Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

Grow quietly. Grow slowly. For in this way you will grow deep, deep in character, deep in truth, alongside saints whose roots run far beneath the surface, whose wisdom has been proven over time.

Many are eager to proclaim what God has done. Their zeal is great, but it is not yet tempered by knowledge or shaped by character. They love the Christ who died and rose again, yet they know little of His sanctifying work within His people. They rush ahead in fervor, often to their own ruin, when they should instead sit among faithful saints who have long walked the path they are so eager to run.

Wisdom grants a man his place. It gives him a seat where his words are few, yet his counsel is of the Lord. His roots are deep. His scars are visible. His eyes may grow dim, yet his counsel remains steady, and his hands are faithful to the work God has given him. He has learned that there is greater fruit in quiet obedience than in chasing the things his passions once urged him toward, things that might have led him to think more highly of himself than he ought.

Many foolish men chase platforms and seek an audience. In their haste, they run past wisdom, past truth, past love, past godly counsel. They overlook men of deep character and instead gather around those marked by pride, ambition, and outward success, men ready to pass down not wisdom, but error, to the next eager voice in the race.

Friend, if your eyes are drawn to position, influence, and power, take heed. You may pursue these things and even attain them, only to find yourself empty, restless, or against God. Such desires are not from God when they are rooted in self-exaltation. A man may convince himself that he seeks these things for the glory of God, while all the while deceiving his own heart.

Beware the man who speaks much Scripture, yet whose heart is set on power, position, and influence.

Do not run after him. If you do, you will pass by those whom God has placed in your path, men of true wisdom, sound doctrine, and godly character.

Those who love the truth are rarely found in places of prominence. They are often hidden, faithful, steady, and planted by God in the paths of many who rush past them. Their warnings go unheeded. Their counsel is despised by those chasing what appeals to the flesh.

Many run after men who promise what their hearts desire. They follow those who are young, untested, and eager to make a name, and though such men may begin well, the platform often reshapes them. Over time, their message becomes more pragmatic and shaped by what appeals to and attracts man. What was once sound becomes compromised, then corrupted. In many cases, the decline is first seen in their doctrine long before it becomes evident in their lives.

Do not be dazzled by prominence. Sit instead with those whose roots are deep in sound doctrine. Grow in godly character. Learn from those who have watched many rise and fall, men whose platforms expanded while their character decayed, whose doctrine slowly shifted to preserve their influence.

Sit with the faithful. Learn from those whose roots are deep and whose lives have endured testing. Watch closely what time reveals, for both character and doctrine are proven there.

Be content to be unknown if God so wills it. Better to be hidden and faithful than seen and found wanting.

Grow where God has planted you. Endure. Bear fruit. And finish well.