August 23

The Almighty One who inhabits eternity may take counsel with Himself and need no other, but you and I aren’t in His league. Some of us might think we are, or it at least appears that we think we are, because we tend to negate the words of the wise when they are interjected into our circumstances.

Because we like to think that we are increased in wisdom and can rightly discern truth, we tend to close ourselves to instruction. We have balked at counsel since childhood. Many of us have never been able to abide the words of wisdom that others could have shared with us if we would have but received.

Our reliance upon our own counsel is completely opposed to the truth of the matter as it is expounded in the Word. Proverbs 1:3 states emphatically, “Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity.” This brief statement covers virtually every area of human interaction.

In all our dealings—business or personal or spiritual—we are to receive counsel. We are to maintain a thoughtful attitude that covers wisdom, rightness, justice, personal honor--and that can best be done when we take counsel with those whose wisdom is irrefutable. To merely take counsel with ourselves is to relegate our thinking to the category of the selfish and unwise.