Monday Reading: 2 Samuel 17:14
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 17:14
14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
Devotion:
Have you ever had a day in church when you think that the Pastor is picking on you? Well he is probably not picking on you but may even be picking on himself and allowing others to hear what God has been saying back to him so that he can encourage you too. I have stood up a few times and given a lesson about what God is doing in my life and people have commented on how pertinent it was for their own lives. We are not alone in our struggles! We are not alone in our need for advice!
I won’t subject you to reading all those long names in 2 Samuel 17 but needless to say that people are a strange bunch! Many people got behind Ahithophel just because it sounded like a good idea at the time; it did not matter that what he was saying was not actually from the Lord. Far too often we get behind ideas just because we think they sound good and meet our own goals and objectives rather than God’s goals. It is not for us to subject God to our own wants, needs, desires and generally get Him to fit in with us – it is our task to be subject to God and to fall in with His ways.
God alone is the one who is right and just. God alone is the one who will not give in to our whims and our ways. So if we want to follow the right way, then the only real way is God’s way. The only way that you are going to know God’s way is to listen to Him and not to everyone else’s advice; good as it may seem to gain as much advice as you can, if it does not fall in line with God’s ways then it should not be counted as good advice! The people that make up their own ways and get you to follow their corrupt ways will be the ones who come unglued when they stand in front of God; you are the one that will have to face up to following their ways instead of God’s ways – choose right, choose now!
Points to Ponder:
Do you prefer the results of a poll or Godly advice?
Do you think God will overlook your misgivings?