On of the best things about history is that you can study a person's whole life. You can see how the choices they made, both the good and the bad, came to fruition. Hebrew 12:1, which is one of the mottoes for this blog, talks about being compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses. These are the people who have run and finished their race. They now serve as examples to us, encouraging us to persevere to the end of our races in a God-honoring, glorious manner.
I have always been amazed by the wisdom of the past. Its insights are so clear and its criticisms are so just, that I am constantly astonished how people hundreds of years ago, whose life is nothing like mine, can possible counsel me how to best deal with a problem or inspire me to be all that God expects me to be.
This is only possible because the Truth of God's Word spans time. The Truth that these men and women studied and then applied to their lives is constant. What they wore, where they lived, what they ate is inconsequential when compared to the fact they loved God so much that they allowed His Word and His Truth to form their character and permeate every area of their lives. This is what makes their lives and examples a timeless model and makes their advice worth having.
So how do we know who are the best models? First off, we must know the Bible ourselves. You can't steer clear of bad thinking if you can't recognize it. Then, assuming that the person has a Biblical worldview, we examine their lives and ask ourselves a few questions. How do they develop their God-given talents? How do they use their time? How do they respond to trials? What do they do when they fail?
Proverbs 27:27 says, " Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." By taking the advice of those who have gone before and learning from their lives I sharpen my character against theirs. What could make them a more Worthy Friend?
Challenge:
How many of my Worthy Friends in the collage can you name? Comment and let me know.
Great post, Audrey! Thanks for the reminder about how important it is to surround yourself (myself) with good, godly friends.
ReplyDeleteAs for your challenge, well, I only recognize three: Jane Austen, Benjamin Franklin, and Winston Churchill. And I have to admit that I'm surprised you included Franklin.
A lot of history depends on the philosophy of the historian. Liberal historians mean liberal history. There are countless other examples besides Ben Franklin who have had their lives rearranged to suit a historian's views.As we read we have come to realize how much liberal philosphy we have in our thinking. So we have really started to investigate the author before we read his work.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested I would recommened " The Real Benjamon Franklin: The True Story of America's Greatest Diplomat" by Andrew M Allison. You can find it at Amazon. The others in the series might interest you too. They are about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
1.Andrew Jackson? 4.Corrie Tenboom?
ReplyDelete5.Michaelangelo? 9 Martin Luther? nah don't remember name to face on that one.
11 haydn? 12.Victoria and Albert?
13. Churchill 14.Thomas Jefferson 19.Benjamin Franklin
21 grant? 22. Bach?
I recognize a few more faces but can't think of names. I wonder if the ones I guessed are even correct. Well another interesting and thought provoking post!