CGMG ABOVE ONLY - If Your Help or Counsel Is Not Taken

If Your Help or Counsel Is Not Taken	TUESDAY FEB. 21

2Samuel 17:23 (GNB), Acts 27:21-22 (GNB)When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown. After putting his affairs in order, he hanged himself… *After everyone had gone a long time without food, Paul stood … and said, "You should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete; then we would have avoided all this damage and loss. But now I beg you, take courage!

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How would you respond if your help or counsel is not taken? It is natural to feel bad or rejected at first, but you can do yourself a lot of good by controlling yourself and opting to walk in love. Our texts above reveal how two different people responded when their counsel was disregarded. Ahithophel became so frustrated, upset and bitter over the fact that Absalom rejected his counsel that he went back to his hometown and took his own life. On the other hand, even though great danger and suffering resulted because Apostle Paul's counsel was rejected, he opted to pray to God for
everyone in the ship and encouraged and advised them on how they could all be safe in the long run. He did not take the rejection of his counsel personally or allow it cause him to withdraw and wish evil on those that rejected it.

Do not hold grudges and do not bottle things up inside you. People sometimes overreact to certain experiences because they have bottled up a lot of negative emotions for a long time. So something seemingly little triggers a major negative reaction from them. The fact that your counsel is not taken now does not mean it may not be taken later. Also, open yourself up to grow and learn. Do not allow the devil to suggest anything negative to you. Commit those that rejected your counsel to God and ask for His mercy so that it will be well with them. Keep walking in love towards them and continue to positively counsel them if the need arises. Guard your heart and keep walking in love.

PRAYER FOCUS: Heavenly Father, I receive your grace not to hold grudges against anyone and to keep walking in love towards people who may reject my help or counsel.

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