On-The-Job Training

When you want to learn about something, what do you do? Where do you go?

Sometimes a person will apply for a job, but they might not have the full knowledge that the job might require, so the company will provide what is known as “OJT,” or “on-the-job training.” Under the instruction and supervision of a teacher and more experienced workers, the new employee can learn the skills that they need to do the job on their own, and maybe even instruct new employees someday.

With an attentive attitude and a willingness to listen and learn, people can gain knowledge and understanding about anything that they set their minds to. And when that knowledge is used to perform a task, it becomes wisdom.

Wisdom is defined as “the ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.” And, “the ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.” 

As completely newborn Christians, we know nothing about the word of God. We start out our faith by learning the love of Christ, that we are sinners, and need Jesus to be saved, but beyond that we don’t really know much more. We need to be taught, and our lessons start in the pages of the Bible.

In order for us to become filled with the wisdom of God, we need to be willing to sit and learn from those who know more than we do. We need to learn from the wisdom of the apostles of Christ, the men who Jesus first picked to spread His word.

Proverbs 1:5-7  “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The opposite of wisdom is foolishness, which means lacking good sense or judgement, and to be unwise. A foolish person is someone who does not listen to instruction so that they might become wise. And when it comes to biblical wisdom, those who don’t receive the instruction find therein truly are fools.

As in the parable of the ten virgins, five were wise, and the other five were foolish. The wise came prepared, with oil in their lamps, while the others didn’t. Because of their foolish lack of preparation, they weren’t ready, and were shut out of the wedding. They had the time to prepare, but they didn’t.

Every person on this Earth has time to begin preparing themselves during their lifetime. What they do with that time will show whether they are wise or if they are foolish. Will they take the knowledge found in the holy scriptures and apply it to their lives, or not? Will you take that time to learn from Peter, James, Paul, and John? Will you pray to the Father that He would give you wisdom and understanding of His word? He wants to give you wisdom, but are you going to go asking for it?

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Will you let yourself go through that “on-the-job training”?

In Christ,

Andrew