November 20

“But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young man who had grown up with him and were serving him” 1 Kings 12:8

So many people love to give advice – no matter how appropriate or inappropriate – Aha, you've met them too! Are you pregnant or a new parent? Bereaved and grieving? Going through a divorce? Unemployed? Or perhaps, burned out on religion....faith at rock bottom? If it's “yes” to any of these, you will have received enough advice to fill a Webster's dictionary – follow it, and your problems will be no more. Oh if only!

So how do we separate the good advice from the 'follow-it-at-your-peril' type?

Over the years I have given this some thought, and I must say I agree with Jan Dravecky's view (in 365 Days of Hope 2005).

First, and above all, the counsel you receive must line up with Scripture.

Second, carefully consider your sources – is the advice coming from a trustworthy individual? Does their life reflect good judgement? Or could they be cloaking a hidden agenda?

Third, pray. Ask God to give you peace and confirmation about any decision you make before acting on it.

If your problem is spiritual burn-out, praying may be part of the problem. I think we have all gone through those desolate times when we feel the words seem empty, and our prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing back. Remember the years the Israelites spent in the desert, and the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Despite the darkness of their experience, God was never nearer.

Solomon, writing in Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.” But he also warns that “The advice of the wicked is deceitful” - Proverbs 12:5 He learned this the hard way – read Ecclesiastes and his catalogue of regrets. Too late, like Rehoboam , he learned the peril of following his heart and bad counsel. To Rehoboam the cost was high....he lost a kingdom.

Test everything. If it complies with God's Word go ahead. Talk it over with Him. Be sure, because like Rehoboam, we too have a Kingdom to lose.

'For what is prayer in the last analysis? It is a conscious spreading out of my helplessness before God' – Al Martin.

This song, “When I Cry” - Gaither, is today's choice.

       

     Housekeeping details for you

     The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.

     A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here