GOOD ADVICE

Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
 You must not have any other god but me.
 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.  Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Honor your father and mother.  You must not murder.
  You must not commit adultery.
 You must not steal.
 You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
 You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

“Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands.  Obey my commands and live!  Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.  Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.”

My parents have given me some excellent advice over the years.  Mom taught me to love my wife years before I met her.  Dad taught me to accept responsibility for my own actions.  Mom taught me to apologize.  Dad taught me not to mess up in the first place.  Day before yesterday, they both nearly died in a car accident.  They flipped and rolled the car – twice! – yet miraculously walked away with only minor cuts and brusies.  Dad was not even admitted to the hospital!  We are so grateful to God for sparing and protecting them.  I am more grateful to Him for giving them to me in the first place.  Their advice over the years has saved me from a lot of heartache.

Good advice is hard to come by.  Movie reviews consistently mislead us.  Friends’ recommendations prove misguided.  Investment advisors may as well use Ouija boards.  People we can rely on and trust are a precious blessing.  Nevertheless, the time will come when no other person can help.  The time always comes when no one has the answer, or when those we rely on are no longer there.  How we handle our choices and emotions at that point can determine much and says a lot about our character.  Where should we turn?

It’s hard to go wrong with God.  He quite literally created and designed our lives, and wrote the book on what it takes to get the most out of them.  Time and again, we come back to His Way only after learning by hard experience that no other course works as well.  Why do we subject ourselves to so many alternative lifestyles and life choices when God has shown us how life should be lived for over thousands of years?  The Ten Commandments work.  God’s advice never fails.   And He will always be there for us.