Sunday 30 April 2017

Ignoring Advice

Ignoring Advice

by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:”
1 Kings 12:6–8

I find it interesting that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had a council of advisers. Though God had answered his request for wisdom when he first took the throne, Solomon still did not rely on his own judgment in every case, but had trusted men whom he could consult to discuss issues and make sure he was reaching the best conclusion. None of us is so advanced in knowledge or wisdom that we are free from the need for advice.
Often the problem is not that we do not get advice, but that we don’t follow it. One preacher told about a man in a place called Town Bluff, Texas who was frequently seen wearing a favorite shirt. On it were these words: “Take my advice—I’m not using it!” Rehoboam came to the throne on the death of his father, and he received wise counsel from the men who had once stood before Solomon’s throne. Yet because the advice did not match what he wanted to do, he foolishly rejected it and the kingdom was divided.
Solomon wrote, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). But that protection is forfeited if, having sought out advice, we fail to follow it. Determination to go our own way places us in grave danger.
 
Today’s Growth Principle: 
If we ignore the wise counsel we receive, we should not be surprised when problems follow.

Fear Leads to Worry

by Joyce Meyer - posted April 29, 2017

And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?
—Matthew 6:27

Fear and worry are closely related. You might say fear is the parent of every kind of worry because every worry starts as a fear. The Bible clearly teaches that God’s children are not to worry. When we worry, we rotate our minds around and around a problem and come up with no answers. The more we do it, the more anxious we feel. When we worry, we actually torment ourselves with a type of thinking that produces no good fruit. Worry starts with our thoughts, but it affects our moods and even our physical bodies.
A person can worry so much that it makes them feel depressed and sad. Worry places stress on your entire system and causes a lot of physical ailments like headaches, tension in muscles, stomach problems, and many other things. It never helps, and it does not solve our problems.
We can worry about hundreds of different things, from what people think of us to what will happen to us as we age. How long will we be able to work? Who will take care of us when we get old? What happens if the stock market crashes? What if gas prices go up? What if I lose my job? Quite often, worry does not even have a basis or a nugget of truth to it. There is no known reason to even think about the things that worry and then frighten us.
The only answer is to stop worrying by placing your trust in God. He has the future all planned, and He knows the answer to everything. What we worry about frequently never happens anyway, and if it is going to happen, worrying won’t prevent it. God’s Word promises us that He will take care of us if we trust in Him.

Trust in Him: What are you worrying about? Cast your cares on Jesus. He wants you to trust Him with every thought, burden, and worry that you’re carrying because He’s fully capable of taking care of you (see 1 Peter 5:7).

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