Good advice
2020-04-19Proverbs 11:14 MSG
The best wisdom in life comes from God. We can go to Him with every problem we have, and every mountain we need Him to move. But He can also speak to us through other people. He designed us to live in community and to support each other. But we need to make sure that we’re surrounding ourselves with people who will lead us closer to Jesus, rather than encouraging us to go down the wrong paths. We need people we can rely on to give us good advice. The Message says: ‘Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.’ We need people to direct us the right way, and hold us accountable. If we follow the directions of unwise people, we can end up being led the wrong way. Jesus said: ‘If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit’ (Matthew 15:14 NIV). We need people who can see that God’s got a plan for us, and who encourage us to step out of our comfort zones into our calling. We need people who want us to be the best we can possibly be. Sometimes we might feel uncomfortable around people who are pushing us closer to God. We might be frustrated if they gently show us where we’ve been going wrong. But the Bible says: ‘The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice’ (Proverbs 12:15 NIV). We need to humble ourselves, and be open to the advice they have. However, we also have to make sure that we’re talking to God about the advice we’re being given. Some people may think they’re helping us, but actually the advice isn’t godly. We need to ask God to help us discern which advice to follow, and which people to surround ourselves with.