Gift-giving holidays like Christmas, brings out the shopaholic in most
of us. We shop for gifts for family, loved ones, friends, co-workers,
and neighbors. We shop for food, party needs, and what not. It is all
fun, and as long as we do not forget the real reason for the season,
shopping, and consequently gift-giving will always be one of the joys
of celebrating Christmas.
Expressing love towards others through shopping and gift giving is a
good thing for us followers of Jesus. One kind of shopping that the
heavens may frown upon is “advice shopping.” Advice shopping is when
we consult a lot of people about something we need guidance for, only
to listen to the advice that we want to hear.
An old testament character, King Rehoboam, shopped for advice after
his people begged him to lighten their workload. The king asked for
the guidance of his late father’s advisers, who were known elders of
the land. They encouraged him to give in to the plea of the people so
that the people could remain loyal to him.
He also sought the advice of his peers. They however told him to make
the people’s workload heavier instead. Such advice was what Rehoboam
wanted to hear, and so he did just that. Unfortunately his people
rebelled against Him dividing the kingdom of his grandfather, the
great King David.
“The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders,
he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your
yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with
whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” 2 Chronicles 10:13-14
When we fail to listen to Godly advice, we tend to miss the wisdom and
direction we need. Making decisions, especially those that are
life-changing can indeed put us in a bind. And while asking for other
people’s advice could help us decide, it is important to know where to
seek advice from.
Like King Rehoboam, we should refrain from asking advice from the
unrighteous, even if they are people whom we grew up with or are
comfortable with. Proverbs 14:7 says:
“Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their
lips.” Proverbs 14:7
Instead, we ought to seek inputs from God-honoring people, who have
actual experience on what we are going through. It will even be better
if these God-fearing advisors have actual sincere concern about us,
and have our best interests in mind. When we seek advice from them, we
should try our best to be transparent about the whole situation so
that they can properly help us out.
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning
get guidance—” Proverbs 1:5
The best direction though that we could ever seek for any given
situation, be it a major crossroad, or an everyday choice, comes from
the Lord. One of His loving promises to us is to provide us the
wisdom, direction and guidance that we need. All we need to do is to
ask Him.
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open
to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
James 3:17
So how do we get that guidance, direction and wisdom from the Lord?
The key is to build a relationship with Him. When we fully surrender
our lives to Jesus, step away from our sinfulness and abide in His
teachings, we can start nurturing our relationship with Him. We start
our days praying to Him and reading and reflecting on the Bible
everyday. Of course we worship weekly, and seek to learn more about
God with other believers.
During these times, God can talk to us. He can speak His wisdom and
guidance through the Bible passages we read, through our own.
reflection, through sermons and bible study sessions, through praise
music, and even through Godly people we know.
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way,
walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21
When we seek God’s guidance in everything that we do, we declare our
utmost dependence to Him. And that act is our act of worship, and
honor, for our King of Kings, who knows everything, sees everything,
and is in control of all things.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in
his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the
Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalms 37:23-24
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on 2 Chronicles 10:1-17 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Where do you seek guidance when you need it? How
can God direct your steps this New Year?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, I need your guidance
throughout my life. Please give me the confidence to seek Your wisdom
for every decision that I will make in my life. Please direct my
steps, and help me find the best life choices that ultimately honor
you. Amen.
