Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.” Proverbs 9:9 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A wise person has trusted counselors they will listen to.”
Solomon was the king, and his word was law. Nobody could tell him what to do and he didn’t have to listen to anyone. And yet, the custom for all kings and leaders was to surround themselves with a circle of wise and trusted advisors who would help them to consider situations from all angles, and then to make wise and well-informed decisions.
Having advisors we will listen to and whose advice we will follow is crucial. Even Solomon, the wisest man of his day, couldn’t possibly know everything about everything. He needed other people to help him see things from different perspectives and then to think through the issues so he could arrive at wise decisions.
Not only is this practice important for kings and rulers and others in positions of leadership, but for the rest of us as well. In my role as a Pastor I have a Church Council, a group of five men elected by the church, to be my closest advisors. They help me to think through the issues of church life and to make good decisions.
Also in my personal life I have a small circle of close friends who are spiritually mature and whose counsel I trust (the first of whom is my wife). I frequently rely on those people to help me see things clearly and to make right decisions.
Proverbs 9 – the entire thing – is intended to create a contrast between a fool, who refuses all advice and correction, and a wise person who not only accepts it, but seeks it.
One of the distinguishing hallmarks of a foolish person is that they are overly confident in themselves. They are wise in their own eyes and resistant to any input that conflicts with what they have already decided must be true and right. Conversely, one of the outstanding character traits of a truly wise man or woman, one who has godly wisdom, is their willingness to listen to others, considering different opinions and other points of view.
This willingness to seek and accept counsel is a subject that was so important to Solomon that he addressed it multiple times when writing the Proverbs. We have seen it already in our study and we will come back to it several more times before we are done.
A wise person has trusted counselors whom he or she will listen to. Do you?
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 