Week 29: The Way of the Fool
Today’s Text: Proverbs 11-12
Key Text: Proverbs 12:15
“The way of the fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
I once heard someone say something to the effect that “if advice worked, there would be no problems in the world.” I have often wondered about that.
There seems to be no lacking of advice in the world. I certainly offer plenty of it on this blog, hopefully not in a haughty or arrogant way, just sharing what I have found to work in my life from a Biblical perspective.
There also seems to be no lacking of problems in the world. Maybe for all the advice out there, Biblical and otherwise, people still pretty much do their own thing – sometime with disastrous results.
On the other hand, the wise woman or man listens to advice. He or she weighs it carefully, and if a person of faith, prayerfully.
Sometimes that will lead a person to take the advice as offered. Other times, upon reflection, he or she realizes that following said advice will only make matters much worse.
So, discernment is key.
I’m not one to rewrite Scripture, but here I am tempted. It seems to me the best proverb might be “the way of the fool seems right to him, but the wise man carefully and prayerfully discerns what advice is best, which is most in line with God’s counsel, and follows it.”
O.K. – so it’s a little wordy. So much for my editing skills.
At any rate, here’s my invitation.
Whatever path you’re on – be wise. Don’t assume you know what’s best. Don’t assume you know what to do next. Don’t even assume you are on the right path. Don’t go it alone. Pray for guidance, read what Scripture has to say on the matter, follow God’s counsel as best you can.
That’s my advice, anyway.
IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work 