Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
Sometimes you can predict the outcome.
The reason that parents advise their children to be careful when choosing their friends, is that they know that the people you hang around will have influence on you. If a group of friends is bent on breaking the law and doing things illegal, you can have a level of certainty the outcome will not be positive for your child if they join them.
However sometimes when a child goes against the will of their parents and they find themselves in trouble and their parents don’t bail them out, they blame their parents for the plight that they experienced.
As a basketball official, you get blamed for things that happen on the court…even sometimes the outcome of the game. You do your best to talk to the players and warn them if they are bordering on illegal behavior. You can warn two post players to stop overly pushing each other, but when they continue you call a foul. Then of course you get blamed for fouling out their key player.
Sometimes you can predict the outcome.
When you get bad (woeful) advice, the chances are great you will have a woeful outcome. When you get wonderful advice and choose to ignore it, you too will see a woeful outcome.
The same is true of our spiritual lives.
I was talking recently to an attender to our church that is new to reading the Bible and the content it covers. However, one observation that she made was this, “There are things that happen in the Bible that still happen today.”
Very true.
All throughout the Bible God in his love is giving guidance, direction and advice to his people. When they follow it, they are blessed. When they don’t, the outcome isn’t pleasant. However, when the outcome is woeful, people still have a tendency to blame God or others for their plight. This is true at the time of Isaiah. Yesterday’s devotion focused on the source of advice people were seeking (mediums and spiritists). Here’s the result:
Isaiah 8:21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Woeful advice or ignoring wonderful advice will result in woeful results.
The same is true today. Seek individuals who desire to give you wonderful counsel, advice from God. Ignore or abandon counsel that leads you away from God and his promise. And if you follow woeful counsel or ignore wonderful advice, don’t blame God, repent and turn back to God.
Apply: Take time to evaluate the source of the advice you are receiving. Ensure as much as possible that advice is flavored from God’s perspective. If results don’t turn out as you want, turn toward God not away from him!
Prayer: Lord, open my heart and ears to always hear and follow your advice. For you promise that your counsel will always work for my blessing. AMEN.