Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”
Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We need wise friends to help us through tough times.”
Some of our worst decisions are made during times of trial and tribulation. As was noted yesterday, when our circumstances are difficult our thinking becomes fuzzy. It’s during the tough times when we need wisdom the most, but that’s also the time we’re least likely to have it.
The solution? Seek out wise people who will help you through your tough times. However, make sure they are not only truly wise, but also wise in the ways that matter. Your friend might be a Yoda-like sage when it comes to making decisions about financial investments but if that person has never been married, they’re probably not a good choice to help you think through your marriage problems.
How can we determine if a person is appropriately wise enough to help us through our tough times? First, the person should be a mature Christian who is capable of viewing your circumstances from a Biblical worldview.
Second, the individual should have the habit of seeking God’s guidance from the Bible. The Bible is our primary source of wisdom because it comes to us from God; it provides us with God’s thinking about our issues.
Third, it needs to be someone who has an understanding of the issues you’re dealing with. A person who has successfully dealt with something similar in their own life is a good choice. Be careful about this, there’s nothing worse in these situations (or potentially more damaging) than to take advice from someone who fancies themselves an expert but who actually knows little or nothing about how to deal with your situation.
Another good way to “walk with the wise” is through books. Through their writing, Christian authors share deep insights with us on particular topics. Throughout this month I will draw heavily from Max Lucado’s wonderful little book “You’ll get through this”. In that book Max uses the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis to teach some powerful lessons about faith, perseverance, and victory during tough times.
God will use wise friends to help us through our tough times. But we must be wise enough to seek their help. Don’t try to go it alone.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 