Take My Advice…

Have you ever ask anyone for advice? Was it helpful? Did you follow it? I remember a time about 4 years into my teaching career, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, when I was looking for direction. I wanted to teach, but I also wanted to do church music. Most people claimed that you can’t do both. I had a good friend who was a music  minister for a large church with a well know pastor (well, at least in my circles). I had mentioned that I was going to go ask the pastor for advice. My friend gave me a word of advice of his own. He told me that this person was accustomed to people doing everything he said. My friend’s advice was, “Don’t ask advice from him unless you planned to do exactly as he instructed”. Anything less would result in essentially an “excommunication” from help and support. I took my friend’s advice and didn’t ask the Pastor for his advice. Incidentally, I got to do both teaching and Church music at my very next ministry venue.

 Moses showed us a better way.

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." Exodus 18: 18-23 NIV

 When his father in law came to him, he gave him advice, but prefaced it with “If you do this and God so commands”. Now there was some good advice! Advice is a great thing. Proverbs 11:14 says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers”. Get good advice, but reason through it. Most importantly, find out what God say about it!