Welcome back to Get Wisdom! In this Monday summer series we are reaching out to the book of Proverbs to grasp wisdom. We are seeking to not walk the path of the fool, but rather to walk the sometimes difficult trail of the wise.
This week our journey takes us to Proverbs 12:15. Pick a translation:
Fools think they are doing right,but the wise listen to advice. (NCV)A stubborn fool considers his own way the right one,but a person who listens to advice is wise. (GOD’S Word Translation)Fools think they need no advice,but the wise listen to others. (NLT)
I just have to ask…..how many of you can recall a time when someone gave you GOOD advice that you DID NOT heed and you ended up making a terrible mistake because of it?
Oh yes, my hand is waving wilding in the air! Hmmm, let me count the times…….
1. Save sex for marriage.
2. Only marry the person that God chooses for you.
3. Stay close to Jesus.
4. Don’t gossip or lie or____________.
I could go on and on, but I hope you get the message.
Most of us think we don’t need the advice of others when it comes to our own lives. Truth be told, Satan is eager to destroy us through the choices we make. God places wise people in our lives to encourage us to make good choices, but we must first choose to listen to their advice. Look back at the verse. The fool thinks he is doing right; he considers his own way right. Does that sound familiar?
Let’s consider that God wants us to first seek His advice about each and every situation that we encounter. It has taken me a lot of years and many bad choices to learn to go to God FIRST with my problems and concerns. Yes, He gives us wise human counselors, but ultimately WISDOM comes from HIM and it is to HIM that we should go first.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “this is a small problem…God doesn’t have time for it” or “I can handle this one by myself” or “God is more concerned about the big issues of the world”. Those, my friends, are lies straight out of the pit of hell. God is intimately concerned with every area of your life and He longs to give you the wisdom that you desire. Ask Him for it.
This WISDOM lesson is one that sounds easy, but is difficult to put into practice.
Why?
Because we think we know the right answers….and we may, but we still need to listen to the advice God sends us from others. If you are God’s child and are headed down the wrong path with a specific decision, God will send you at least one warning. We must put our pride aside long enough to consider the advice of God and of others in our lives.
Don’t be a fool!
Get Wisdom!
