Accept Council from God and Others

Keys for Kids Daily Devotional for December 4, 2006
TITLE: Wise Counsel
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 15:20-22
AUDIO: listen here
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
Mary brushed away tears as she hurried into the house. I never thought obeying rules would make me feel so stupid, she thought. It seemed that more and more of her friends were rebelling against the things she knew were right. She plopped her books onto the kitchen table. "I walked past two girls from my class on the way home," said Mary as Mom took a loaf of bread from the oven. "They were smoking cigarettes behind a tree. They asked me if I wanted to smoke, too."
Mom frowned. "What did you tell them?" she asked.
"I said no. I told them smoking isn't good for us and that we should take care of our bodies," replied Mary. "They laughed and said I was a baby and that I was following a lot of old-fashioned rules. They said I should make my own decisions about things instead of listening to other people's rules." Mary shook her head. "They made me feel so stupid," she added.
"Listening to people who love you seems smart to me," said Mom.
Mary shrugged. "Paige says her mom doesn't like to tell her what's right or wrong. She thinks Paige should decide for herself what's best for her." Mary frowned. "But God doesn't want us kids to decide everything for ourselves, does He?" she asked.
"No," replied Mom. "We all often need counsel of people more familiar than we are with certain areas of life. Take medicine, for example. We need to listen to the advice of experts in that field." Mom smiled. "In many other areas, we especially need to listen to the counsel God gives in His Word. The Bible clearly states many things we should do, as well as many we should not do."
"Yeah." Mary nodded. "And one of the things He says kids should do is obey parents, right? I still remember rules you taught me long ago." She grinned as she mimicked her mother's voice. "Look both ways before you cross the street. Wash your hands before eating."
Mom laughed. "Right. Those were rules to keep you from getting hurt or sick physically when you were little," she said. "God says to listen to instructors and receive wise counsel, and those rules are part of that-as are the rules we have for you today."
MEMORY VERSE: Listen to counsel and receive instruction. Proverbs 19:20
HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you realize that you need advice and counsel? It's rather easy to see that very small children need counsel from their parents-they need rules to follow. But do you realize that because your experience is limited in many areas, you often need help in deciding what's best for you? That's one reason God puts people in your life who can give you wise counsel. And remember, no matter how old you get, you'll always need counsel from God.
THE KEY: Accept counsel from God and others