Proverbs 19:20 says:
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”

Knowing and trusting the advice and instruction you get from God will give you wisdom. But it’s more than that. Listening to God’s teachings and following His precepts and examples will bring us courage and wisdom to serve Him at our best.

Learning to listen to God’s instructions is the best training you can receive for learning to serve Him. Listening to Him and heeding what He says is the most critical ingredient to serving Him well.

There are three parts of serving God.

1. Find your God-given gifts and work to expand them;
2. Find your place to serve and serve well;
3. Listen to advice and accept instruction.

We can find our gifts - we can find a meaningful place to serve. We can expand and develop our gifts – we can serve well in our ministry. But, if we cannot or will not listen to advice and accept instruction in our service to God and His people – we’re foolish.

When we listen to advice and instruction and heed it and assimilate it and make it a part of our lives, we have wisdom to discern how God has gifted us; we have wisdom to know when and where to expand and develop our giftedness; we have wisdom to locate the most meaningful helpful places to serve Him, and we have wisdom to know how to serve Him and His people to our fullest potential.

Therefore – the best training we can have for serving God – is learning to listen to His advice and instructions.

I want you to read an Old Testament story about a young man who was very wise because He listened to God’s instructions and stuck to that advice in the face of adversity. Read Daniel, chapter one.

Daniel is about to be trained as a Babylonian advisor. But this story is not about his training as a Babylonian advisor – it’s about his prior training as a follower of God, and his decision to stick to that teaching – God’s advice – no matter what.

Daniel’s training in faith and in how to obey God was already in place before he went for training in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Because Daniel listened to God’s advice and accepted God’s instruction and stuck to it, God made Daniel wise. Daniel was successful in his service to the King of Babylon – the captor of the people of Israel – because God made him wise.

And how did Daniel get wise? Because he listened to God’s advice and instruction.

How are you doing in growing in your faith? How are you doing in your obedience to God? Are you listening to advice and accepting instruction?

Jesus taught His disciples how to serve God and serve with Him in the ministry of teaching people about God’s Kingdom. He explained things to them – He advised them and He gave them instructions. Matthew, chapters 5 through 7 are a perfect example of Jesus teaching.

Take time to read through these important chapters and see what Jesus is teaching you about living. Then – listen to His advice and receive His instruction.

There are two parts of training for God’s service:

1. Listen to sound advice about your faith – from God and from His Word;
2. Accept instruction about living as an unconditional follower of Christ.

In the end you will be wise, and in the end you’ll will be fully equipped to serve Him well.

All Christ-followers are to be strong and courageous agents for God’s Kingdom.

The best training we can get for learning to serve God, it to know and trust the advice and instruction you receive from God and from the disciplers and shepherds in the church.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. . .” (Colossians 3:16)