“A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise” (Proverbs 15:12)

I hope that from the explanation of the Discipline of Counsel on the 40 days of discipline website and the quiz yesterday we have concluded that we all can improve in the area of seeking counsel. We will only really understand this Discipline deeply though, if we deal with an essential human trait: humility.

The connection between the Discipline of Counsel and the quality of humility should be obvious. To truly benefit from the counsel of others we must first admit that we don’t have all the answers. Philippians 2:3 tells us to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”. In exhibiting humility, I am not suggesting that we need to depreciate ourselves. What I am suggesting is that we need to follow the instructions in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Of course, if a person is not inclined to seek counsel it doesn’t mean they are not humble. There may be other legitimate and illegitimate reasons. For example, one might be fearful of the consequences of seeking counsel (betrayal of confidence, conflicting advice, being looked down on, etc.) or counsel might not be required based on a clear answer from God. Later this week we will deal with the topic of discernment, but humility is a great place to start because being humble really does free us up to benefit from God’s wisdom provided through others.

How humble are you? I know it is often a difficult area to make a personal assessment but it is certainly worth thinking about. Also, think about the impact of this quality on your propensity to seek godly counsel.

What do you think? Share your thoughts with a comment on the blog site.