{"id":14285,"date":"2026-06-13T06:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T10:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=14285"},"modified":"2026-06-13T06:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T10:49:50","slug":"do-you-want-advice-or-approval","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/do-you-want-advice-or-approval","title":{"rendered":"DO YOU WANT ADVICE OR APPROVAL?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him” (1 Kings 12:8 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The book of 1 Kings recorded Rehoboam’s response to a national crisis after the death of his father, Solomon. When the people asked for relief from the heavy burdens imposed by his father, Rehoboam wisely sought counsel. First, he consulted the older advisors who had served Solomon. They urged him to lead with humility, assuring him that kindness would win the people’s loyalty. Yet Rehoboam rejected their wisdom and turned instead to his younger peers who had grown up with him in privilege and power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His failure was not a lack of access to wise counsel. The tragedy was that he abandoned it. The older men understood leadership, government, and human nature. The younger men told Rehoboam what he wanted to hear. They encouraged domination instead of service and harshness instead of compassion. Rehoboam followed their counsel. As a result, the kingdom was divided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must examine our own hearts when seeking counsel. Are we truly looking for wisdom, or are we searching for approval? It is easy to surround ourselves with voices that affirm our desires rather than challenge our thinking. Wise counsel often requires humility, repentance, patience, and a willingness to serve others before ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When God’s Word and godly counselors speak truth into our lives, we must resist the temptation to dismiss what we do not want to hear. The question is not whether wisdom is available. The question is whether we will receive it. When we seek counsel, may we ask ourselves honestly: Do we really want advice or approval?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, give us humble and teachable hearts. Help us welcome wise counsel, especially when it challenges our pride or desires. Protect us from surrounding ourselves with voices that merely affirm what we already want. Grant us the wisdom to receive Your truth and the strength to obey it. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him” (1 Kings 12:8 ESV). The book of 1 Kings recorded Rehoboam’s response to a national crisis after the death of his father, Solomon. When the people asked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1278],"scripture-chapter":[1345],"oyb_day":[1691],"location":[],"class_list":["post-14285","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-1-kings","scripture-chapter-1345","oyb_day-june-13"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14285"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14285"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14285"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14285"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=14285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}