Taking Advice

Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.
Arrogance only produces arguments, but wisdom accompanies those well advised.
-Proverbs 13:10 (HCSB, VOICE)


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Question: Do you take advice?  Life is full of problems that need advice.  Arrogant people do not take advice.  And there is a side-affect to arrogance: it produces arguing and strife.

I am and have been an arrogant person.  I grew up, with an arrogant style.  But, when I was 24 years old, I shifted, when God came into my life in a profound way, and I became a person who sought advice or counsel.  I learned to listen and take it in.



Just the other day, I spent about an hour with an older couple and I told them about my plans and a problem.  They gave me a piece of advice that I had not considered, which perfectly solved my dilemma.  This has happened for me, over and over, as I have sought out advisers.

The arrogance of the proud person that argues in a quarrelsome fashion is that of a person that must have everything their own way, and "won't be kicked around"(1).  The argumentative person, does not just express a difference of opinion, but presents an unyielding personality and a closed-mindedness symptomatic of pride(2).

If you have arguing and strife, you might have an inability to take advice or receive counsel, rooted in arrogance.  Arrogance is pride.  As the arrogance blocks out advice or counsel, it does it argumentatively.  

The arrogant person can not receive advice, but strives against it.  Arrogance argues and creates strife.  When we reject receiving counsel through arguing, we are displaying arrogance.

Wisdom comes through advice and counsel.  The arrogant person thinks that they already have wisdom.  The wise person listens to advice or counsel.  They still have to sort it out and "spit out the bones", so to speak, but they listen and are open minded.  The arrogant one argues with advice and counsel, rejecting it, as it comes in, because their arrogance has blinded them to receiving.

Incidentally, there are many people who need help, need advice, or need deliverance; but there are few who want it.  What is tricky, is that people will come to you who need but don't want, and still others will approach us who seem to say they want, but then they endlessly argue.

There are many people who have limited knowledge and even less wisdom, who are delusional.  In a Biblical framework, we need God and we need each other.  Part of needing others, is accepting advice.  Living as if you don't need God or don't need others is the delusion

We desperately need God and we strongly need others.  Accepting counsel: not arguing against everything that is different from you when it is said to you, is living in your humble need for others.


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1. Derek Kidner, Proverbs, p. 90
2. Idid., p. 102

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