When advice is no longer good advice

[Wolftrap]

One thing that kept me from becoming Christian for a long time was the adage that "Christians shoot their own wounded." Many give well-meaning advice that is in accordance with God's word, and should be heeded and followed. But acknowledgement is not always the result of our life-situation, or griefs, or sorrows. Many of us KNOW what the Bible says. Many of us post because we seek answers as to why the situation is not in accordance with God's will. And then we receive more "encouragement" that, according to God's will, we're screwed, and the advice giver has a grip on EVERYTHING. Yep, that makes our situation so much better.

Marriage involes two will...if our partner doesn't agree with the Bible on a particular point, your advice leaves us to shoulder the guilt.

Have you forgotten that the fattened calf was slaughtered for the Prodigal Son? The "perfect" son was only given a lecture on his lack of love for his brother.

Moses and David committed MURDER. Yet they were two of God's favorites.

Abraham got so drunk he slept with his own daughters.

Have things changed? NO.

If you give advice, I recommend you not beat the tar out of the prisoner because you don't happen to be in prison and God has blessed your life with everything good.

 

[joaddi3]

amen brother...thanks i thought that i was being hypersensitive

 

[jwp]

Amen here's another one:

Jesus said that if any man lusts after another man he has already committed adultery in his heart.

 

[JohnDB]

Ummm just a quickie here...
Abraham didn't sleep with his daughters...

That was Lot (same one who was rescued from Sodom) that did that number and was too ashamed to return to Abraham's household even though Abraham rescued Lot from some other kings who had overrun Sodom earlier.

 

[Wolftrap]

Thanks for the help

 

[Autumnleaf]

Prisoner?

I know of a man who got carjacked and locked in his trunk. He was left in the trunk where he eventually died from heat and dehydration. When his two sons came to see the car one of them asked to be locked in the trunk to see what his father went through. He climbed in, the trunk was closed, and he looked around. He saw where his father had piled some of the tools in the trunk. He poked his hand out of where his father had broken a tail light to let in air so he could breathe. Just then his brother, standing outside the trunk, asked him if he could reach the button to open the trunk. He reached over and pressed the button and the trunk opened.

Sometimes when we are inside a situation it takes someone outside of it to point us in the direction of what to do next. None of our lives are perfect. We all have our own issues which we have to deal with. If someone takes the time to offer you advice take what you can use and leave the rest.

 

[Wolftrap]

Your suggestion is true, but you miss the point entirely.

In your zeal to praise advice, you misunderstand the possibility of misguided advice, and how it's delivered. I receive advice from anyone, it allows me to consider things that might not be open to me at the time.

I never rejected the importance of advice in my original post. I advised against bad advice, and even good, well-meaning advice that is instigated by the wrong reasons.

 

[brokenandhumbled]

I agree with you wolftrap....
I think you are saying that when someone is "in deep", coming along and telling them "How Deep" is not helpful.

 

[~Wisdom Seeker~]

One thing that kept me from becoming Christian for a long time was the adage that "Christians shoot their own wounded." Many give well-meaning advice that is in accordance with God's word, and should be heeded and followed. But acknowledgement is not always the result of our life-situation, or griefs, or sorrows. Many of us KNOW what the Bible says. Many of us post because we seek answers as to why the situation is not in accordance with God's will. And then we receive more "encouragement" that, according to God's will, we're screwed, and the advice giver has a grip on EVERYTHING. Yep, that makes our situation so much better.

Marriage involes two will...if our partner doesn't agree with the Bible on a particular point, your advice leaves us to shoulder the guilt.

Have you forgotten that the fattened calf was slaughtered for the Prodigal Son? The "perfect" son was only given a lecture on his lack of love for his brother.

Moses and David committed MURDER. Yet they were two of God's favorites.

Abraham got so drunk he slept with his own daughters.

Have things changed? NO.

If you give advice, I recommend you not beat the tar out of the prisoner because you don't happen to be in prison and God has blessed your life with everything good.

Well, I like the phrase "Christians shoot their own wounded". That seems fairly prophetic. (kind of "wowed" me, when I read it)

But, after your first paragraph, You don't seem to have a question, or a defined point.

Care to be more clear about what it is that you want from this thread? Or are you just ranting aimlessly?

 

[DZoolander]

Well - I think what he's suggesting is that maybe we Christians ought to have a little more compassion for our brothers/sisters in our advice giving (as Christ Himself probably would have advised) - and not be so pedantic with our application of scripture.

...and in that...I have to agree.

Generally - in any legal structure - there's the letter of the law - and there's the spirit of the law. Both have to be balanced when determining what is "Just". That's what makes legalism scary. They have no interest whatsoever in "the spirit of the law" - which exists explicitly to take things like circumstance into account.

...and circumstance does matter.

Ya know?

 

[Johnnz]

It takes compassion, a listening heart and skill to be able to listen to the cry of the human heart. Law can never touch that cry.

John
NZ