The other day I had a convo with my son warning that our heart is deceitful above all things…that we need be careful not to reason ourselves into decisions that depart from Truth.
I saw a funny meme recently of a sheep in a pasture attacking a wash basin. It made me belly laugh. He charged that thing like it was his worst enemy, making himself flip upside down over the the metal tub! The caption said,
ME: When I wander from God.
GOD: What He sees when He leaves the 99…
The visual is such a great reminder of the ridiculousness we place ourselves in when we wander from Him.
It’s why we’ve got to allow the Word of God to become our Source of Truth AND to surround ourselves with trusted counsel who will speak Truth when we begin to wander.
Most times when we let common sense trump Divine-sense, things don’t fare well & here’s why:
Our source of counsel has a direct effect on success.
When King Solomon dies, his son, Rheoboam, becomes king & immediately faces a big decision. He seeks wisdom from his father’s advisors, but doesn’t like their counsel, so he turns to his peers. When he executes the younger men’s harsh counsel, his kingdom is split in two!
His servant, Jeroboam, begins ruling over most of Israel, while Rehoboam rules the tribe of Judah.
“Jeroboam THOUGHT TO HIMSELF😳, unless I’m careful,” the people of Israel might reconcile with Judah when they make sacrifices in Jerusalem.
So, “On the advice of his counselors” he made two gold calves for the people to worship instead!
God promised the kingdom to Jeroboam for generations if he’d obey, but the king refused. I don’t think it was due to obstinance, though, because here’s the bottom line:
A foundational distrust of God is usually the root of our departure from Him.
We don’t believe that He will care for us, so we take matters into our own hands to secure safety, to create provision, to fabricate peace…
Father, forgive us for the times we don’t believe you & pretend to be providence! You are the only one who can keep us safe & provide for our every need. Guard us from self sufficiency by speaking to us through your Word & surrounding us with wise counsel who will warn us when we begin to wander.
1 KINGS 12:20-13:34
ACTS 9:26-43
PSALM 132:1-18
PROVERBS 17:6
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