Comments: The Value of Counsel

One of the common pitfalls of life is trusting in our own judgment when we only see part of the picture. When we make decisions or take actions based on how we feel or how we see a situation, the results can be costly to ourselves and to others.

This is why Solomon advised in Proverbs 3:5, “lean not on your own understanding” and in Proverbs 3:7, “Do not be wise in your own eyes,” and again in Proverbs 28:26, “He who trusts in his [or her] own heart is a fool....”

Solomon also warned in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man [or a woman], but its end is the way of death.”

To help us avoid making serious mistakes in life, God inspired Solomon to write in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” and again in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

We can obtain wise counsel from parents, the ministry, and from older, more experienced friends and associates who can be objective and help us see a bigger picture than we perceive on our own—seeking wise counsel can be very profitable in avoiding serious mistakes!