don’t listen to other people, whoever they may be, is because we think we know better than they do.

Honestly, there may be times when we truly do know more than the person advising us. In this case pride can manifest itself in a different way – we speak condescendingly to the person in order to make it clear that we are the more superior in intellect. If we do this, we may show our intellect to be superior, but we show our character to be lacking. What do we do in those times when people give us advice we already know or even give us bad advice? Listen anyway. If someone tells you something you already know it only confirms that you are in the right and the two of you can be happily in agreement – it’s a great way to build relationships. If someone gives you bad advice, you’ve still learned something – what not to do! By the way, if you want to avoid getting bad advice, ask more than one person about the matter at hand and then compare and contrast all that you’ve heard. Proverbs also teaches us that, “…in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14). This doesn’t mean that everyone is going to agree or tell you the same thing, instead this is a way of looking at matter from a variety of angles so that you can come to a well-educated conclusion.

Therefore, listen to all advice given to you; the good, the bad, and the un-solicited. Listening to advice doesn’t mean you have to heed it; it simply means that you have taken into consideration what someone has told you. In so doing you benefit by gaining another perspective, the other person is honored because you respectfully heard them out, your relationship with each other is consequently strengthened, and God is honored by it all.

So how do you respond when someone gives you advice? Do you cringe, roll your eyes, or just tune them out? Or do you listen carefully and weigh what is being told you? The latter is sometimes harder at first, but in time we can learn the joy of hearing someone else’s opinion and learning from it. For a wise person learns on every occasion. So, the next time your parents, boss, in-laws, friends, etc. try to offer you advice, listen to them, learn what you can from what is said, and add it to your bank of wisdom, because those who listen to nothing, eventually go bankrupt.

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2

This Proverb does not only apply to government. This could very well apply to any leader. You could be a parent, a supervisor, a manager, a pastor, or even a baby-sitter; if you are responsible for anyone, then you are a leader. If you want to know if you’re a good leader just listen to the people you lead. Are they groaning or are they rejoicing?

Depending on that answer you may need to evaluate your leadership. Proverbs 29 is full of great advice to leaders. The following is a summary of the things a leader needs to be based on the advice given in Proverbs 29.
1. Just (v.4) – a leader must seek what is fair for all, and not require more than is necessary from those he/she leads.
2. Upright (v.6) – a leader must have good character and integrity or else he/she will be ensnared by their own crookedness.
3. Compassionate (v.7) – a leader must be concerned for those who are struggling and know how to help them.
4. Wise (v.8) – a leader must know how to handle opposition and the issues and quarrels of those he/she leads.
5. Patient (v.11) – a leader must learn how to control his/her own frustrations and speak and act from consideration rather than impulse.
6. Firm (vs.15-17) – a leader must be quick to administer proper discipline to those who need it, lest his/her followers lose the fear of consequence.
7. Driven (v.18) – a leader must provide good vision and direction for those he/she leads, otherwise people lose their sense of purpose and, therefore, stop cooperating.
8. Humble (v.23) – a leader must see himself/herself as a servant of the people he/she leads. History has proven that people do not tolerate a tyrant.
9. Brave/God-fearing (v.25) – a leader must have the courage to do what is right in spite of what others may say or expect.

These are the characteristics laid out in Proverbs 29 for a good leader. Therefore, each day, use this list to evaluate yourself. There will be times that people groan, not because of your leadership, but because of their own lack of character. However, do not immediately assume they are in the wrong if they are complaining or groaning. A leader must always first evaluate himself/herself, make any necessary changes to attitude or policy, and then see if the problem continues.

Therefore, to all you leaders out there, take time each day to evaluate your leadership. The quickest (but sometimes most difficult) way to do so is – listen to the people.

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” Proverbs 23:4

“Get rich or die trying” is a common attitude in our culture; so much so that the wrap artist “50 Cent” used the phrase as the title of his debut album. The problem with this mindset is that we’re not the only ones who suffer in the process. Not only does our health and over-all quality of life suffer, but also those around us suffer as well; namely, our families. It is for this reason the Scripture tells us to “have the wisdom to show restraint.” Granted, some people have to work long and hard just to get the bills paid, but there are those who work long and hard unnecessarily, sacrificing the better things in life for a bigger paycheck, a bigger house, a newer car, bigger toys, and so on.

As was stated in the previous devotion, Jesus said that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. So, in John 10:10 when Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, he didn’t mean that he came to give us more stuff, but he came to give us more life. He came so that we may experience life more fully, and one way to do that is to stop living for possessions and to start living for people.

So take a moment to stop and think about your life. Are you living for possessions or for people? Where are your priorities? If you don’t know, look at your calendar and your checkbook and see what you’re spending your time and money on. Is your family happy? Ask them! Are you happy? Now is the time to exercise wisdom. Perhaps you need to start showing restraint in your financial priorities and be more liberal in your time with people, especially your family.

You’ve only got one life, don’t use it to acquire a bunch of stuff that you can’t take with you in the end. Instead, think about the quality of your life and of those around you and invest yourself in those better things.