One thing that life teaches us is that everyone is capable of offering sound advice in one area or another. Sermon of the week with Pastor Erasmus Makarimayi
Throughout my interaction with people of all stations in life, from palaces to streets, squatter camps and prisons, I have seen that everyone can advise on at least one issue in life.
The tragedy of life is not the scarcity of advice, but scarcity of hearers and implementers. Wisdom teaches that the wise can learn so much from the foolish, but fools don’t spare time to listen to the wise.
Since everyone has a grain of advice, let us all learn to listen to our internal advice and implement it. Barring stupidity and misinformed notions, everyone can use the opinions and suggestions they have for others and better their own lives.
Apply to your situation the advice you are itching to give out.
Before I go any further, you would like to know that before I offer any teaching and advice, I have to be instructed by it first then impart it to you. We are so quick to criticise and attack others without even thinking that those opinions can be harnessed for our good. Be sober and check on the suggestions you gave which made your friend a millionaire and use it.
Maybe you strengthened your heartbroken confidante and she/he sailed through and a similar misfortune has befallen you. This is the time to go to your notes and extract the same you gave out. As long as you are standing on sound principles, your advice will always be handy to you.
The world is full of ideas. Sometimes solutions and remedies are in the hearts and minds of the least likely. Criminals can teach you on honesty, divorcees can instruct on maintaining marriage and prostitutes can advise on abstinence and faithfulness.
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Many times our failure is not because of lack of sound advice, but hardheartedness and stiffneckedness.
Just observing the goings-on in society can tell you which path leads to life and which leads to death. Of course, there are people who are not teachable.
When I go to those above me I listen because they have conquered what I am struggling with. As a counsellor I have met people who come to tell me that their problems are peculiar and cannot be solved.
These are the type of people who listen in order to say a counter opinion, they never hear anything. Imagine going to a billionaire for advice and tell them that becoming a millionaire is not possible or going to Jesus to lecture Him on the impossibility of salvation.
I don’t intend to take too much time on the misuse of advice, but wish to encourage and motivate you on the positive opinion and suggestion you have. You may not be a fortress of wisdom, but the little that you have can help you.
One thing that I have denied is to have storehouses of advice that I never apply. It is futile to sit on oceans of advice that can change you and the world and get you in the Guinness Book of Records, but never put it to good use.
Sometimes the advice we give others will require us to apply it. We are often called to stand by our opinion and suggestion. Our own counsel has to apply to us. Job’s success story made him a counsellor to many. In his attack on Job, Eliphaz speaks an infallible and eternal truth.
Job 4:3-5 records: “Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.” When tragedy fell on Job, he had to tap into the advice he had given those who sought it. The formula he has used on others had to apply to him.
Today I call you to consider what you always encourage others to do and do it yourself. Maybe you told others to persevere, trusting God and not wavering. Apply the same advice to your situation. Sometimes it is easy to tell a sick friend to be strong or a broke companion to wait on God, but when the same hits you, you are the first to go out of the country to sick specialist treatment or Nicodemously go to Dande valley for that famed spirit medium.
Stand by your own confession and good advice. This is the time to benefit from your sound teaching and wise counsel. Be encouraged by your own encouragement to others; you are going somewhere.
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