Proverbs 11:14
“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
I suppose that one of the single most powerful aspects concerning our human nature is our desire to have a significant impact on the world around us. People want to have success, especially the society in which we live today. The pressure for progress is felt in every single sector of our society. Motivational messages are the mantras of this generation. Be careful to make sure that these messages match good values. Sometimes it is easy to confuse the two.
I believe that this innate desire for success is derived from some specific areas. Initially, it could come from our realization of the natural talents and abilities we possess, no matter what those abilities might be. We might also receive some vision and encouragement from what we see others having accomplished with similar talents, and through this observation we arrive at the notion that we too could accomplish similar feats given the same circumstances.
Another reason for our raw ambition for success is the knowledge of our mortality. This may not be a motivation for the younger generations, but with age it certainly becomes more increasingly an area of main concern. Wisdom should come with age and with failure. In other words, we should be able to understand that our time is limited, therefore put a premium on efficiency, and we also should know by now what not to do; not only by our own failures, but also through the observation of the failures of others.
Finally, there is the force of love. We do what we do because we hope to improve the situation of people that we love and care about. It is always amazing what hardships and extreme difficulties that humanity is willing to go through to make a difference in the lives of those closest to them. They will work two or three different jobs for years upon end just to give their child an opportunity to attend college, and become the first person in their family to earn a college degree.
However, we are discovering that success is not the most important thing in life. This high profile celebrity life that the rest of society observes on a constant basis through the mass media has definitely set unrealistic goals for the rest of us. We are reading more and more about high profile murders, suicides, debaucheries, white collar crimes, and addictions of every sort. These are the same people who came to know success through the one or all of the means mentioned in the previous paragraphs. However, they obviously lacked one important element, the element of wise counsel.
Jesus Christ was quoted as saying, “What would it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world, and lose his soul? What would a man give in exchange for his soul?” What are we willing to lose or even risk losing for the opportunity of success? I think that at the beginning of our journey we should ask this very important question. What is it that I hope to gain from this quest? Can I obtain this crown and maintain my integrity? Can I do this and sleep well at night? Are you willing to lie and risk the possibility of going to prison for a better retirement compensation package? Will this decision affect the health of my marriage and family? Would you be willing to sell your marriage and your relationship with your children for a few million dollars? Some decisions need good counsel before they are made.
Some people surround themselves with counselors, but foolish ones. They surround themselves with people who will tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear, therefore they inevitably step outside of the safety zone and fall! When they fall they usually are left to bear the brunt alone, while their counselors usually walk away without even as much as a scuffed up shoe.
Wise and honest counsel and counselors are like walls that protect a city. They are like a safe that protects the money. They keep us safe and secure. When building your life, don’t forget to have the builders include strong walls, doors, and the locks. Make sure that the people who build them have a good reputation. Make sure that they esteem the most important areas of life and not the vain ones only. Vanity is simply things of less importance. Which is more important, the body or raiment, a man’s life or the house in which he lives, a person’s family or a person’s career?
Let us all seek to be the very best that we can, given the talents that we have been bestowed with! However, let us do it as safely as possible, so as to protect the things that we hold most dear and that have the greatest value!
Pastor LaVaughn
