| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Hearing from God” Our Bible verse for today: “A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.” Proverbs 12:15 (CSB) Our thought for today: “God speaks to us through wise counselors” There’s an old saying that goes “The man who defends himself in court has a fool for a lawyer and a bigger fool for a client.” There are many versions of that saying, and it’s an open debate who said it first – some suggest Benjamin Franklin, others insist it was Abraham Lincoln. I also understand it’s a basic rule of thumb in the legal profession (sometimes a lawyer needs a lawyer and only a foolish lawyer would be his own lawyer). The point is that as Solomon taught in Proverbs 12:15, and which is repeated many times in the Bible, there is wisdom to be gained by listening to good counselors. This is one of the ways God speaks to us. As we have already learned, although God can speak to us in an infinite number of ways, in our day He speaks most frequently through the Bible, through prayer, through the circumstances of our lives, through the wisdom of wise counselors, and through the testimony of the church. When seeking to hear from God (especially about something important), it’s essential that we include a small group of wise counselors to prayerfully think through the situation with us. But caution is needed here. Not every Christian is wise, and not all are equally spiritually mature. We should be careful and selective about whose counsel we’re going to listen to. They need to be people who are mature in their faith, and who are not prone to jumping to conclusions. They should be thoughtful and prayerful people who are reasoned and logical, and who are not given to being overly opinionated, rigid, or biased, and who do not try to force their opinions on others. (Also be wary of anyone who is a little too eager to appoint themselves to this role in your life.) Once you do have a group whose wisdom you trust and who you know have your best interest in mind, be sure they know they have the freedom to speak openly and honestly to you, even if you may not like or agree with what they’re saying. So, one the one hand you should be careful not to rely on “yes” people who are likely to simply tell you what you want to hear, and on the other hand, you want to avoid including an overly opinionated person with an agenda of their own. Pray about this and ask God to help you identify the right people to include, and then make sure you do rely on wise and spiritually mature counselors to help you hear from God. This is one of the ways God frequently speaks to us. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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