Advice Received (Proverbs 19:20)

It is always best to listen to the advice of others.

"Hear counsel, receive instruction and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come." Proverbs 19:20, Amplified

When I stated that it is always best to listen to advice, it must be noted that not all advice is good. Look at the words used in the verse above: counsel, instruction and correction. Thought these words can be used in a secular tense, we can also find them to be very "Chritianese". Advice is good when it is rooted in the Word of God. In exhorting the Ephesians, Paul wrote, "I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27, NKJV) Again, as Paul was writing to Timothy he stated, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (Second Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV)

As long as the advice you receive in rooted in the heart of God, it will never fail.

Consequences (Proverbs 19:19)

There are some behaviors that we have in which it may prove useless to try and deliver us from for we have so given ourselves over to them.

"A man of great wrath shall suffer the penalty, for if you deliver him [from the consequences], he will [feel free to] cause you to do it again." Proverbs 19:19, Amplified

This verse needs little commentary. There are those who are constantly rescued from the consequences of bad decisions. They are delivered simply because they continue to fall into their sin knowing that they will be delivered. The lesson today is to muster up the courage to allow someone you love to suffer the consequences.

Discipline (Proverbs 19:18)

To chasten is to correct and correction is a good thing.

"Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin." Proverbs 19:18, Amplified

Discipline is a good thing, it is a tool for correction. It is rooted in the word disciple, or one who follows. So in essence, discipline is simply bowing to the ways of another.

I will not go into the verses in Hebrews that talk about the Lord being our Father and how He disciplines us, for that is not what this is about today. What is being illustrated here is that discipline will only be received by the child for so long. Once he or she is out of the house, advice is all that a parent can really offer, discipline is no longer effective. So as parents we need to take the responsibility of discipline to heart and do so while there is still time. If we stray from this path, I am afraid the end for discipline may come sooner than later. But if we are diligent in what He has called us to do, then that end will come later than sooner. However, in disciplining we must not set our eyes on the destruction of the child. In other words, we must make sure that the discipline fits the infraction. I know, in my own personal experience, that I have been carried away in my anger. But with the Lord's help, He is brining me to that balance in my life.