Mr. Know It All

And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. (Job 32:6-8)

Thought For Today:

There will always be people like Elihu, who think they have all the answers. I’m sure you've run across some of these types of people in your life. They will give us reasons for our actions and condemn our lifestyle, thinking that wisdom has been given to them only. As a pastor once said, "They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." We need to be careful about listening to these kind of people. We must consider when they speak, do they have our best interest at heart? Do their words build us up or tear us down? Is what they are saying in line with the Word of God? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then these aren't the people you want counseling you. Elihu meant well, but his word, like Job's other three friends, did little to help Job cope with his suffering. Elihu set himself up as someone with an upright heart who spoke sincerely, and yet he accused Job of being prideful. The sins we accuse others of are often the very sins we may commit ourselves. When we identify a particular fault in others, we need to ask our self, "Am I guilt of this too?" If we hope to recover from our sins and be more like Jesus, we need to be honest and pinpoint the areas of denial in our own life and take them to Jesus for correction. Seek godly counsel, do not listen to everyone who tries to speak into your life.