Wise and Godly Counselors: A Diagnostic Checklist

The book of Proverbs makes clear that having wise and godly counselors is an essential part of living wisely and living well. We cannot fly solo and fly well at the same time. We need other people to speak into our lives, to gently and lovingly expose our sin, to pray with us, to encourage us, and to challenge us (Paul Tripp puts it helpfully when he says, 'Our walk with God is a community project'). Here are some diagnostic questions to consider whether you have the godly counselors that Proverbs says that we need: 

1. Do I have multiple people with whom I have regular conversations about things that matter? 
2. Are these people wise, trustworthy, and do they fear the LORD (which Proverbs says is the beginning of wisdom)?
3. Do I have friends in my life who know me, love me, and who feel free to speak truth even when it's not something easy to say or hear? Their names are... (If you're married this should include your spouse, but not be limited to your spouse. If your spouse is the only person who you count on for this type of input you're putting a crushing responsibility on their shoulders.)
4. When someone comes to me with a constructive criticism or correction I view this as [or I respond by]... 

Sermon Summary: The Importance of Wise and Godly Counselors

On Sunday I preached from the book of Proverbs. The second half of Proverbs is sentence literature, meaning that a new theme or topic might be addressed from one sentence to the next without any warning or transition. The proverbs are not necessarily sorted by topic, but are often scattered throughout the book, which makes it difficult to preach (how often have you heard sermons preached from the book of Proverbs? I think I've only heard one sermon from Proverbs in person). One way to approach the book of Proverbs (which is what I did) is to collect proverbs based around a single theme. The theme I preached on was the importance of wise and godly counselors in living wisely (Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:22; 24:5–6; 15:5; 15:31–33; 17:10; 25:11–12). 
 

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Two basic principles emerge from these Proverbs: 

1. Listening to good advisors and listening to many advisors is wise and profitable. 
2. Listening carefully to correction and instruction-- even when it is hard to hear-- is the way of wisdom. 

After unpacking these two principles, we considered: 

1. How this wisdom plays out in day-to-day life in general.
2. How we need to apply this wisdom more frequently to our lives as Christians.
3. How the gospel of Jesus Christ frees us to receive this wisdom by moving us past responses to correction of devastation and avoidance.