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A Daily Dose of Wisdom (A Commencement Sermon for Our Graduates) Proverbs 22:1 |
June 13, 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum |
So, we have come, once again, to the season of graduations and that means that we've also come to the season of commencement addresses. As a public speaker, I've always been intrigued by the way various speakers approach the commencement address, because it is a daunting speaking assignment for a number of reasons, beginning with the fact that the prime audience, the graduates and their families, are so full of adrenaline and excitement that they're barely paying attention to anything that's being said. Consequently, speakers frequently rely on humor to draw their audience in.
Addressing the graduating class of Connecticut College, author and columnist Russell Baker began by saying that commencement speakers are supposed to tell the graduates to go forth into the world and then give wise advice on how to do it. Then he said, "The best advice I can give anybody about going out into the world is this: don't do it. I've been out there and it's a mess."
Robert Orben, also an author, began his commencement address by saying, "A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that individuality is the key to success."
And comedian Jon Stewart told this year's graduates from William and Mary, his own alma mater, that the real world is actually not that different from the college environment. He said, "The biggest difference is that now you'll be paying for things."
I think most of you are aware of the fact that this year's graduation season is especially important to me as my…our…daughter is graduating from high school and will be heading off to Vanguard University in Southern California in just a few weeks. As she does so, I'm keenly aware of the fact that all of us are about to enter a lengthy period of adjustment. And one of the adjustments that I've been thinking about a lot recently is the adjustment from "parent-in-residence" to "parent-at-large." I've also envisioned it as the transition from "direct influence" to "indirect influence."
So, with all of these thoughts and emotions running through my mind, I've decided this morning to offer all our graduates…on behalf of all of their parents…a commencement address in the hope of extending our influence into this next stage of your lives. And as for the rest of you, well, I hope you'll listen in even if you're not graduating, because I think you'll find that most of this would be good advice for just about anybody. I've titled my remarks, "A Daily Dose of Wisdom."
I'm going to offer you, this morning, 7 pieces of advice…one for each day of the week. Little words of wisdom to help you get off to a good start each day. And I'll go ahead and tell you my great hope in all of this. I'm hoping to help you see that college is not a time to prepare for life, college is life. This is real as life gets. You'll make a huge mistake if you think that your real life is somehow going to begin after college. In fact, folks, we make a huge mistake anytime we think that our real life is somehow going to begin after anything…after we get married, after we have kids, after we start our career and so forth. Folks, the truth is, whatever phase of life you're in right now is your real life, so don't wait for something else to happen. Live each day as if it really mattered, because it really does. And I have 7 words of wisdom for you today to help you with that daily process.
We'll start with…
Monday: I want to encourage you to begin each new week by reminding yourself that--Who you are is more important than what you do.
One of the great simple pleasures of my life was the joy of taking Jordan to school from the time she was in preschool through her 7th grade year. During those daily rides our conversation covered every conceivable topic. And in the midst of those conversations I found countless opportunities to dispense my favorite fatherly admonition: "Sweetie, you're a bright girl and you're always going to do fine in school. I'm not the least bit worried about your grades. What matters most to me is the kind of person you are."
Proverbs 22:1 says it like this, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Proverbs 28:6 says, "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse."
And in Matthew 5:6 notice that Jesus did not say, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for grades…" or "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for money…" What he said was, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…"
In other words, who you are is more important that what you do.
Tuesday: Make it a personal goal to--Treat every person like they're important.
Waiters, waitresses, sales clerks, classmates, teachers, friends, strangers and, yes, even that guy that just irritates the fool out of you. Treat everyone as a person who is worth your time and attention, because they are. Don't allow yourself to get in the habit of treating certain people as if they were ignorable or insignificant. Folks, just like you, they were created in the image of God and as an old professor of mine used to say, "God don't make no junk."
In Matthew 7:12 Jesus said the same thing in a slightly different way, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…"
In other words, treat every person like they're important.
Wednesday: In the midst of all that you're reading, remember that--The Bible is your most important textbook. What a tragedy it would be for you to so immerse yourself in your "required reading" that you stop reading the most important book of all.
I cannot even begin to "guestimate" the number of books that I have read in my lifetime. My office library alone contains some 3,000 volumes. And I have gleaned some incredibly valuable insights from a host of brilliant authors. But I have staked my life, my hope and my destiny on one book alone, because there is only one book that is from beginning to end the very word of God. And I don't argue with it, ignore it or manipulate it to get it to suit my ends. I simply accept it as truth and do my very best to live by it. And as I look back across the 33 years since my high school graduation I can honestly tell you that to the degree that I have succeeded in doing so, I have been blessed. It has never, not even once, steered me wrong. And it will not steer you wrong either.
Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
Psalm 119:130, 137-138 says, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Righteous are you, O Lord, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy."
And if you want a succinct summary statement of the wisest attitude you could possibly develop toward God's word I would take you to Deuteronomy 32:46-47 which says, "…obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idol words for you-they are your life."
In other words, never forget that the Bible is your most important textbook.
Thursday: Make it a habit to--Say "please" and "thank you" as often as possible.
Why? Because, "please" will keep you humble and "thank you" will keep you grateful and humility and gratitude are character traits that God wants to develop in all of us.
Do you know why humility is important to God? It's because humble people are also teachable people. God wants to grow you up in wisdom, but even God can't teach a prideful person.
Psalm 25:9 says it like this, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."
And Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
And do you know why gratitude is so important to God? It's because it rightly honors Him as the source of every good thing in life.
Psalm 136:1 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good."
And Ephesians 5:20 simply says, "…give thanks to God the Father for everything…"
Make it a habit to--Say "please" and "thank you" as often as possible.
Friday: We are blessed to be living in an age of incredible technological advances. It's now possible to stay in touch with virtually anybody with whom we want to be in touch. So, call your parents and--Call your parents for something other than money.
Now, I realize that some of you think that your parents simply don't have a clue…and, in all honesty, I've met some of your parents and…well, let's don't go there. But do you know what? Even if your parents appear to be totally clueless, it's hard to deny the fact that they've been around longer than you have, have had more life experience than you've had and, for some lessons, there's just no substitute for life experience.
So, Proverbs 1:8-9 says, "Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother's knee. Wear their counsel like flowers in your hair, like rings on your fingers."
Now, if you're still not convinced…if you find that you still believe that in all things and at all times you always know best then I would encourage you memorize the wise words in Proverbs 12:15 which says, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." And I would add this addendum to those wise words: you are especially wise to listen to the advice of those who genuinely love you with all their heart and soul. So…
Call your parents for something other than money.
Saturday--Do something for someone else's benefit.
Do not allow yourself to get so wrapped up in your goals and your agenda and your desires and your needs that you forget that following Jesus leads us into a life of service to God and others.
Mark 10:45 says that even Jesus, "…did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many."
And in Matthew 25:40 Jesus said, "…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
And Proverbs 19:17 says, "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done."
Get involved on a regular basis in some kind of activity that is designed to bless and benefit someone other than yourself. And don't wait for something else to happen before you get started. Get started now.
And that brings us to Sunday. And for Sunday, wisdom prompts me to simply say--Keep going to church.
Can you worship God in the park, at the beach, in the mountains, or from your bed in the dorm? Absolutely. But the chances are, you won't. But you probably will if you go to church. And God deserves and expects your worship. Even while you're going to college.
But there's one other really important reason to stay in the habit of attending church-we tend to be influenced by the people we hang out with. Some people bring out our best. Some people bring out something less than our best. And while people who go to church are certainly not perfect, they tend to bring out our best.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says it like this, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess... And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…"
In other words, keep going to church.
A little earlier I reference a commencement speaker who noted that commencement speakers frequently tell graduates that the key to success is individuality. But do you know what? That's not it. I've known a lot of people who were genuinely unique individuals who were also complete losers. No, the key to success is not individuality. The key to success is to discover what you were created to be and then pursue that goal with everything you've got. And I can tell you with absolute confidence that every single one of you was created…
…to know God;
…to love God;
…to experience God's love for you;
…and to faithfully walk each and every day in a personal relationship of obedience to God.
And if you will do that through every stage of your life then, regardless your GPA and regardless the amount of money you make, you will be successful.
I hope and pray that each of you will know great success.
© Copyright 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum