Tag Archives: advice

January 8
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“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. . .”  (Psalm 1:1a, KJV)

There is a lot of bad advice out there.  Some of it is “conventional wisdom.”  Some of it is based on superstition.  Some of it is based on half-truths.  All of it is beneath the disciple of Jesus.

The children of God have a higher, truer, more enduring counsel: The Scriptures.

Obtaining the counsel (advice) that blesses us, and those around us, is not hard to obtain; but it challenges our resolve to spend time in the presence of God’s written word.

Like an attentive father to his child, the Lord God will guide our steps toward everlasting life, peace, and joy; the things that ungodly counsel promises, but never delivers.  – Luther

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March 17
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“Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.” (Proverbs 13:10, NLT)

Taking advice — particularly when it differs from our preferred course of action — is difficult. Can you recall any time when you did take inconvenient advice to heart?  Do you remember how the mere act of heeding that advice saved you a heap of trouble and conflict?

Perhaps the hardest advice to swallow is “unsolicited advice.”  However, even in such cases, consider the heart of the source. Someone who has your best interests at heart will not only give you their best advice, but will personally stand with you in their counsel.

Wise up!  Don’t let your pride get in the way of a saving word.  – Luther

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May 30
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“But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.” (2 Chronicles 10:8, NIV)

The passage of time and the limits of my personal scholarship make it difficult to know precisely why Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the men who had served his father Solomon when Solomon was king; but I suspect that it was what the Bible calls the “pride of life” that led Rehoboam to consult instead his contemporaries.  

The bible is an old book that challenges our ways. The traditions of the faithful are tested, but weathered and too-familiar. The counsel of the ages often seems way out of step with what is being promoted as the latest and the greatest discovery. 

We prefer new to old. We choose fashion over substance. We do, as Rehoboam did: We reject the advice that established the ways of our successful predecessors, and take instead the advice of those who are more like us in our preferences; or who give us more attractive options.

When tempted to make changes for the sake of establishing our independence; or for raising our profile; or feeding our ego; we should call a time-out. Is the course we have chosen reflective of the “pride of life,” or is it supportive of a higher calling?  – Luther

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