REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, is an updated version of his blog first posted on November 27, 2014. Peter is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“To Whom Do You Turn in Times of Trouble?”
Proverbs 19:20
Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.
Every now and then, I enter into a conversation, and the person says to me, “I need your advice.” My ears perk up, and I’m ready to listen with the hopes that I can provide that person with just the sound advice that will help him or her navigate through some challenging circumstance in life.
All of us face circumstances in life in which we need good advice. It might be about relationships. It might about a messy situation at your workplace or at school. It might be about responsibilities at home with your children or your spouse. In life, we all get to a place where we need to make certain decisions but with very little or no degree of certainty on the outcome of our decisions. It is at these crossroads we pause and we seek counsel, especially from those who have gone before us and are facing similar circumstances.
As I faced new ministry challenges, I found myself in a place where I had more questions than answers. The sense of uncertainty was quite overwhelming. I constantly got on my knees asking the Lord for wisdom in every situation. I would talk through the matters with my wife. I would let my mind play through all of the scenarios and the possible outcomes. But I also had the company of other ministers who had walked through similar circumstances, and I sought their advice and their counsel. They shared from their life’s experiences, their missteps and mistakes as well as their successes. They shared from their lives, some of the greatest lessons they gained while navigating through each situation.
One pastor shared some of the best lessons that he had learned while making some of the most foolish mistakes. He admitted that a great part of his maturity came as a result of making judgment errors but responding humbly to the Lord’s correction, rebuke, and discipline. He pointed out that if we would heed to his advice, those who listen could very well shave off a few years here and there and quicken the process towards maturity.
What do you do when you need good sound advice? Who do you turn to? How well do you listen to advice when given?
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for (or I need) people in my life who provides me with good sound advice. In my pursuit of living wisely, grant to me the humility to listen to good advice in every area of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 1 Corinthians 11
Lunch Break Study
Read James 1:19-25: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Questions to Consider
- According to James, what is one vice that manifests when failing to listen quickly?
- Instead of allowing anger get the best of us, what can we do in order to grow through the trials?
- If you currently facing trials, who can you turn to for godly wisdom and advice in your life?
Notes
- James is writing to believers who are going through trials and persecution. In their pains and confusion, they lost the sense of hearing from the Lord and spoke too quickly about their situations. This led them to quick anger and blame rather than developing patience and trust.
- Rather than angrily blaming God for our temptation and sin, and thus forfeiting the good he is trying to accomplish in us through the trial, we should confront the evil that caused the temptation, and return to the wisdom of His Word which can take us safely through the trial.
- Personal response
Evening Reflection
Write down a few areas in your life in which you need advice. Think of people in your life whom you can contact and say to him/her, “I need your advice.”